Are tri bikes really faster?

It's generally known that triathlon bikes have aerodynamic and geometric advantages that make them faster than road bikes. With all variables remaining equal over the bike leg of a triathlon, the tri bike wins in speed.

How much faster are tri bikes?

The BikeRadar website claims the advantage a TT bike gives you is 60-70 watts at 40 km/h, that is, it takes 270-280 watts to ride a road bike at that speed and 220 watts to ride a TT bike. Translated into seconds, a TT bike gives you 9 seconds per kilometre advantage. This is six minutes in a 40 km time trial. Insane.

How much faster are tri bars?

After installing aero bars, riders typically find that they're going 1 to 2 mph faster at the same level of effort.

How much faster is a tri bike Ironman?

For example, as I discovered during , sustaining 150 watts of power is a couple of kilometers per hour faster on a triathlon bike. What starts as a roughly two-minute speed bump in a sprint-distance triathlon compounds the farther you go. That means you'll save nearly 20 minutes throughout a 112-mile Ironman bike leg.

Are tri bikes comfortable?

Triathlon bikes are not designed to be comfortable, they are designed to be aerodynamic, light, and to allow the rider to exert maximum effort against the pedals to get the most speed out of the ride.

TRIATHLON BIKE vs ROAD BIKE (Exact Time Saving for Every Distance Race)

Why are tri bikes so heavy?

Why are Triathlon bikes Heavier than Road Bikes? A triathlon bike is heavier than a road bike by 2- 4 lbs or 1 to 2 kg. The reason is that the aim is to make a triathlon bike more aerodynamic rather than lightweight as it is in road bikes.

Can I use a tri bike as a road bike?

Yes, a triathlon bike can be changed to a road bike. This can be sometimes expensive and consume a lot of time but it is very doable. The main parts of these two different bikes can be swapped to change one into the other. You just have to pay attention to the fit as you do so.

Are TT bikes faster than aero bikes?

TT Triathlon Bikes are faster than the typical road bikes as they provide enhanced aerodynamics that is functioned to reduce air resistance, which allows the rider to advance faster. However, they are widely considered less comfortable and less stable than road bikes.

Are tri bars worth it?

Tri bars can make a significant difference in your speed and can help to lower energy consumption at the same power output. Since TRI bars help reduce wind resistance, the power needed is much less than having no TRI bars.

Why do tri bikes have aero bars?

The triathlon bike also features aero bars that place the rider in an extremely aerodynamic position that they can be comfortable in for many hours at a time. Deep carbon fiber wheels are also used to increase aerodynamics of the triathlon bike.

What is the difference between a road bike and a tri bike?

A road bike has the classic "drop bar"and a triathlon bike has a base bar, arm pads, and aero extensions. A closer look at the geometry shows that the road bike frame places the saddle a bit farther behind the pedals and the handlebars a little higher.

Why do pro triathletes use road bikes?

Road bikes are super lightweight and great for climbing

If you live somewhere that has any sort of undulating terrain, a road bike is a great tool to be able to fly up the climbs. Often times when climbing, even if on a triathlon specific bike, you are not in the aero position.

Is it hard to ride a triathlon bike?

Triathlon bikes are squirrelly aerodynamic beasts. They are great for speed, but frame geometry, riding down on aerobars and weight distribution (especially with bento boxes and bar-mounted hydration systems) can make tri bikes especially difficult to handle as compared to road bikes.

Do I need a tri bike for Ironman?

Yes, a dedicated triathlon bike will help your performance, but you can still do well without one.

Can you put drop bars on a triathlon bike?

For example, over time, one can (1) keep the drop bars and clip-ons on the triathlon bike and just use it that way for training and multisport racing.

Do triathlon bikes have gears?

Your standard racing bike (triathlon or road) has 10 gears attached to the rear wheel, collectively known as the cassette. Each one of those gears is a cog.

Can you train on a tri bike?

Training is absolutely specific (Noakes, 1986). This would mean that training on a tri bike would be of great importance if you want to ride well in your race, on your tri bike. Another source showed that running off the tri bike showed huge gains in run speed.

What is the fastest time trial bike?

How fast do time trial cyclists go?

A ten mile time trial can taken anything between 17.20 (over 34 mph) and 40 minutes. A good target for a fit club cyclist is to break 24 minutes on a standard quiet course. This requires an average speed of 25 mph. To win an open event, depending on the course, the most common time is something between 20.00 and 21.00.

How much faster is a triathlon bike than a road bike with aero bars?

TT bikes have only a marginal gain of 17 seconds over a road bike for a 40km distance. In fact, what you are buying is the position rather the frame; that is the major benefit if you opted for a TT bike.