Triathlon position vs. road position
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2425 days
Tribro posted 2 years ago.
Yes. I think it was mentioned in your earlier post about riding your new bike with any adjustments, even the slightest, in position will have an effect on your ride. If you haven't riden in a tri position at all and then jump into one for a race it'll hurt (not recommended). You would have been better off riding your old bike for this race. You need many, many miles/rides if you're jumping from road to tri position before getting the muscle groups working and the comfort level up.
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1436 days
sparknote_s posted 2 years ago.
That's what I suspected heh.
But you know, just finished a new bike...couldn't resist!
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1375 days
trithis04 posted 2 years ago.
Tribro is right, you need to condition the different set of muscles used in a tri/TT specific position. If positioned correctly, you will use more quad strength in the pedal stroke than in road specific geometery. This can take time to get accustomed to.
Furthermore, I would recommend saving your old stem and seat post (or bike). I've found that mixed riding between road and tri geometeries will increase your overall cycling fitness. As you will be able to focus on different muscle groups, which leads to increased power and endurance across the board. It is definately a big help, however, I only do this occasionally during the build and race season. Most road riding (for me) is done in the off season.
[FONT=Impact]-Jason
"Fatigue will make cowards of us all!"
2334
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2425 days
Tribro posted 2 years ago.
:D Ya, it's tough not jumping on that shiny new bike.
If you can, at least dial in your seat height/leg extension to that of your old ride. So, even though you are in a more forward postion, you're leg extension will be similar. This is what many will do that ride road/tri/mountain bikes throughout the season, even though the angle may be different, everything else is the same.
If you need to make adjustment to your seat height, start where you were and make minimal adjustments over time. This will help in make the transition to the new bike easier.
64
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1436 days
sparknote_s posted 2 years ago.
Yeah I first measured the BB to middle of seat distance from my old bike and transferred it to my new bike. Then I got some warm up riding in and brought an allen wrench to make small adjustments.
Do you think it would be better to finish the season with a more road style geometry (simply switch seatpost back), and transition to a tri geometry in the off season?
Or should I just start getting used to it?
If it is a big performance thing, I'd probably want to stick to road geometry...but if it won't make a HUGE difference I might just stick with it.
What do you think would be better?
I just got a seatpost (Profile Design Fast Forward) which moves you forward. So it basically turns a road geometry frame from a common 73 degrees to 78 degrees in the seat tube. I've also compensated by getting a little longer stem (120 mm) and in terms of comfort it feels great. It's actually really comfortable.
However, in the race I just had my thighs were incredibly sore during the bike, and my calves were cramping up really bad. The bike section was also only 13 mi, and I'm used to riding rides around 40 mi (and have even done 30 min runs after those). My time was also terrible, considering my pace was comparable to my easy pace on long rides.
Despite this, I then had a really good run.
Do you think I just need to get used to the new position? From what I've been reading, the triathlon geometry puts you in a more economical position, because it uses more slow twitch fibers versus fast twitch, and burns less glycogen.
I am used to riding road geometry for two years, so is it possible I just need to get used to using a slightly different group of muscles?