Bike dilema?
I have a tri bike but If you are going to be doing courses with lots of hills you are probably better off with a more versatile road bike and maybe get some short jammer aero bars for those flats you come across.
Nothing to it, but to do it
I have a good carbon road bike - added nice areobars and put in a forward seat post. It works great - comfortable, areo and fast. Fairly hilly area here, and I have no issues with it. Works great even at IM distance. Still, at some point, I will get a nice Tri-bike, but a road bike is more versatile. I'll be estatic once I have both. :D
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
I would also suggest a road bike with aerobars. I do a fair amount of riding in Northern Michigan where its very hilly and was worried about the same thing. I went with a nice road bike and have been happy so far.
I would suggest a shorter stem just to shorten your reach on the aerobars. It made a big difference in my comfort.
To be worn out is to be renewed.
Lao-tzu
Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)
I have a road bike as well. I added some clip-on aero bars earlier this year. I just bought a fast forward seat post to change the angle and shorten the reach (this bike is a tad big for me).
Should I be concerned that the ff seat post puts me too far forward and too much of the weight is forward on a road bike frame not necessarily designed for that?
Eventually I will get a tri bike but I am content training on the road bike for now.
The seat post should come in before my weekend ride - I'll let you know how it works out.
Here is the link to the seat post:
http://www.all3sports.com/product_info.php?pName=profile-design-fast-forward-seatpost
If you buy, use coupon code tnoall3 for 10% discount.
I have been curious about the forward seatpost...lemme know how that goes.
To be worn out is to be renewed.
Lao-tzu
Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)
I think the Kestrel Talon is a nice compromise between the two, not positive about that one though. Anyone know much about these bikes? The new one they are coming out with this year looks pretty sweet.
I do a fair amount of riding in Northern Michigan
Hate to be off-topic, but where-abouts in Northern Michigan? Just curious being a yooper myself. Get excited when somebody's actually been there!
Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.
I live in Lansing, but grew up near Petoskey/Harbor Springs...those hills east of Petoskey will rip your lungs out :)
To be worn out is to be renewed.
Lao-tzu
Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)
To be honest I used to ride a Giant TCR1T. I have traded out the road bars for aero bars and I am the same speed on my strictly Tri bike (Cannondale Ironman800) and I have had the Tri bike for a month now. Honestly I think it makes a tiny difference but not huge go with some aero bars and you will be good to go.
I think the Kestrel Talon is a nice compromise between the two, not positive about that one though. Anyone know much about these bikes? The new one they are coming out with this year looks pretty sweet.
Macca has won a number of races on it. Like you said, it's more of a road geometry, but it seems to work pretty well.
So what is the drawback of riding a tri bike in the mountains again? I've been trying to decide between a Soloist Team and a P2-SL for a while now, and was leaning toward the P2. However, being in northern utah, I'm on hills (anywhere from 4-10% for several miles) more often than I'm not.
Is there a clear choice? Is the soloist the way to go?
At the TdF a couple of years ago, Ivan Basso won the uphill time trial at l'Alpe d'Huez on Cervelo's R2.5 --- it weighed 15 pounds with aerobars, barely meeting the minimum weight requirement. The Soloist doesn't weigh much more, and has the aero design.
I did notice that the reversible seatpost doesn't come standard this year with the Soloist --- I would think a dealer would be willing to swap. If I was climbing mountains everyday, I wouldn't hesitate for a second in getting a Soloist.
thehitman
“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” Mark Twain
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I think a soloist with the reversibe seat post would be an excellent option and a decent price point for the aluminum framed soloist.
Followup post about the Fast Forward seat post I just got.
Now my setup is a road bike with aero-bars and a FF seat post. The seat post is shaped like a ">" which moves the seat forward.
I rode a little at lunch today and definitely could tell a difference. Now when I get on the aerobars I have my "ears over my elbows". I have often heard this was the proper position on the bars.
I'm not sure how this will do on a long ride - maybe this weekend will be nice.








I just finished my first half im, what an incredible experiance. It was my second tri and not my last. I finished in 5:40 but felt that I lost a lot of time on the bike. I have a cheap road bike that has a little over 2000 miles on it. I want a new bike but not sure if a tri specific bike is ideal for where i live. I live in the mountains and climbing is an everyday thing. Should I look into a road bike or are there tri bikes better suited for climbing hills as well as hammering the flats.