Full Aero Bike or Just Wheels?
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UFTriGator posted 1 year ago.
An aero frame really makes almost no difference at all. Being in an aero position on that frame does, though. The CR1 is an awesome bike, and has a pretty steep seat tube angle for a road bike (which is one of the biggest and most important differences between road frames and tri frames). The CR1's seat tube angle goes all the way up to 75 degrees for the smallest frames, which is still about the same as an Orbea Ordu (purdy dern nice tri bike). With a setback seatpost, you could make it even steeper. More importantly, though, get some aerobars at least. I think having aero wheels and aerobars on a road bike would be faster than having training wheels on a tri bike.
As long as you don't get a disc (not discouraging that in any way....they rock), you can still use most wheels in RRs and crits (although I wouldn't recommend it if you're still a Cat 5 cuz they'll have a much higher chance of getting trashed in a crash).
Anyway, I raced on a road bike with aero wheels my first season and it worked out all right. Having a tri bike and aero wheels is definitely better, but given the choice between the two, I'd want the wheels.
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-Matt
Not fast enough.
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kevinb421 posted 1 year ago.
Gator is right. the CR1 is such an awesome bike that for 3k you wouldn't be able to get the same quality as you would get from a nice set of race wheels.
Also if your going to drop that much money on a set of race wheels get yourself a quality set of aero bars and an aero helmet. If you really wanted too it wouldnt be especially tough or that expensive to change your shifters to bar ends if Tri's are really what you love.
"If your not going to win, make the fellow in front of you break a record."
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Nobody posted 1 year ago.
Cervelo Dual (1800) + HED Front ($700) and Renn Rear disc ($600) = $3100. Score the HED wheel used on ebay or craigslist for $400 and you can still get a pukka aero helmet.
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kylie posted 1 year ago.
Nobody -- isn't the Dual a road bike, just an aero frame? Seems like from what Matt said his road bike already gets pretty steep (seat angle) so I'm not sure if another, although aero, road bike would be his best bet.
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UFTriGator posted 1 year ago.
It has a reversible seatpost (I think all cervelos do). It's more of a TT bike with the seatpost back (75 degrees) and a tri bike with it forward (78 degrees). It's definitely the best entry-level TT/tri bike out there, too. The thing is, a CR1 is a fairly high-end road bike and I don't how I'd feel going from a really great carbon frame to a dual.
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-Matt
Not fast enough.
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kevinb421 posted 1 year ago.
its true that a CR1 is one of the nicer road bikes you can get. Add that to the fact that a CR1 has a fairly aggressive angle anyway. I would spend the money on converting the CR1 into a great tri bike. The only thing the Cervelo would add would be a more aero frame, and a slightly more aggressive seat angle, however with a different post and a different seat on the CR1 the seat angle would be very comparable.
"If your not going to win, make the fellow in front of you break a record."
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freewaycyclist posted 1 year ago.
Thanks for all of the help. I am still on the fence though. It's a tough decision so I may just put it off for a bit and see if playing with the angle and putting some aero bars will do the trick. Thanks again
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Ozzie0523 posted 1 year ago.
I have a 2005 Scott Speedster S2 which is basically the aluminum CR1 frame with Shimano 105 components on it. I have been using it for training and racing. The only modifications that I had to make to it were adding aerobars (Clip-On Easton AeroForce Bars) and moving the seat as far forward as it would possibly go. No forward seat stem was needed and I'm placed fairly well over the bottom bracket. I would recommened this because it is nice being able to simple mark the aerobar positions and then still using your road bike specifications for group rides and training. Sitting in the aero position for 2+ hours is never very fun so it's nice to be able to remove them. And it's basically like having two bikes for just $100-$200 more. My next bike will definitely be a Tri bike as I find myself ridding on the very nose of my saddle, but the CR1 is a great bike and with aero wheels (HED, Zipp, Bontrager, etc.) and aerobars you would fly.
Just make sure that you purchase your aerobars and wheels from a knowledgable retailer and have them fit you to a performance based aero position. I currently don't have TT wheels, but I thought it was awesome when during my first triathlon I was passing guys on +$6000 bikes on my $1000 Scott Speedster S2 with just the aerobars.
Hi Everyone,
This is my first post on this forum so I appreciate any feedback in advance. I have been riding on the road for a few years and have raced in local crits and general races. I am going to jump into the triathlon scene and have a few questions for everyone.
Most of my training is done independently and I have been considering triathlon bikes. I won't bore you with which bikes I am thinking of but any within the 3k range were considered. I am starting to have doubts though and am thinking about just upgrading the wheels on my scott cr1 to aero wheels.
If I buy a 3k bike I won't have enough to upgrade my wheels a great deal. Or I could take the money and invest in a good set of wheels and just pop them on my road bike. How much of a difference would I really notice in an aero position? Does the aero frame really make a substantial difference? Any help
Thanks