kninetik

First off, hello BF! I've been digesting a lot of information since I've started cycling 2 months back after a running related injury. There are a lot of interesting, serious and hilarious (RyanF threds) things going on here and decided to join in. I started out with a comfortable road bike and branched out to a mtn bike shortly after and am loving it.

Now I am looking to branch out to either Triathlon bike or a Lightweight Road Bike. I ride solo and have intentions to do a small number of Duathlons and Triathlons in the future but my main reason for looking at this branch of biking is for the SENSE of speed. I used a garmin heavily in the beginning but ditched it.

I know that aero bikes are indeed faster according to a cyclometer, but do they FEEL faster? With the money saved from not owning a vehicle that chugs gas and all that insurance costs, I can go either for the Cervelo P2C (tri bike) or an R3/SoloistC (road bike). The roads I take are always 1-4% grade up and down (never flat) with the largest climbing portion to be a 5% avg for a mile.

Thanks!

fa63

Go for a soloist carbon, get an extra seatpost and saddle, and then you will have the best of both worlds: a great road bike and a really good tri bike when you put the flipped seatpost in.

Good luck.

kninetik

I saw the similarity in the frame to a tri bike, but am a little confused about needing an extra seatpost/saddle. Can you clarify the need for it?

Thanks

fa63

Well, the Soloist Carbon comes standard with a seatpost that gives you a traditional road-bike style 73 degree effective seat angle. For triathlon/Time Trial purposes and getting into a more aero position, you get their optional seatpost that will move you forward and give a 76 degree effective seat angle. It is good to have this optional seatpost with a seat already attached unless you want to switch seats everytime. Hope this helps.

bvfrompc

IMHO

Yes.

I went from a tri-bike to a road bike and the first thing I noticed was on the flats and near flats, I wasn't just going slower, I was, but I also felt like I was going slower, which makes sense, since, I was.

kninetik

Thank you for your opinion. The reason I ask about the feeling of speed compared to speed in numbers is because the mind likes to play tricks. When Im on my mountain bike with a crazy tall BB height (like a hummer), and traveling on the dirt path... It feels very quick. Now when I get on my road bike and travel on the paved path right next to the dirt path in the drops, I am going at least 25% faster in real terms. But my perception fools me into thinking Im not going any faster at all!

Now If I go full aero on a tri-bike and go another 10% faster, would I feel the extra gain in speed? I am looking for as many opinions on this matter

I guess its like going 75mph on an SUV vs going 75mph on a sports car. Not sure about everyone else but if I wasn't reading a speedometer and there were no other cars on the road, it would feel slower riding in the sports car

smurf hunter

Is a "sense of speed" really a good thing? One thing I've done to improve my descents (I live in hilly area), was to visualize the bike going a bit slower. May sound weird, but when I was bombing down a mountain road at 40-50mph an awkward turn can lead to big trouble. I'll take the smooth and predictable response any day.

curiouskid55

How fast are you going? There is no sense of speed if you arent going fast. (Universe is funny that way). Say you'r doing 25 on your road bike. In the drops very comfortable, hammering along. Now, clamp your elbows together behind the stem. Make your hands into fists and press your palms together. Now raise your seat post and move it forward. Now only look where you're going every 100 meters or so. Do you think you are going faster?

NoGaBiker

This must be some hypothetical sportscar that you've never driven. The reality is just the opposite; the high ride height and noise/vibration/harshness insulation of my Pilot makes 80 mph seem a whole lot slower than it does in my Porsche. Now my Cherokee has the high ride height, but it also rides rough and is noisy, but even still it doesn't feel nearly as fast as my convertible sportscar at a given speed.

Don't know how any of this compares to bikes. I have a Marin flat-bar fendered commuter (SUV) and a Merlin Extralight DA (Porsche), but I don't have a computer on the Marin so I can't compare what 20mph feels like on each.

Matt

kninetik

On a flat stretch, I can comfortably sustain 19-21mph on a 5k stretch on a calm day. 14-17mph with a gusty headwind, 23-25 if I do a 180 on that same headwind. That 5k pathway seems small but it is the only consistantly measurable area on my route since everything else is stop signs, red lights, minor uphills, minor downhills where me telling you a number wouldnt do any good. Engine has room for improvement and I'm already feeling a lot more comfortable now than when I took those measurements a month back.

The feeling of speed definately put running on the backburner and am addicted for more. I actually do not enjoy bombing down empty hills as much as keeping up with traffic from light to light. Speaking of which, are triathlon machines just as good for heavy stop and go situations?

merlinextraligh

If the goal is going fast in traffic, get a road bike and forgoe the Tri bike. 1) it will be much safer, 2) the road bike will be as fast as the Tri bike, if you make your position aero enough, 3) it will handle a heck of a lot better, and 4) it will accelerate better.

TT and Tri bikes are purpose built machines, for a specific purpose. They don't make terribly good everyday riders, ad they certainly aren't the machine of choice for playing in traffic.

kninetik

Well it seems all signs are pointing away from a Tri machine. One bit I do not understand is the TT's inability to handle well. If you grab the outer bars where the brakes lie, wouldn't handling be very similar to grabbing a road bike's brifter horns?

merlinextraligh

^^^^^
Several reasons:

1) the frame's geometry is different, designed for aerodynamic ( and run transition) reasons, not optimized for handling, particularly cornering.

2) You don't have the drops, which is the best place to ride when you're really cornering.

3) wheels, typically TT wheels are designed for aerodynamics and can be harder to handle particularly in the wind.

Personally, I find it a struggle to get on my TT to train because I would much rather ride my road bike.

bvfrompc

To add, your weight is much further forward (because of the different geometry) adding to the harder to handle part.

TT Bikes are for long open roads, not stop and go.

kninetik

Thanks for the insights! After looking more in-depth on the Cervelo bikes, it seems the R3 fits my purposes. It looks very nimble and reviews of it praise it's stiffness acceleration durability and comfort. Now I need to go use that search function to see what normal people who own an R3 have to say about the frame!

Once again, thank you for your insights