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Building TT Bike for Road

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Building TT Bike for Road

Old 10-21-10, 08:38 PM
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Building TT Bike for Road

So I figure this question has probably been asked into the ground, but I was wondering if there were any advantages into building a TT frame into a road bike. I ride mostly longer distances at a decent pace(19-20mph) with hills, and am looking to invest in a new bike. I found a good deal on a Specialized S-Works TT frame, and was thinking of building it into a nice road bike. I know about bike building, but am not exactly positive of the frame differences or if they have would have any negative impacts etc...Just wondering if anyone has any experience of knowledge of this?
Thanks
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Old 10-21-10, 08:42 PM
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Don't do it. You'll be stuck with the TT frame geometry, and your bike will look silly. The handling and seat position will be off. Also, it may be harder to sell the bike in the end.
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Old 10-21-10, 10:26 PM
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I just did a long hilly tour and all the guys who brought TT bikes for the ride were beat up or injured by the end of it. They are incredibly stiff frames built for shorter distances in super aggressive positions, not long, hilly roads as you have described. You won't be as comfortable as you could be, your handling will be off because they're really designed for going relatively straight and not making nimble maneuvers, and your bike will be a sail for cross winds even more so than aero road frames.

You could always try it out and resell the frameset for a road frameset if you don't like it. Since you're getting a good deal on the TT frameset you might make a gain on the sale if you went this route.
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Old 10-21-10, 10:55 PM
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If you said hilly, then go road, even pro triguys switch to road with aerobars for hilly courses.
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Old 10-22-10, 06:27 AM
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The bottom line for TT bikes is getting your body forward so you can maintain a better position with aero bars. Think of your body moved forward so your forearms, shoulders and head sticks out more than they do on a road bike. Then imagine how comfortable you will be with road bars and what the handling is like. That should give you an idea.
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Old 10-22-10, 07:29 AM
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If you want a road bike frame that's aero, there are a number of options now, such a Cervelo's S series bikes, Ridley Noah, etc.

These will give you an aero frame, and more conventional geometry that wil be better suited to a road bike.
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Old 10-22-10, 08:45 AM
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STA is too steep for any kind of comfortable road riding.
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Old 10-22-10, 11:45 AM
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Why not get an aero road frame like the felt ar or fuji sst?
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Old 10-22-10, 12:29 PM
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Tri bikes are fine for hilly courses, intricate maneuvering and long days in the saddle. Most pro triathletes will take their TT bike with them to any event that is not draft legal. Ironman St. George is a 112 windy hilly bike course and here we see 2nd overall riding a Spec Transition:
https://www.gjfreepress.com/article/2...NEWS/100529960

What they are not great at is serving as a road bike with 73-4 Seat tube angles.
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Old 10-24-10, 06:52 PM
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I've been thinking the same thing the past few months. I went to a lot of bike shops and everyone said the same thing, if you don't do triathlons don't get a tri bike. I got that from every shop I went to. I almost pulled the trigger on a new Cervelo P2 for an awesome price but I really wanted the Cervelo S2 so I did some negotiating with the chief at home and she let me get an S2! I just got it yesterday. Call some local shops, they're about 20% off right now.

Good luck
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Old 10-24-10, 08:58 PM
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what size frame? I might trade ya... i have a Giant 'medium' carbon road bike looking for a TT bike...
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Old 10-24-10, 10:13 PM
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TT with hills and long distance would be a chore and a pain for your body just go with a really good road with aero bars
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Old 10-24-10, 11:11 PM
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ive since put on a setback seatpost to move back another centimeter.
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Old 10-24-10, 11:17 PM
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What size frame is that Merlin? Beautiful, btw.
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Old 10-24-10, 11:40 PM
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Maybe it's a good idea.
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