yevgeniy

Hi guys, I'm a recreational road cyclist. I had a 2007 Roubaix and decided to get something "fast", "cooler". So after browsing craigslist and ebay i found a 2009 Specialized Transition Comp which i really admire. I bought it and rode it yesterday, it had TT bars on so it was very uncomfortable to shift and keep my hands on brake at the same time, so i have put the drop bars on it. I did some more research, and see that TT bikes are very bad at handling and can even get "blow by cross-winds"??...

It didn't really handle bad when i was riding it with my hands spread wide on the side bars. Did i dig myself a pretty deep hole? i don't know what to tell my wife...babe, this bike too fast, i gotta get a slower one haha

capsisking

Read less, ride more.

Team Sarcasm

I wouldnt call it "bad". TT bars put you in a position where you almost have to use your whole upper body to turn

Drop bars are much more agile and nible. As far as wind blowing you, you will get blown on any bike if the wind is strong enough. I get blown around on my bike sometimes.

They make aero framed road bikes like this, so I don't see a problem. You may have to work on your fit a little bit.



If you like it, thats all that matters.

seymour1910

I agree, if you search enough you will find anything on the web. Do you think it handled bad? I've ridden a TT bike with drop bars on it and it was a nice ride.

Homebrew01

Some people get blown around with deep profile front wheels on windy days. Yours should be fine.

yevgeniy

Awesome!!!

I am one happy rider than! I have already adjusted everything and it feels very comfortable with drop bars...just thought that there is something I'm not aware of.

Thank you for a super fast response!

Happy riding

Bluechip

Riding on the hoods is pretty similar to the bullhorn bars on most tt setups. It wouldn't be my first choice for my only bike but nothing wrong with going fast sometimes. Try it out for a while and if you don't like it then sell it. That's the great thing about buying used bikes. It probably won't cost you anything if you decide to sell.

bruce19

This.

dvdslw

Looks fast standing still, nice bike!

StanSeven

As long as you can get a comfortable riding position you should be fine. That bike is made so you can ride in a more "forward" position on aero bars. The tricky part is getting the saddle adjusted so more of your weight now is back further.

rpenmanparker 

As many have heard me say in the past, my dad was in retail men's wear for over 70 years. His experience was remarkably applicable to bicycles. He used to say that there is nothing wrong with buying and wearing a green suit...after you have blue, grey, black and even brown. One doesn't wear a green suit to one's job as a bank officer or investment counselor.

Well, IMO the same is true for bikes. TT bikes are fine, but not as your main or only ride. Unless all you do is TT/Triathlon type riding, you would want to have an all-purpose road bike (or two or three in different materials) as your main ride. TT bike should be a fun alternative ride for you. If having such a once-in-a-while bike sitting unused in your garage or basement is outside of your financial capability, then I am afraid you have indeed messed up.

Whatever you do to it, that bike will always be a TT bike at its core. Don't spend money trying to make it something different. If it is not right for you, sell it for as little loss as you can, and be happy to have learned a relatively cheap lesson.

valygrl

Yes, you messed up, it's not a road bike and it will always handle poorly. Did you sell the Roubaix?

demoncyclist

BTW, the bike has less to do with speed than the rider does.

Dudelsack 

Work smarter, not harder.

pdedes

I think the OP has turned that bike into a reasonable facsimile of a road racer. Saddle set back from from bb isn't outside of norms. But you might consider leveling the seat. Some tt bikes you can't ever get the seat back far enough for a conventional road position.

rms13

I know a bunch of triathletes and they ride their tri bikes on the same rides that I ride my road bike and they are fine.

enjoi07

I think where you messed up is in assuming the Roubaix is "slow" and "uncool."

This is what Nibali rode on yesterday:

heffdiddy

Do whatever you want. You read on the internet that something is one way and now you want to read something is another way. Just ride the bike and don't worry about it. If you like it then who cares. I mean, people ride bents and trikes soooo........

OldsCOOL

Do NOT ride this bike slowly!

OldsCOOL

Internet parrots blabbing away what they read with no real personal experience or substance. My Cannondale Criterium is supposed to rattle my fillings out, numb my scrobutt and make my hands buzz. I have no idea what kind of bike they were talking about.

Fiery

The geometry of that frame is optimised for riding with an aerobar. Depending on your proportions, preferable style of riding and fit on the bike, it might work for you with a standard drop bar, but it is likely that you would still be better off on a frame that was made with a drop bar in mind from the start.

merlinextraligh

This.

You certainly can ride the bike the way you have it currently set up, but its never going to be optimal.

Given that you bought it used, you ought to be able to put it back in TT configuration, and sell it for what you paid for it, or close to it.

Personally, I'd sell it and get a road bike. Or put the aero bars back on and use it for TT's or triathlons, and get a road bike.

merlinextraligh

I'll admit, I've never ridden a TT frame set up as a road bike. However, I do have a pretty good idea about what a really steep head tube angle does to steering geometry. Without ever riding a particular bike, you can get a pretty good idea of how its going to handle based on its geometry.

Also having ridden a number of road bikes, time trial bikes, and road bike frames set up to be time trial bikes, I've got a pretty good idea how time trial frames handle, and how that compares to road bike frames.

Thus, I'd say that my opinion that the bike will handle and ride sub optimally, is not based upon internet parroting.

OldsCOOL

Good for you.

Bandera

Yep.

A proper fit is the most important quality of a good road bike not frame material, brand or color.
Getting a good road fit on a TT frame regardless of bar type is unlikely, much like getting a good sow's ear from a modified silk purse.

-Bandera