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Tri/TT bike for Clydesdale rider

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Tri/TT bike for Clydesdale rider

Old 11-27-15, 02:02 AM
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Tri/TT bike for Clydesdale rider

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I have a little bit of an N+1 bug after taking a short spin on a buddy's TT machine. It was admittedly too large for me and i had to lower the seat and it was a little bit of a stretch to the bars, but i cannot ignore an extra 3 mph that i was getting on just a brief 5 mph cruise

The upright seat tube and stretched out riding position seemed to open up my hip joint and curiously enough gave me more "belly room" than my road bike does

Any bigger guys (by bigger, i mean "fatter" ) have any real issues with an aero position or is your impressions roughly the same as mine?

I am in the market for a TT bike for my local club time trial series in the spring --- people have told me to go down a size from my road bike for a proper tri fit , but i dont know if this is accurate

There are precious few dealers in my locale who sell dedicated machinery, whether road or TT stuff - so being able to test ride large quantities of machines is out of the question

I currently ride a Cannondale Synapse 51c - and was considering a C'dale Slice frameset also in 51 (i have plenty of gear to build up a frameset with otherwise minimal cash outlay) but didnt know whether to get a 53 or 54 honestly --- the Synapse is the first bike i have ever ridden with such a small frame and it works alright due to its 53c top tube , -- but i ride a 53/54 in traditional Italian framesets
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Old 11-27-15, 07:52 PM
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I don't know the answers to many of your questions regarding larger riders on TT bikes. However, I can tell you two things:

1. My two road bikes are 52 & 51 cm. My TT bike is 49 cm. My fit is really good on all three bikes. So, yes, at least in my case, the TT bike is a size smaller than the road bikes.
2. I believe the 2015 Cannondale Slice frame has a geometry that is not UCI legal (ie it's a tri bike more than a TT bike). My understanding is that this is a new thing in 2015. It probably won't matter in your local series, but could be an issue if you went beyond that to compete at the national level. If this is important to you, look into this before buying.
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Old 11-28-15, 12:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Heathpack
I don't know the answers to many of your questions regarding larger riders on TT bikes. However, I can tell you two things:

1. My two road bikes are 52 & 51 cm. My TT bike is 49 cm. My fit is really good on all three bikes. So, yes, at least in my case, the TT bike is a size smaller than the road bikes.
2. I believe the 2015 Cannondale Slice frame has a geometry that is not UCI legal (ie it's a tri bike more than a TT bike). My understanding is that this is a new thing in 2015. It probably won't matter in your local series, but could be an issue if you went beyond that to compete at the national level. If this is important to you, look into this before buying.

Thanks,

I am also trolling some dedicated tri sites too as i saw literally tons of big guys and gals at the last triathlon i went to (i was working as a volunteer) - i didnt stop to ask them any bike fitment tips though , but i know they are out there

I haave been looking for a Cannondale on ebay and the like and have found a couple of framesets, but heck, - Cannondale is not paying me, i'm open to other brands for sure -- i just need to get out and ride some. I'm not going to be the type of guy who test rides 10 bikes locally at new bike shops only to turn around and buy the same thing at a deep discount online though - thats weak , so i am trying to enlist friends and local competitors to help me out with a test ride or two on bikes closer to my size

Being UCI legal is not a big deal for me for now -- if i ever got salty enough that that was ever a consideration, i'd just buck up and buy another bike anyway, but i am assuming most of the frames and complete bikes i am looking at are older as the bikes are 10 speed
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Old 11-28-15, 08:10 PM
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Originally Posted by DMC707
Being UCI legal is not a big deal for me for now -- if i ever got salty enough that that was ever a consideration, i'd just buck up and buy another bike anyway, but i am assuming most of the frames and complete bikes i am looking at are older as the bikes are 10 speed
I'm not sure I understand the logic of this- putting yourself in a situation in which you may have to buy a new frame down the road. I mean if someone was giving you a Slice, sure. But if you're going out shopping for a bike, I'm not sure why you'd start with a bike that will exclude you from some races you may want to compete in down the road.

My TT bike is a Fuji Norcom Straight 2.5. I bought it new a few months ago for $1600. Have since massively upgraded it, the only original things left are the frame, the seat post & the brakes. But you wouldn't have to upgrade it beyond the saddle to have a good started TT bike.

My shopping list (again this was based on my body dimensions) included the Cervelo P2 or P3, the Trek Speed Concept, BMC Timemachine, a Look TT bike (I forget the marketing name), and the Fuji. The Fuji and the P2 are the biggest bang for your buck bikes on the list.

For me, I have a coach and a fitter who are TT experts. I knew I'd be pulling a lot of stuff off whatever bike I bought and replacing it with upgrades based on the recommendations of coach & fitter and also my own experiences with the bike. Additionally, as a woman, I typically have to replace bars, saddle, and cranks right off on any bike I get. So for me buying a nice "clean" bike/frame (from an aerodynamic perspective) that was as affordable as possible was the way to go. I wanted to start with a rideable bike right away though, I wanted to make my upgrades from a position of knowing what something felt like & what I wanted to improve first. If you get into perfecting your bike, it becomes something of a unique set-up that takes lots of time and tinkering to get just so. It seems like a huge waste of effort to get an non-UCI-legal bike, get good at TTs, and then have to buy a new bike because you're going to head to Nationals.

Be advised as well that tri people are often riding longer distances than time trialists. So the bikes are pretty similar but tri people are going to sometimes make compromises in their set up for long-distance comfort that TT people don't need. And tri folks are not governed by UCI rules, so they have more frame options than TT folks do (again, only if you care about being UCI legal, which I think you should care about). So Tri folks are great to seek advice from, I would not hesitate. But TT people are most relevant.
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Old 11-29-15, 12:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Heathpack
I'm not sure I understand the logic of this- putting yourself in a situation in which you may have to buy a new frame down the road. I mean if someone was giving you a Slice, sure. But if you're going out shopping for a bike, I'm not sure why you'd start with a bike that will exclude you from some races you may want to compete in down the road.

.

I have a year to a year and a half of hard work to go to get me to my weight loss goals, --- If i were to pigeonhole myself as a type of cyclist, i'm a track cyclist first and foremost ----- we are tinkerers by nature.

That said, what do i care if i spend a pittance on a frame that helps me achieve my goals but i have to abandon later for something better? If i head to Natz, its going to be on the track, not the road -- my lean body mass and % of red to white muscle fibers (yes, i've had this checked out in the past ) is much more conducive to track disciplines --- but now i'm an old Clyde who wants to mix it up to give me a reason to go for a ride --- I'm an experienced cyclist - just not a motivated one, -- but a short fast TT series has my antenna up

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Old 11-29-15, 08:39 AM
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Originally Posted by DMC707
I have a year to a year and a half of hard work to go to get me to my weight loss goals, --- If i were to pigeonhole myself as a type of cyclist, i'm a track cyclist first and foremost ----- we are tinkerers by nature.

That said, what do i care if i spend a pittance on a frame that helps me achieve my goals but i have to abandon later for something better? If i head to Natz, its going to be on the track, not the road -- my lean body mass and % of red to white muscle fibers (yes, i've had this checked out in the past ) is much more conducive to track disciplines --- but now i'm an old Clyde who wants to mix it up to give me a reason to go for a ride --- I'm an experienced cyclist - just not a motivated one, -- but a short fast TT series has my antenna up
Well have at it then, enjoy your TT bike.
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Old 11-29-15, 11:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Heathpack
Well have at it then, enjoy your TT bike.
LOL - interesting response --- You mad, bro? --- LOL
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Old 11-29-15, 11:37 PM
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Originally Posted by DMC707
LOL - interesting response --- You mad, bro? --- LOL
1. Not a bro, as is evident from my posts above
2. No, Im not mad, you just seem to want to get a Slice. So do it. It doesn't matter if that choice makes no sense to me.
3. If there's something else that I can help you with, feel free to ask whatever questions you have. It sounds like the main purpose of your post was originally about bigger guys and how well TT bikes/fit work for them. I have no knowledge of this being not-big and a woman.

You will probably get way more answers by posting in the racing forum. There's a great many TT people there, most with more knowledge than I have.
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Old 11-30-15, 12:13 AM
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Originally Posted by Heathpack
1. Not a bro, as is evident from my posts above
2. No, Im not mad, you just seem to want to get a Slice. So do it. It doesn't matter if that choice makes no sense to me.
3. If there's something else that I can help you with, feel free to ask whatever questions you have. It sounds like the main purpose of your post was originally about bigger guys and how well TT bikes/fit work for them. I have no knowledge of this being not-big and a woman.

You will probably get way more answers by posting in the racing forum. There's a great many TT people there, most with more knowledge than I have.

1) - see the memes below - it was a response in jest

2) Thx for your input- this knowledge applies to the '15 framesets on up -- the slightly older ones ('14 and down) this does not apply to, and there is a very distinct appearance difference between the 2 genre's and it is easy to tell them apart

3) Then why did you respond?

4) A TT bike and a tri bike are very close to the same - and i've seen a lot more husky triathletes than i ever have husky cyclists competing in organized time trials , - so a triathlon forum has a much broader base to seek some general info from







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Old 11-30-15, 12:29 AM
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Again, enjoy whatever bike you decide to get. You seem to want to argue, I just like TT bikes.

You have established that you're willing to just buy a bike now and then a different one later. Because of that, you seem inclined to just pick one. So do it.

Yes, I am aware that my comments about the Slice being non-UCI-legal pertain to the 2015 model, which is why I said that very thing in my original response.

In my original response, I told you that I did not know the majority of what you were interested in hearing about but that I could comment on two smaller aspects of your question. This is a pretty normal way humans interact.

Have at it, posting questions in the Tri board. I will just tell you from experience that most of the TT talk on this board takes place in the racers forum. You post wherever you want.

I find you to be an odd argumentative guy, so I'll bow out now. Hopefully others will chime in with answers you find useful.
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Old 11-30-15, 12:35 AM
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Originally Posted by Heathpack
I find you to be an odd argumentative guy, so I'll bow out now. Hopefully others will chime in with answers you find useful.

Spoken like a true chick -- especially when there was nothing argumentative said or implied -- so once again because its funny ----

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