Originally Posted by
A350driver
I think I was about to round a tight left turn where the photographer was standing when that picture was taken so I wasn’t as tucked in as usual. My point is, the TT bike itself is much more aerodynamic than a road bike, and it allows you to get your body down lower, out of the wind. When I ride my TT bike I’m usually going at least 2mph faster over the same routes I ride on my road bike. (22-25mph on the TT bike vs 20 on my road bike) with the same amount of effort.
The biggest factor in bicycle speed is the rider, followed by the rider getting horizontal on the bike, and a distant third is having specially shaped bicycle parts and clothing. You do not need a "TT" bike to get horizontal, riders of standard road bikes have been doing this the last century by simply having a properly sized bike so that they can put the seat up high enough in relation to the handlebars to get their body into a horizontal position. You would be able to go 22mph or faster on your "road" bike if you adjusted it's riding position, or if it were properly sized to allow you to get into a good position. 1973 Huffy Scout ten-speed:
