Switching between road bike and TT/Triathlon
 

I own a 2012 Cannondale Supersix road racing bike, and I have recently taken up an interest in "converting" it to a TT/Triathlon bike by putting aero bars on it. I understand that because it's a racing bike and has a long top tube, it would be very difficult if not impossible to make this conversion work. So I was wondering about maybe selling this bike and upgrading to a different bike that would be a bit more flexible. So my question is, what kind of bike has the right frame design that would allow me to switch between regular road bike and TT/triathlon? I don't want to buy a TT bike but I want something that can sort of act like one if I want it to. Will a road/touring bike frame do the job? I was thinking maybe a Cervelo S5. Any thoughts/recommendations? Thanks.

You can have two bikes.

Get a Tri bike.

I currently have no need for nor do I have enough money to have two different bikes. If I sell my Supersix and get a different bike that is more flexible, that would be my preference.

General guidance is that top tube on your TT bike should be 2cm less than road bike. IMHO that doesn't rise to difficult or impossible. That said, if you're set on getting a new bike then getting one with a short head tube and a top tube 2cm shorter than you normally ride might work. When you talk about swtiching between road and TT are you envisioning just clipping some aero bars on and off?

The Super Six has a relatively short head tube already but another bike to consider is the Ridley Noah.

Hmm, you make a point. I was thinking either clip on aero bars or full blown aero bars. But to fit the bike properly for aero bars, won't I have to put a funky looking forward seat post on it, shorten the stem, etc? And won't doing these things throw off the balance more than just getting a more flexible bike?

I did that once with my first road bike. After considerable adjustment, it sort of worked. However, the drops on my handlebars were useless if I had the bike set up so I the aerobars were comfortable.

Not to mention you'll need TT style shifters and brake levers if you go to full blown aero bars. Seems like a pain to go back and forth. You will likely end up just leaving it set up for either road or TT all the time and will have a bike that does neither very well. Have you tried putting clip on aero bars on your super six?

Can't remember what thread it was on, but somebody posted their bike where they swap out the cockpit. Might have been on one of the budget-hot-or-nots. STI shifters on the drop bars, bar-end on the aeros. They might have had 2 different stems on board as well.

I rode my first tri a couple of weeks ago on my regular (other) road bike, and just slammed the stem and threw on a pair of aeros and away I went. As great as having a TT/tri bike would be, I'd sooner have a spare road bike that I can make a couple of adjustments to and ride a tri/TT, than have no spare bike for a Sunday group ride if my primary is up on blocks for whatever reason.

Yeah, good point. I guess I'll start with clip on aero bars and see how it fits. Thanks.

+1. You'll get biggest bang for the buck from clip on aero bars. While the other stuff will help it's probably more trouble than it's worth switching back and forth.

That is Nice.....

Whoa! And there's my solution. Thanks!

You ca have your cake and eat it too!!!! If you only do a few Triathlons, keep your road bike and add a few upgrades. A Tri bike will be faster, but for very little $$$, you can be fairly competitive and pretty fast.

Here's what I did. First of all I have a Specialized Roubaix. A fairly relaxed and upright bike.Great for everyday riding.

1. Get Stubby Aerobars such as the Profile Designs GT Jammer Aerobars. This type of aerobar is designed for road bikes!!! They allow you to put your arm pads behind your handlebars. (between seat and handlebars) Makes for a very stable handling bike while maintaining your torso/leg position. Maintaining this angle is extremely important for maintaining POWER. Don't change it up with a forward seat-post! That would only be needed if you got a aerobar designed for a triathlon bike. This setup puts your weight WAY forward on or ahead of your handlebars resulting in a ill handling bike. (I've been there, did that and struggled to maintain power and aero position)

The upturn of the Jammer aerobars position your hand right next to the brake/shifter. Shifting is quick and easy with your right hand, while staying in a tuck position. With this setup I can stay in a aero position for quite a long time without feeling fatigued, and I'm definitely past my prime.

2. For race day and training, get AeroJacket wheel covers for your back wheel!!! Relatively cheap and gives you 90% of the performance that "true" disc wheels give you. Adds a few ounces of weight, but in a Triathlon, aerodynamics trumps weight!! Every watt of power saved counts!!

3. Get rid of anything extraneous on your bike. For short Sprint or Olympic Triathlons, I only need one water bottle so I remove my second bottle cage. I tuck and tape my tire repair kit under my seat.

4. Not bike related, but if your wearing clothing that's flutters when your riding, your loosing time and wasting energy. A good quality, tight fitting Tri top helps. I wear it under my wetsuit so that at transition, I just strip and go!!

Skipping over all of the other information for the moment, BMC actually made a frame I believe that was intended for such a purpose, the TMR01 (which is a variant of the TM01 but built for road racing). If not the Cervelo, then this frame would probably suit your purpose if the geometry suits and you're still interested in a new bike. But yeah, switching cockpits would be a giant pain in the neck.

http://www.wrenchscience.com/road/fr...ne+TMR01/2013/