Aero bikes and such

[T.J.]

So every year there are a handful of race weekend that I do that are omniums. Out of 30 plus races maybe 5 that involve a TT. Last one I did this year I faired ok, scored a few points in the TT considering I was the only guy without a TT bike. But it does seem that EVRYONE in the P/1/2 field has the full rig, with disc wheel etc . So I am not willing to invest in a TT bike but am wondering about the aero bikes that look like a TT bike with road bars. The Cervelo S5 comes to mind...butt ugly ..yup...but is it enough to make a diff. Slap aero bars on it , move the saddle up on the two position seatpost , slap a disc on the rear and quazy-tt bike? Only have to haul one bike around.Anyone have any experience with these bikes. I am strongly considering it but I am looking for some input.



Note: before someone says they are ugly , I don't really care. Slow is ugly , fast is pretty. its a tool for a job

[christian]

Can't you rent a TT bike for a weekend. Understanding that to get fast on one you have to ride it regularly...but for a couple of year omnium thing maybe that's an option.

[T.J.]

You nailed it on the head. Need time on it to be effective. My thinking ( right or wrong ) is with a bike like an S5 I could slap aero bars on and move the saddle up and atleast ride it in that setup once a week.

[PJN]

Get a used tt bike and ride it once a week. A rear wheel cover will work nearly as well as a disk for you for way less cash.

#1 - aero position and your body learning to make power in that position
#2 - aero helmet
#3 - fast wheels
...
Everything else

Reall tho- at the p1/2 level you should get something dedicated rolling and train on the damn thing.

[thegunner]

Giant propel? They look pretty decent in road config and test better than the s5 to boot!

[T.J.]

Reall tho- at the p1/2 level you should get something dedicated rolling and train on the damn thing.

I know you are right but it's more coin than I care to shell out. Guess I could sale the FireFly and get one....

[FastforaSlowGuy]

The cervelo soloist was, in its day, precisely the kind of bike you're talking about. Triathletes used it, decent TT rig, fine road bike. May also want a shorter stem to get the right fit. Chuck a wheel cover on your race wheel, and you're done. I'd race that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[christian]

Chris R was selling a TT bike for short money across the hall. Bet he still has it. He's easy to deal with. When you graduate to a Shiv, sell it to me cheap?

http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f3/fs-hed-time-trial-bike-33006.html

[mike p]

I bought my AL P3 frame and fork for about 300. on eBay. Then built it up as I had time and $$. At the p12 level you should have a dedicated TT bike. I've seen some of your bikes posted here. It just hasn't been a real priority for you yet.

Mike

[Climb01742]

It looks like the new for '14 S3 might hit both your needs for road and aero benefits at a decent price?

[PJN]

You have wheels I'm sure. And I bet you have some parts kicking around.

You'd need very little I get rolling. I bet you could piece some speed together for $500-$700. Not the prettiest but faster than clip-ons.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/56cm-Cervelo-P1-TT-Tri-Bike-Frame-Frameset-Aero-Triathlon-Time-Cycling-Road-/111388883735?pt=US_Bicycles_Frames&hash=item19ef4b7b17

[tv_vt]

You don't say whether you're using clip-on aero bars - surely you are though, yes? If not, you'd get a huge bang for buck with that one modification. Skin suit? Shoe covers? Aero helmet? Aero wheels - I used a plastic cover over my rear wheel back in the day. Not sure if it's still legal for TT, but was a very cheap disk wheel alternative. And I bet you have a front wheel that would be pretty slippery in the wind.

Bottom line, I'd bet you could get 80-90% of the time savings w/o the TT frame if you did everything else.

ps. sell a Firefly for a TT bike? Are you nuts??

pps. let's say you did get a TT bike and improved as much as possible - how much will your placings change? How much is that improvement in your placing worth to you, dollar/prize-wise and emotionally?

[bcroslin]

Propel is a great bike that does what you're looking for.

[oldpotatoe]

So every year there are a handful of race weekend that I do that are omniums. Out of 30 plus races maybe 5 that involve a TT. Last one I did this year I faired ok, scored a few points in the TT considering I was the only guy without a TT bike. But it does seem that EVRYONE in the P/1/2 field has the full rig, with disc wheel etc . So I am not willing to invest in a TT bike but am wondering about the aero bikes that look like a TT bike with road bars. The Cervelo S5 comes to mind...butt ugly ..yup...but is it enough to make a diff. Slap aero bars on it , move the saddle up on the two position seatpost , slap a disc on the rear and quazy-tt bike? Only have to haul one bike around.Anyone have any experience with these bikes. I am strongly considering it but I am looking for some input.



Note: before someone says they are ugly , I don't really care. Slow is ugly , fast is pretty. its a tool for a job

I think a big part is that TT bikes have a steeper seat tube so you can still have a more normal position while in the aero bars cuz aero bars are so much longer than when your are on more normal drop bars.

So, you may be able to move yourself forward, reach the aerobars, be aero and all that..on a 'aero-ish' road frame... tri-geeks do it all the time on drafting triathlons..stubby tri bars, with road bars, on road bikes.

[Tandem Rider]

If you have the energy to be making those modifications to your race bike on an omnium weekend, I am amazed. If you can do it twice without mistakes in the same weekend while racing I need to find another sport because I'm not worthy.

Get a used f/f or bike. Hit the triathlon "for sale" lists too. Lots of triathletes "need" the latest stuff, so the obsolete has to go. I had less than $400 outlay for the parts for mine.

Train on it at least once a week, do some FTP's on it. Ride it hard. Remember, it was cheap. Get it dialed. Race some grassroots TT's to get it more dialed. Your position on the TT will be different than your road position.

[Rob1519]

It looks like the new for '14 S3 might hit both your needs for road and aero benefits at a decent price?

This would be my suggestion as well. If you want to spend a little less, the S2 is the same bike with a different fork (smaller, less aero) and paint.

[commonguy001]

I bought my AL P3 frame and fork for about 300. on eBay. Then built it up as I had time and $$. At the p12 level you should have a dedicated TT bike.

I echo this rec-
The older P3 and P3sl are great TT framesets and super cheap now if you come across one in your size.
I rode a number of sub 55 minute 40k ITTs on a P3sl and something like a 1:54 on it at the Firehouse 50 2man TT.

[r_mutt]

there's always the Litespeed C1R. you can find them used on ebay for a nice price.

[unterhausen]

there has to be a nearly infinite number of people that bought tri bikes because they wanted to do a tri "someday" and found out it required dedication and training. We have a tri club in this area, but I never see anyone out on a tt bike training. Not sure how to shake any of those bikes loose though

[shovelhd]

My friends in this situation use the following, in order of aero gain:

TT helmet
Clip on bars
Setback seatpost with tri saddle flipped forward
Aerojacket
Skinsuit

They train with this setup 2x/wk in the early season and do refreshers a month out 1x/wk.