Aero Road Vs TT Bike | Which Bike For Triathlon?
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 30. 01. 2021
- Choosing a bike for racing triathlon is tricky, especially if you're looking to go fast but you don't have the budget for multiple bikes. So, is investing in a TT or triathlon going to gain you significant speed over the bike leg over and aero road bike? Or is the versatility a dropped bar machine offers a better choice? Mark has decided to investigate.
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Aero road bikes and triathlon bikes are both speed orientated machines, but how much faster is a tt bike, and is it worth trading off the handling and comfort of a road bike for? Join Mark as he investigates this very question.
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Aero Road bike with aero bars is the real life contender!!!
Great comparison. was waiting for years for it.
I'm a middle-of-the pack, fairly new, triathlete and my experience agrees with your conclusions in this video. I use a Trek 3.0 Madone road bike with clip-on aero bars and a noseless saddle and I find I do much better, placement-wise, in races with a lot more hills and turns. In races that are mainly flat and straight, the TT bike riders are much faster. One reason I can tell is that I encounter a lot of the same competitors in the local triathlons around here, which makes it easier to compare times on different types of courses.
Been waiting for this!
I started with a steel frame mountain bike, Knobby tires and clip on bars. Fell in love with the sport and purchased a carbon fibre road bike with clip ons. Bought this in January here in the cold prairie of Canada. Now you show me this video and I'm still 4 months away from riding out side. The agony. Lets see how the comparison is with this bike. It better be at least 10% better. Cheers and thanks
LMAO đđ⊠love the beeping sound effects đ€Łđ. Thanks for another great vid. Iâm sticking to my road bike.
Great review, very useful information and practical comparisonđđ»
What an excellent video! What I would like to add though, is that TT bikeâs geometry makes it significantly easier to get into the aero position; while you need to be pretty damn flexible to get the same position on a road bike. So not everyone could be as aero on a road bike+tt bar as Mark could
But why?
Thanks! To me, life isn't always about competition. So I'll stick to my aero road bike Cervelo S series longer
what an amazing video! This helps me a lot in considering whether to buy TT or aero road bike.
this could have been the GTN/GCN shootout -- Si the "gcn tt champ" vs. Mark. Great topic. For me that argument of which to buy and because a LOT of my riding is just me and my climbs in AZ are little :-(
I would love to see entry triathlon bike vs high end triathlon bike
Ah ha, I think youâll like a video we have coming
@@markthrelfall3577 great!!
Went from a Specialized SHIV to a Cervélo P5x. SHIV Pro was stiff, felt fast, but the P5x . . . nothing is overlooked, great detail was spent in getting it adjustable for any rider, accelerates well, fits the rider like a glove and handles exceptional .
Great video. Thank you.
Awesome content, thank you! I actually ride my triathlon bike everywhere... no issue...
I have both a Felt IA1 and a Felt AR1. The IA1 is substantially faster over the shorter / medium routes that I do. It makes the most of my decidedly amateur ability.
Basic road bike with a tt extension is all you need as amateur
and a re-fit on your bike IMO. Not re-adjusting your saddle pos/height after putting on aerobars is a good way really bork your back.
It depends on how competitive you want to be and how much money you have ?
Agreed. All I've ever used was a road bike with extensions for my Tri's and many times I've beat out very aero and very expensive TT bikes.
@@thecrowfliescrooked In my experience, it's easier to do well against TT bikes with a road bike on hilly, curvy courses.
Love these beautiful Felt bikes â€
Would love to see this same comparison with some running tagged on the end to see if the legs are fresher after the Tri bike
Hi
Great vidéo !
Just would like to Know which clip on are you using on the feltâ s handle bar ? I ve bought an aero bike with aero cockpit ( flat handle bar without holes) And don.t find yet clipon
Thanks in advanced for your response
Regards
Iâd go aero road bike with electronic shifting, then have a TT cockpit with shifters (and cables if needed) in place to swap if necessary
Plus the TT bike saves your legs for the run after that bike segment!
I'm sure this has been asked and answered, but... most people will probably opt for an aero-road bike with clip-ons due to cost. I have both a road and a TT. I find myself having used the road bike for most of my riding. Best thing I read about the difference is that a road bike is like a good everyday shoe and a TT bike is like a high heel shoe- only functional for one thing and not a good usual day/comfort thing.
Thatâs subjective. I own both and I do 80% of my riding on a TT bike. Unless Iâm doing extensive climbing Iâm on a TT.
I recently switched from a TT bike to an aero road. I felt fast on the TT but my times tell me otherwise. One problem, I ride a high mod System Six and with the aero bars I canât mount an aero bar to it. No worries, Iâm used to being slow.
Great video,
So what would be faster down a long decent đ€?
I love cycling down hill fast, what would be best?,
I
which clip on aero bars did you use?
Thank you for this video packed with great info! I have quick question for you. I have a simple road bike (Scotts) and Iâve done a couple of Olympic distances with it. So Iâm a begginer. But I will hopefully do my first 70.3 in June and as my bike is a bit old now, I was considering buying a new one. When I say old, it is still great to move around, everyday cycling, then it is when I was checking if I could perhaps get a TT bike on a budged. I found a boardman for just under ÂŁ1300, is that a good option? Since Iâve never tried it. Your opinion is much appreciated đđœ thank you
I'm exactly in the same situation and it's hard to decide! Also found a pretty good on a budget TT but stil... So much to consider. This video was helpful.
I use a road bike with aero bars in my triathlons. If I were to buy a TT bike, I'd probably seriously look at Quintana Roo's entry-level TT bikes, as they get good ratings and reviews and are a lot cheaper than other brands.
I have wondered this question since I started cycling. When I first started all that I wanted was a TT bike. I ride in groups and commute and now I do a lot of touring. I am not fast (by comparison) and I love to just be on the bike for extended periods of time. When I first got into cycling all of my buddies POO-POOED the idea of me purchasing and using a TT bike as my main bike. I loved the look, the aerodynamics, the sleekness, everything about them. My dream bike was a Cervelo or a Shiv⊠I never got one as we all know that conformity in cycling is pounded into us from day one!!! This video delights my heart knowing that in essence âI WAS RIGHTâ. I know that this request is going to be met with much disdain⊠could you do a video on how well a TT bike would do as a commuter?
Got to say it's not great as an all rounder. Group riding on the aero bars is a no-no, because braking, perhaps unless you're on the front. Commuting could be done but again braking, and you aren't as aware of what's going on around you in that position.
So as an all rounder you'd find yourself off the skis too often to get a bike that wants you to be on them as much as possible.
You'd probably be better off as mentioned moving the seat up and forward a tad on the roadie to make it a bit more Aero friendly but still leave yourself the agileness of a road bike for that general everyday cycling ability.
Depends on what kind of commuting.
Iâm commuting 46km and the road bike with TT-Bars is the better choice for me, because start and end is in cities with lots of traffic where I much prefer the normal road bike position on the hoods.
If I were to start in a little village and end in the outskirts of a town, this might be a different story.
At the moment, I ride an old aluminium bike with no aero benefits whatsoever because Iâm not fast enough to warrant a bike upgrade.
But I picked up TT bars for 10 bucks and an aero helmet for 30 bucks. I might upgrade my bike if I get significantly better, as a reward so to speak.
Was a standard aero bar clamp/mount used? It appears the felt bars are aero/integrated so Iâd be interested how the clip-on bars were mounted. Thanks
Fantastic video Mark as cyclists but a keen TT man I never thought if ajusting saddle for clip on bars!!đ Maybe you need more on roadbike team to beat the TT bike but don't ask Ollie is seem đđ
look up the red-shift system....works out pretty neat. But yeah, if you can work with your bike fitter to get you setup proper for both you can "adjust it" on the day to meet your needs.
HAHAHAH "Sam, The Machine, Pictor" - 4:00 - Too funny đ
Great!!
Excelent video. I'm brazilian. đ§đ·
My figure is fits very well for climbing, I am tall but also very light (187cm/ 68kg ). Now I'm thinking about what will be the better choice for me [ I doTraining + Competitive riding (Road+Triathlon)]: a light bike for climbing like Canyon Ultimate etc. with a second wheel set with high rims for low and fast sections or an Aero-Bike like the Aeroad/Cube Litening/ Orca Aero with a second wheel set with low rims for climbing? Where are the benefits or better, where are more benefits? An aerodynamic frame and light weels for climbing or an light frame but high rims for speed in low sections? Or are two bikes just the best option?
Yea I have a triathlon shiv that is at this point a little outdated in terms of frame design and Iâm just curious how much the difference is between the older bikes and these newer triathlon bikes.
Follow-on video idea: Which bike is faster in T2/the run? (Which leaves your legs fresher for the run)
My budget only allows one bike and I have a TT bike. I mostly only race Ironman but I don't have the choice of doing normal road races anymore because they don't allow TT bikes. That is a bit consideration most people don't immediately think of.
I didn't think of that although the two sprints I've done (newb here) allowed TT bikes. I'll need to look into that.
first ever triathlon lined up for July. Hathersage Hilly, think my roadie will do me well then
love the beeps lol
15 seconds over 4km chimes pretty well with my experience using an aero road bike without clip on aerobars for a full IM. The guys doing the same power (only 200W, though, but that's pretty representative of an average reasonably fit amateur triathlete) and of same size on TT bikes finished the bike leg between 10 and 15 minutes faster.
What do you think the gap would have been if you had aerobars?
@@nMakdoe18 Maybe half that in theory, if I could put out the same power. However, I just couldn't get on with aerobars on my road bike in the few weeks I tried using them.
This is pretty close I think but 10 minutes over a 14 hour race is nothing really. You could make that up in transition or a slightly faster run. Iâm certainly not going to spend thousands on a tri bike that will only be marginally faster and will be much less comfortable
How did you mount clip on aero bars on the ARâs handlebars? I thought it could not be done with aero handlebars like ARâs
I was thinking about a new trek speed concept or a slr 9 madone with areo bars. Im looking at the madone because i feel more confident in traffic, decent and out of seat sprinting. But i do spend 90% on aero bars so im still in the decision portion. What would yall recommend?
What did u wind you doing? Im in the same boat right now
I've raced on a Tri bike for years and love it. However, last year at Vichy it was just the wrong choice for me. All that climbing with a full racing gear setup, for someone who is big and has a low w/kg , going back this year and thinking of road bike.
How much can the margin be narrowed again if giving the RR with aero bar an adequate fitting?
Can I please get the model of those clip on aero bars thanks đ
Would you choose a aero road bike or a tt bike for the Norseman triathlon? Being that it is mostly climbing
Since you guys are sponsored by Canyon: I have an aeroad bike with an H36 aero cockpit. I want to buy some clip on aero bars for my bike, but I don't seem to find any. Do you guys have a solution for this?
Great video, definitely helped make up my mind for which bike to go for!
And what is the answer?
@@markankone9362 An aero road bike, due to their versatility and my budget!
My budget is âŹ1500, so if I go for a triathlon bike it'll be a second hand one, but with that I could afford a new roadbike with a 105 groupset with disc brakes, I'm not competing in any way or form and I'm not planning to, so for me the question is which is more comfortable to sit on for about 2 hours max?
Great video, but you should have taken off the aeeobars to the climb!!
That felt seat post is thikkkkkkkkk
New video!
If you put a wheel cover over the rear wheel and put some aero bottles on the aero bike, i think that would make the road bike be as fast on the flats and be faster over all. Please test?
How about a TT bike vs a racing velomobile like Milan or Alpha7?
What clip-on are you using for the flat aeroad handlebar?
I have flat topped vision road bars on my cannondale system six, the road bars have two holes in them on either side for fitting vision 4 d mas extention bars, which I also have. You bolt them on, with two bolts either side.
@@stevezodiac491 Thank you for the answer :)
thanks for this video, but the 1st challenge was for around 4 Kms and the second challenge was for just 0.9 km and I suppose that is the reason the aero bike result shows marginal.
I prefer the feeling of a TT bike over the normal bike.
No to Beeps, we start with a BANG !!!
It would be interesting to see the average power between the two bikes for the hill section and the technical section.
I have a cannondale system six dura ace disc road aero bike with bolt through clip on vision 4d mas clip on bars and also a trek speed concept with hed 6/9 wheels and upgraded gears to a 53 /42 chainset and I can put about 10 watts extra power out on the cannondale on a sporting course but the trek is faster, even with the 10 watts less power but not by much. Looking at my system six and that felt road bike though, there is a vast difference in aerodynamics between the two, the cannondale looking much more aerodynamic. The cannondale comes with vision aero road bars already designed with 4 holes in it to take the vision 4d mas bolt through 'clip on' bars.
I don't have a triathlon bike, haven't even tried it, but consider buying one (once racing resumes). My biggest concern -- handling. I normally ride gravel bike with 35mm tires and I'm afraid that if I switch to front loaded TT bike, I'd just be crashing... a lot....
Get some clip ons and practice, if you can do it with clip ons you can get the hang of a real one. Or just get the clip ons, get some good road tires and race with that bike, thatâs most of the difference.
I'll argue that I was more comfortable on my 10-year old road bike with clip ons than on my fancy new speedmax. Just getting used to it of course, but it feels like so much more weight is on the arms than on the saddle on the speedmax. I did do some speed tests (inspired by GTN and GCN) comparing time, power, and HR over a short course with multiple attempts, and the speedmax is marginally faster at a marginally lower HR than the old road bike with clip-ons, so I'm optimistic
I've got a 2019 Cervelo S5 with a Profile Design Aeria cockpit and I love it for triathlons
What distance?
@@jackwright3098 Olympic and 70.3
@@khulllid thanks. Have my first half IM in Sept.
running after ride tt bike or road bike ???... does make difference?
Why should it? If you use the same power it should be similar. Maybe, for long distance digestion could be different in aero position.
Love these videos but wonder if there's a more scientific way to test? Such small differences in time/distance could simply be due to fatigue, road conditions, etc. hard to attribute confidently to the actual bike geometry.
The way that I saw someone else do it was to do it in a pair, and do it so theyâre both on a different bike at the same time if that makes sense. So both bikes get a fair trial
what's that red thing underneath the saddle on the TT-bike?
I think itâs a logo on the saddle rail
What helmet are you wearing?
Can you draft in triathlon? Or is it prohibited?
GTN, can u provide a new kit to mark? Hit kitâs getting ...
Agree! I think GTN team deserves a new kit!! The guys fromm GCN get new kits every year.... Not fair... Just saying...
i woul always choose a TT bike for a normale tri race. What do you recommend for alpe d'huez ?
A balance bike
a car
Of course the road bike is faster on the climb, but you would never go all out in a climb in a triathlon (long distance of course). Would be interesting to compare the bikes over a 20-30km course featuring flats and hills, but trying to hold race pace (70.3 or IM) and see what comes out.
For me itâs not just about speed. It is about how fresh I feel getting off the bike and into the run. The TT saves time on the bike and again on the run leg.
I wonder a little about the numbers. But you have to admit that Mark's position on the road bike was already very, very aero. That's not normally the case with many people. Especially if the road bike is to be used for everything, it tends to be one size bigger etc. In the end, it is often the case that on a flat course a triathlon bike with a very sharp position from the time trial can be a good 8-10% faster. So 44 instead of 40 km/h, for example. If the time trial position is still not that good, then it might only be 40 vs 43 km/h, so about 7.5%. That's quite a lot in the long run. The small difference between clip-on bars and no bars in Mark's case shows relatively clearly that his position on the aero road bike was already very, very good and sharp. Normally, aero bars quickly bring up 1-1.5 km/h. So yes, you get relatively close to the triathlon bike. However, comfort and adjustment options are severely limited and the bike steers even worse than the triathlon bike in extreme positions. What does worse mean? The steering of a road bike is often already pointed so that you can fly into the bends. This can be a bit difficult when the position is shifted forward. Let's get used to the triathlon bike: if you ride it enough, you can ride it downhill on the aerobars ... Exactly: faster. When corners come: just as fast. So downhill you are faster or at least at the same speed. Uphill you are hardly measurably slower. So you are always faster. I ride my usual routes fairly regularly. Often, even with uphill rides and traffic lights, stops, etc., I'm at least 2-3 km/h faster on the time trial bike than on the aero race bike. We're talking about a Cervelo P3 with Vision metron handlebars, so to speak, a Cervelo P5 vs. a Cervelo S5 aero road bike. Both with rim brakes. With the exception of a few events, you will always be faster on a time trial bike or triathlon bike with the right training time and riding skills, as long as you don't only go uphill for kilometres.
Where did you get those clip on aero bars???
I have vision 4dmas clip ons on my vision aero road bars. They bolt through with two bolts on either side.
@@stevezodiac491 great. Thank you! đ
Supposed to be doing IM Wales this year, still don't know which to go for! đ«â°â°â°
I chose to do IM wales 2014 on a road bike with clip on aero bars, due in to the hill climbs and decents. The firxst part of the bike is windy and close to the shoreline so sand is common on the road surface so can be slippery. The big climb that you do twice is long and grueling with a fast decent (i hit 59mph) and the road bike had the control needed. If you are comfortable being in the aero position for as much of the race as posible then you would probably offset the time difference, but if comfort and being is a key factor then maybe look at the road bike as a main option.
TT bike gear ratios could be also a key factor to consider too
Hope this helps your decision
@@NickSmith-wv5tv Thanks, have thought about clip-ons, just worried I'd have to faff around with different seat positions too! I also did the long course weekend around 2014, Wiseman's bridge hill was a killer (the 42 miler (took puncture #2 to realise the wire bead was coming through the tyre!))
@@smitsamuel you get to see plenty of exspensive TT bikes being walked up the steap climbs, which ever option you go for i hope it all goes well for you, wshing you all the best for IM Wales đ
How does he install a tt bar on an aero drop bar?
8 month since this video has been released... All that time i saw a thumbnail and thought.. Oh well aer vs tt.. Well doh!
And there are lots of videos of road bike(non aero) with cip ons vs tt... I was actually hoping someone would make a video of aero road bike with cip ons... Its way way wayyyy closer geometry to tt bike than anything else... And while im like oh well might as well just whatch some unseen gtn videos, theres Mark with aero bike with clip ons... That should be on thumbnail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
th > f
Mark really struggles with those beeps. Needed Ollie for those.
Should have thrown in a cyclocross, mtb and Brompton in for good measure, and then do a run to see how each feels off the bike lol
Shouldve had recumbents too
The ICE VTX, M5 CHR and Peregrin on a Birk
Mountain bike, everywhere
Yo tengo una bici de carretera le acople las tt bars y voy super cĂłmodo sin mover el sillin eso sĂ no voy tan recto como tu
I only have the 1 bike being a Cervelo P series and I love it, Nice having the storage on the bike and train as you race :P It's set up for long course tri so not super aggressive in the aero bars.
đ€ can you use the same helmet? Thatâs a lot of watts
Recumbent racing bike, especially low racers are more aero. And then there is a tech called fairing amd velomobiles
Allowed at triathlons?
What, only two bikes? I think the answer is more haha.
how about triathlon bike vs downhill mtb
đ€Ł
What happened to his canyon?
Iâve still got it. We use Felt and Canyon
Is it possible to slap aero-bars on the aero-road bike to get it closer to the triathlon bike in performance?
Edit: hehe, better watch the entire video before commenting đ
đ
Put that Felt against boardman tt... Would aboardman be 2 sec faster, just as math says it would????
TT bikes are only allowed in 70.3 and Ironman races,right?So if you're someone who is just starting to compete in the sport as an amateur,aero road bike would be more versatile if you're planing to participate in all kinds of races in your local area like sprint and olimpic.And then if you want to try longer distances just add the aero bars and fly my friend!
That's at professional level. You are allowed tt bike in any race.
Not true. Racers can ride road bikes if they want.
@@alexwaddelove5698 Oh ok.I didn't know that.Sorry.
@@bratb6191 I didn't know that,sorry.
I recently bought a TT bike. It feels faster than a road bike.
If youâre a beginner triathlete and just want one bike, youâre likely gonna need a bike that can do draft legal
Actually not, there are very few triathlons i know that are draft legal and suitable for beginners, for good reasons (safety) so I know a lot of people who started cycling and triathlon but only have a TT and most of them not ridden ever a normal road bike
@@VanillaSky23ffm to that I have to say that I came from road bike to Triathlon and most of the triathletes arent good riders... for the most of them I would suggest a road bike cuz like they said in the video, a TT bike is more difficult to handle. It's for their safety as well as for my safety when they not have the greatest technic.
@@VanillaSky23ffm what i wanted to say is like u said in ur last sentence, they should actually start riding a road bike befor starting straight away with an TT bike
@@f1nnp I agree with you, my point was only that you donât need a road bike to be draft legal :) otherwise I agree itâs good to learn to ride a road bike as well or maybe before going on a TT
@@VanillaSky23ffm I'm sorry, I didnt even mean it that way to contradict with you, actually I just wanted to add my point of view to ur message. If you feel offended in any way Im sorry, wasnt my intention
Choose road bike all day everyday, just add the clip ons aero bars
The Extra weight will be "Felt" going up hill
Having just bought a speed max - thank god haha
If you can only afford one bike, make it the aero road bike...... I wouldnât want a TT bike as my only bike...
On the flat start, out of the saddle putting power down vs a steady start on the TT.
Average power the same. Very little difference in power at the start too
Why do Triathalon bikes have disc brakes? Makes no sense. I ride both disc and rim brake bikes and there are advantages and disadvantages to both.
...I've never seen anyone ride a Triathalon bike on a mountain bike trail nor on any gravel trails. Further, I've never seen a bike courier ride one. I very rarely see anyone train in the pouring rain consistently on one nor commute to work on one. Ive never seen anyone ride a criterium on one or ride in a peloton on one. Yah, so why are ther disc brakes on Triathalon bikes? It's just another thing to worry about when assembling your bike in a hotel room at a race - ie brake rub. Disc brakes are stupid especially if the goal in the race is to only use your brakes only twice - at the turn around and the end of the bike leg. Oh yah, disc brakes are less aero also.
Good video but the beep beep beeeeeep was very annoying!
Useles 8.3kg = ÂŁ5k
Aero bike and disc brakes dont go together