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If you were going to build up a TT bike...


Parr8hed

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What would you do?

 

Let's just say that you had a road bike on an older crappy frame with pretty good components.

 

Let's just ball park here and say that maybe you were considering a long course tri (again). 

 

Let's go out on a limb and say that the long course tri was hilly and you know from experience that a roadie works pretty well on it. 

 

Would you build up an aero tri frame with road bars?  Would you build a road frame with aero bars?  Would you build a TT frame with road bars and clip on aero bars?

 

Serious questions.

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Just my humble opinion but I would not put aero bars on a road bike.  Aero bars do not make a TT bike.  A TT specific bike has a different geometry than a road bike. Shorter head tube, seat tube angle is more vertical putting your hips on top of the bottom bracket vs slightly behind.  Shorter top tube to accomodate for aero bar position.  Search youtube for a better explanation.  TT bikes work well on flat straight courses (Hawaii) not so good on hills or a route with many turns.  Stick with the road bike and get the best wheelset you can beg borrow or steal.

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Just my humble opinion but I would not put aero bars on a road bike.  Aero bars do not make a TT bike.  A TT specific bike has a different geometry than a road bike. Shorter head tube, seat tube angle is more vertical putting your hips on top of the bottom bracket vs slightly behind.  Shorter top tube to accomodate for aero bar position.  Search youtube for a better explanation.  TT bikes work well on flat straight courses (Hawaii) not so good on hills or a route with many turns.  Stick with the road bike and get the best wheelset you can beg borrow or steal.

No, I got you.  I have had a TT bike and a roadie.  I think I was faster on the TT bike, but more comfy on the roadie.  (big surprise there!) I am just thinking out loud...

 

IMKY is hilly, but roller hilly.  I need a new ride if I am to do it again.  I really liked the setup I had the last time I did it.  Roadie with aero bars.  I could get down out of the wind on the flats and use the hoods for climbing.  My biggest complaint was that when I was down on the aero bars it was not as comfortable as being down on the aero bars on a true TT bike.  For the reasons that you stated above.

 

Just wondering if some sort of silly Frankenstein hybrid is the way to go.  TT frame and fork to get you forward of the bottom bracket and a more aero frameset but use road bars to be more comfortable when climbing.  I would obviously have clip on aero bars.  

 

I borrowed a set of zipp 404's last time and could probably use them again.

 

Just wondering if this is a great idea for building a course specific bike or just silly stupidness.

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Just wondering if this is a great idea for building a course specific bike or just silly stupidness.

 

No, it's probably a good idea.  You're building a bike for a specific course to get the best of both worlds.  I'd talk closely with Ugly Bob, I think he knows more than I do and can assist in getting you a more better frame.

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Humm... What do you have for a roadbike now?  We might be able to improve your frame situation. B)

My road bike is a nashbar aluminum frame.  But it has a king headset, carbon bars, a carbon fork and seat post.  105 9 speed all of the way around and it currently has DA hubs open pro rims with DT spokes.  Good wheelset and components.  The fork is acutally a TT fork.  I could pretty easily switch everything to a TT frame.  And it would not be too much trouble to put bar end shifters and bull horn bars on it for a TT set up.  Already have the aero bars sitting somewhere.  Just really need a frame. 

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