I got my PT pro this Monday and have had fun playing around with it so far. I got my first road bike last fall, and did some tri's this year, then added a tri- bike to the stable. I haven't decided if my future goals will be for tri's or road races, but just really enjoy riding the bikes.
Now my first question. I have done one solo ride on the road bike, one group ride on the roadie, and one solo ride on the tri- bike. I am tapering for my last tri of the year this weekend, but wanted to play around with this new toy anyway. I am seeing that with the same PRE the tri- bike results show more speed, and less watts than the road bike. Is this normal? I was expecting the faster speed on the tri- bike because of aero position, but was expecting watts to be roughly the same.
Anyone else test their power on tt vs. road bikes?
Welcome to the boards! Not that I've posted here a lot but...
To answer your question... it depends. It would be normal to go faster on your tri bike with a more aero position but you should be able to put out the same watts. It could be that your position is not optimal for putting power to the pedals on the tri bike. Did you have it fit professionally?
I'm sure I'm missing something and others will likely chime in soon. Good luck in your upcoming races and keep having fun out there!
Cheers! -Ian
buckhorn said:
Hi all.
I got my PT pro this Monday and have had fun playing around with it so far. I got my first road bike last fall, and did some tri's this year, then added a tri- bike to the stable. I haven't decided if my future goals will be for tri's or road races, but just really enjoy riding the bikes.
Now my first question. I have done one solo ride on the road bike, one group ride on the roadie, and one solo ride on the tri- bike. I am tapering for my last tri of the year this weekend, but wanted to play around with this new toy anyway. I am seeing that with the same PRE the tri- bike results show more speed, and less watts than the road bike. Is this normal? I was expecting the faster speed on the tri- bike because of aero position, but was expecting watts to be roughly the same.
Anyone else test their power on tt vs. road bikes?
I am seeing that with the same PRE the tri- bike results show more speed, and less watts than the road bike. Is this normal? I was expecting the faster speed on the tri- bike because of aero position, but was expecting watts to be roughly the same.
A possible factor is that you are less accustomed to your tri position. It's not clear from your post whether you ride the tri bike much less frequently. I think I read a suggestion to ride the tri bike at least once a week to stay familiar with its position.
The optimal solo position is not necessarily the most aero or highest power position, it's the position that minimizes time based primarily on those two factors. As average speed increases, aero considerations become more important. If your position is optimal and familiar, your loss in power gains you a reduction in drag for a net improvement.
