Quoted post said:Originally posted by Aztec
My main events next year are going to be TTs. Mostly because I won't have enough fitness to hang in RRs or crits... Some of the TTs will be long, the 56 mi leg of team triathalons.
Do I really need a TT-dedicated bike? My road bike is excellent, but it's a Colnago with slack angles, so getting down into a good aero position may be tough, even with the aero gear and a seatpost with zero setback.
I see Cervelo TT-oriented bikes used for bargain prices. Something like $1000-$2000 for very nice ones (not the nutty P3, though).
Well, chances are, I think you'll need a TT specific bike. The main reason is that your road bike's top tube is probably too long and the seat angle, especially on the Colnago, is NOT steep enough for you to comfortably set up for TT.
If you're just going out to do a few laps in an aero position then I would say "NO". But since you're looking at doing TT events, I do not think you can effectively turn your road bike into a TT configuration. It's possible, of course, if you get such things as forward seat post, aerobar and shorter stem....but it's NOT the same.
I would visit a "real" LBS that knows about fitting and sells TT bike and ask to get on top of one to see how it feels. You'll see and feel the difference.
This is one of the reasons why I just bought a Kestrel Talon bike, which can allow me to do both road and TT, though I'll be doing more road riding. Cervelo has a model which also allows you to do both road and TT, albeit a little more aggressive geometry for road.
GL
