build up a TT bike

Taxuser1

couple of questions for anyone who has experience of the TT scene

is it recommended to go down a size ? road bike is 56cm - should i go down to 54 cm. would a bike fit before committing to a purchase make more sense

is there a reputable go to place for used TT bikes or frames?

i have campag boras for the road bike - can they double up for the TT bike - i.e. is there a need for a disk rear wheel? what might the marginal aero gain be?

can front end carbon bars and electronic parts for a tt bike be picked up relatively inexpensively?

any recommendations on aero frames that really are just that bit quicker and worth the money. Or are there budget frames/bikes out there that perform much better than their price tag.

if there's any advice you can give, happy to take it in.

thanks in advance

nilhg

Taxuser1 wrote: »

couple of questions for anyone who has experience of the TT scene

is it recommended to go down a size ? road bike is 56cm - should i go down to 54 cm. would a bike fit before committing to a purchase make more sense

is there a reputable go to place for used TT bikes or frames?

i have campag boras for the road bike - can they double up for the TT bike - i.e. is there a need for a disk rear wheel? what might the marginal aero gain be?

can front end carbon bars and electronic parts for a tt bike be picked up relatively inexpensively?

any recommendations on aero frames that really are just that bit quicker and worth the money. Or are there budget frames/bikes out there that perform much better than their price tag.

if there's any advice you can give, happy to take it in.

thanks in advance

My experience isn't very comprehensive but I'll throw in my 2p worth

Sizing, I ride a 56 Felt road bike which has quite an aggressive race geometry and also a 56 Felt TT bike, 54 in the TT would be too cramped for me, I even had to change the stem to a longer one to get away from feeling cramped on the TT bike. A bike fit first sounds like a good idea, however I would say that from my experience, personal and withothers in my club a TT fit is something you tend to "ease" into, what seems extreme at the start becomes OK after a while and you'll start playing with position as you go on.

I don't know of anywhere that specalises in TT bikes or frames, the same process applies as buying a normal bike

Deep section wheels will be fine to start, under certain conditions a disk can be an advantage but I'd start off without the additional expense of buying one.

Carbon bars and electronic bits tend to be expensive unless you get lucky, again start off with whatever comes with the bike and upgrade later if you want.

I'll leave the last question to others more expert than me, you'll see all sorts and shapes out there and it's not always the lad on the latest and greatest who prevails.

Taxuser1

nilhg wrote: »

My experience isn't very comprehensive but I'll throw in my 2p worth

Sizing, I ride a 56 Felt road bike which has quite an aggressive race geometry and also a 56 Felt TT bike, 54 in the TT would be too cramped for me, I even had to change the stem to a longer one to get away from feeling cramped on the TT bike. A bike fit first sounds like a good idea, however I would say that from my experience, personal and withothers in my club a TT fit is something you tend to "ease" into, what seems extreme at the start becomes OK after a while and you'll start playing with position as you go on.

I don't know of anywhere that specalises in TT bikes or frames, the same process applies as buying a normal bike

Deep section wheels will be fine to start, under certain conditions a disk can be an advantage but I'd start off without the additional expense of buying one.

Carbon bars and electronic bits tend to be expensive unless you get lucky, again start off with whatever comes with the bike and upgrade later if you want.

I'll leave the last question to others more expert than me, you'll see all sorts and shapes out there and it's not always the lad on the latest and greatest who prevails.

One further thought I had was to just upgrade the race bike to an aero bike which could double up as a TT bike with bar extensions. however, certain front ends do not accommodate the clip on aero bars and obviously gearing remains on the hoods/drops. nevertheless, they might not be far off the aero gains of a tt bike?

Borderfox

The aero gain of a tt bike is not a lot and much more to be derived from the rider.

nilhg

Taxuser1 wrote: »

One further thought I had was to just upgrade the race bike to an aero bike which could double up as a TT bike with bar extensions. however, certain front ends do not accommodate the clip on aero bars and obviously gearing remains on the hoods/drops. nevertheless, they might not be far off the aero gains of a tt bike?

TT (Felt B12) bike with 50mm front wheel and disk rear, skinsuit and aero helmet

https://www.strava.com/activities/2395363761

Non aero road bike (felt F1) with 50mm front and back full normal road setup, skinsuit and standard non aero helmet

https://www.strava.com/activities/2562903619

I reckon clipons would half the difference

Taxuser1

Borderfox wrote: »

The aero gain of a tt bike is not a lot and much more to be derived from the rider.

There has to be some considerable gain?

68 lost souls

nilhg wrote: »

TT (Felt B12) bike with 50mm front wheel and disk rear, skinsuit and aero helmet

https://www.strava.com/activities/2395363761

Non aero road bike (felt F1) with 50mm front and back full normal road setup, skinsuit and standard non aero helmet

https://www.strava.com/activities/2562903619

I reckon clipons would half the difference

Power profile and weather conditions identical?

Base2Race and Wheelworx are where u would recommend looking at TT bikes. Dom in Base2Race would be a good shout for a bike fit or Aiden Hammond.

Just make sure you get a uci legal one as the will also have triathlon tt bikes which in some cases are not uci legal

Miklos

I bought a cheap Planet X frame with bars etc earlier this year, sized down after checking with Aidan Hammond whether he reckoned it would fit.

Your Boras will work fine but the lads with disc wheels definitely have a big advantage.

For me the biggest advantage of the TT frame is being able to stay in the position when changing gears.

cunavalos

This is quite an old study and values may be off but may still hold true for today. Best bang for buck are obviously skinsuit, aero helmet, aerobars and shoe covers.





I have a buddy;) who reckons Merida TT frames, Sportful skinsuits and Rudy Project helmets are pants and should be avoided.

Deano12345

I found a cheap frame last year and built it up as a sort of TT bike for the very occasional tri that I do so I’ve probably done at lot of the silly things that you can avoid doing.

The frame is a 54, which is probably a little on the large side for me anyway, but I think it would vary between frames as to weather you’d size down. If I ever build another it’ll be a 52 or even a 50 (road bike is a 52)

The geometry between a TT bike and a road bike is different from what I’ve read too.

I’d say the big advantage you’d gain is in the clip on aero bars like others have said so, but a base bar and aero bars can be gotten cheap. My entire setup including shifters and brake levers cost me about 130 quid.

If I was doing it again I’d get a cheaper, TT specific frame to begin with.

I run a 60/90 wheel set on mine, disks would be a little faster but for the same money a good fit and aero helmet would probably net you more time vs the wheels you have.

If you’ve other questions, feel free to shoot me a message!

Taxuser1

Didn’t take too long and bought this beauty from a club mate.

Deano12345

Taxuser1 wrote: »

Didn’t take too long and bought this beauty from a club mate.

Bonus points for the wheel decals matching the paint on the frame!

Miklos

Nice one. You’d better be winning all the early season stages races now.

Taxuser1

Miklos wrote: »

Nice one. You’d better be winning all the early season stages races now.

no chance that will ever happen ! off to the IVCA TT league if they'll have me - i fit the age criteria at least.

Diarmuid

Taxuser1 wrote: »

no chance that will ever happen ! off to the IVCA TT league if they'll have me - i fit the age criteria at least.

No more room in the IVCA!!

Taxuser1

Diarmuid wrote: »

No more room in the IVCA!!

gunning for you dude. Hope the injuries are healing well