Setting a road bike up for TT's

colm_gti · 06-09-2012 12:57AM #1

Have an older road bike I use for commuting and general beating around on, but with a potential move and increase in commute distance I'll probably switch to using the good bike for the commute, leaving the current commuter unused. Have toyed with the idea of selling it, but now I'm half thinking of setting it up for the few TT's there are in a year.

It's an older 23" steel frame, slightly shorter top tube, much shorter head tube and steeper seat tube than my good bike. I already have a spare set of standard diameter pursuit/bullhorn/whatevertheyrecalled bars and clip on aero bars with shims for the standard diameter bars. With a set of bar end brake levers, a profile design seatpost, and a used TT saddle, the geometry should be close enough to a TT bike, right? A cheap enough solution for rare events? Will the lack of an aero frame make a huge difference? Or is butchering a good old road bike a stupid idea?

EDIT: Toying with the aerobars and handlebars...

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buffalo · 06-09-2012 08:45AM

I'm no TT expert, but what seems like a good idea to me, if your two bikes are of similar geometry, is to get the old one set up for TT practice - so you can just grab it and go (no fiddling adding/removing bars). That'll encourage you to practice TTing, and allow you to develop a comfortable and aero position with the bars. That makes a huge difference in TTs, pointy helmets aside.

Then for actual TTs, stick the bars on the road bike, and adjust it to allow for your set position.

Lumen · 06-09-2012 09:22AM

Unless the top tube is really short, those pads and aerobars are probably going to be in the wrong place.

edit: maybe you'll be using a super-short stem so it won't matter.

colm_gti · 06-09-2012 09:56AM

Lumen wrote: »

edit: maybe you'll be using a super-short stem so it won't matter.

Yep it's an older style quill stem, only 100mm long.

EDIT: Just threw the measuring tape over it out of interest;
TT: 56cm
Stem: 10cm
HT: 17cm
ST: 58cm

Compared with my road bike;
TT: 58.5cm
Stem: 12cm
HT: 22.5cm
ST: 57cm

And one of them profile design seatposts should effectively make the distance between the saddle and bars seem shorter again, no?

Is it a foolish idea?

lennymc · 06-09-2012 10:47AM

colm_gti wrote: »

Is it a foolish idea?

anything that encourages or requires spending money on bike bits that you don't really need could never be truly described as foolish.

Lumen · 06-09-2012 10:50AM

I've been toying with the same idea ever since I decided I hated my TT bike (which I've now sold).

daragh_ · 06-09-2012 11:19AM

Just buy a TT bike and be done with.

Ideally a small one that you don't mind lending to people.

RidleyRider · 06-09-2012 11:28AM

daragh_ wrote: »

Just buy a TT bike and be done with.

Ideally a small one that you don't mind lending to people.

Hint Hint?:rolleyes:

colm_gti · 10-09-2012 10:32PM

Past the point of no return?

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Maybe not....but once I change the brake cables to compatible MTB ones, connect the bar end levers, and wrap the bars I will be....

Sat onto it with the bars fitted and it definitely feels a hell of a lot more 'aero' than the good bike with the clip on aero bars fitted.

Could probably spin the seatpost around to move the saddle further forward for the time being, though it's just under the minimum insertion length, so I'll be keeping an eye out for a second hand one of the profile design fwd seatposts.

With plans to get a pair of ~50mm tub's for the good bike before next season, I'm hoping to pick up a cheap 10spd rear derailleur and 10spd downtube shifters so that the wheels can be switched between bikes.

Keeping the bits I'm pulling off so if it's a complete fail of an experiment it can easily be returned to standard

RidleyRider · 10-09-2012 10:37PM

I rather like it... looks vintage.

Nice going Colm:D

colm_gti · 11-09-2012 12:15PM

Well, I went and fitted the new brakes, with the required MTB cables this morning, and while doing so realised each wheel had a broken spoke and are out of true...makes sense why the two minor inclines I hit on my commute hurt more than they should :rolleyes:

The long term plan was to pick up the bits to convert it to 10 speed so that I could swap the wheels between this and my good bike, but it looks like I may be doing it sooner than expected...

BTW, I'll still be using this for my commute for a few weeks, minus the aerobars of course.

CramCycle · 11-09-2012 02:19PM

Doesn't look the right size for you at all, you should probably just give it to a guy in your club whose about an inch or two shorter than you but has also just started riding A4, who is a mod on boards, who stole your water bottle down in Charleville, just an idea though, makes more sense then what your planning anyway

colm_gti · 11-09-2012 02:23PM

CramCycle wrote: »

Doesn't look the right size for you at all, you should probably just give it to a guy in your club whose about an inch or two shorter than you but has also just started riding A4, who is a mod on boards, who stole your water bottle down in Charleville, just an idea though, makes more sense then what your planning anyway

While that IS tempting, I'll have to try it out first before I rush into any decisions... I just realised that wasn't a water bottle I handed you, it was my urine sample bottle....

el tel · 11-09-2012 05:25PM

If nothing else, you've certainly given yourself a most diverting project!

Setting a road bike up for TT's

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