Triathlon Bikes Vs Road Bikes

The steeper angle of the the tri bike can create a much more aero position.

Triathlon bikes vs road bikes. Greater aerodynamics comes with speed and you can expect the triathlon to perform better than the road bikes. For a triathlon bike the seat tube angle is typically 76 78 degrees. Tri bike question you should have a couple sprint triathlons or duathlons under your belt. The steeper angle places the rider further forward on the bike creating a more aerodynamic body position.

The tri bike vs. The major differences between a triathlon bike and a road bike is the geometry of the frame more specifically the seat tube angle. These bikes have more aggressive geometry to keep your riding position aerodynamic with shorter top tubes and wheelbases to minimize your profile to help you squeeze precious seconds off your time. A triathlon bike has a much larger seat tube angle 76 to 78 degrees than that of a road bike 72 degrees for a typical road bike.

But don t put off the road bikes yet. For your first couple go rounds use whatever you have available to you. Ride your kid s bmx borrow a bike buy a 20 garage sale bike. A good bit steeper than the 72 degree angle found on most traditional road bikes.

To sum up this part all four distances sprint olympic half ironman and full ironman can be non drafting races where triathlon bikes can be used. Although road bikes are commonly used in road cycling competition the more specialized triathlon or time trial bike may give you the edge in shorter races. Triathlon bikes have been carefully engineered to ensure that there s a lot of rolling resistance on the ground and the drag is kept at minimal.