This is another one of those equipment based 1%er tips that people love so much. Buying gear that is going to make you faster is one of the favourite things that Triathletes like to do in their quest for extra speed. While some of the gear that triathletes buy is questionable, buying a TT bike is one where the improvements in speed are very real.Worth quite possible more than 1%.
However, TT bikes are expensive (typically starting around $3000) and so this is also one of those 1%ers that is not for everyone. If you are doing your first triathlon, or if you only plan on doing a few triathlons, or if most of your cycling is normal road riding and you only do the occasional triathlon, then a TT bike may not be worth your while. However, if you are pretty sure that Triathlon is your entire world, or you are keen for it to be, then a TT bike will make that adventure a little bit quicker and may be worth well be a 1%er for you.
As with a lot of these equipment 1%ers though, I have actually written about this topic before, so rather than re-invent the wheel, I will direct you to have a read of this:
Buying a TT/Triathlon Bike
I wrote the above blog a few years ago but I re-read/updated it today and so it all still holds true.
So what does this 1%er do for you?
Well, as discussed in the link above, riding a TT bike gains your 1% (or more) by doing a couple of things.
Firstly the obvious thing that a TT bike is it makes you more aerodynamic. The bike itself is more aerodynamic that a normal road bike, but more importantly the bike allows you to be more aerodynamic. I say more importantly because something like 65% to 80% of the drag on a bike is from you. A TT bike puts your body in a lower and more horizontal position (as long as you stay in that position), which means your body presents a smaller profile to the airflow (hence less drag). Making a bike more aerodynamic will help you a bit, but making YOU more aerodynamic will help a heck of a lot more. A TT bike does both of these things. My very unscientific gut feel is that a TT bike is worth approximately 2km/h over a road bike. This adds up to a significant amount of time over the 180km bike leg of an Ironman.
The other thing that a TT bike does for you is allow you to hold this aero position while still remaining comfortable. The geometry of a TT bike is quite different to road bike and so while a TT bike allows you to get low and aero, it doesn't compress you any more than a road bike does. In fact, if your Tri bike is set up correctly you should be able to ride it while holding the same position you would on a road bike in terms of angles between arms, body and legs. This is sort of hard to explain, and much easier to draw, but basically a TT bike rotates you forward, rather than compresses you. On a Tri bike the angles between your upper arm and your torso and you thigh and your torso all remain around 90 degrees, just like on your road bike. What this means is that you are extra aero while still remaining physiologically efficient.
This physiological efficiency has an extra very important benefit. It allows you to run after you finish riding. By letting you ride in a comfortable and efficient position it means you don't end up fatiguing important running muscles as much, or feeling so tight that you can't move, all while remaining aero. A very important benefit.
So there you go. Not the cheapest option for sure, but if you are after a guaranteed 1%er gain (or perhaps even 2%) then look no further.
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