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| *Vultures Knob>>>Road Bike |
Whats you opinion/experience? |
i am a triathlete/cyclist and i have a trek 1000 road bike. i just bought a clip on aero bar. this has upped my avg speed about 2 mph. what should my next step be for improved performance ie faster for same amount of effort? rear disc wheel? TT bike? better road bike? something else? Thanx!! There's an old addage - "it ain't the bike, it's the rider". You're obviously somewhat fit, since a 2 mph average increase after adding aerobars is pretty good. The trek 1000 is a fine bike for this, unless you want to get really serious and start competeing at a pro-am level. The next biggest bang for the buck will be wheels. If you have the money to spend on a rear disk, go for it. If you're still somewhat of a novice in the sport I would recommend a reasonably light, fast, and inexpensive wheel set, then get a rear wheel cover. Make sure to invest in good tires, like continental 3000s that you can inflate to 150 PSI. All this will be less money than a rear disk. These wheels will be repairable, and you can remove the rear cover if you're racing in windy conditions. Riding a disk wheel in high winds really sucks. If you start breaking into the top ten in local sprint tris, then think about getting a real TT bike, but remember, your fitness will be the major factor. A $10,000 bike won't make you go any faster if you haven't been training. Once you start spending significant money on a bike, you will start experiencing 'diminishing returns'. The first $1000 you spend will get you 90% of your improvement. Ever $1000 you spend after that will get you less and less improvement. Join a club that has regualr training events, and look into coaching. I own a 4 year old Trek 1000, and have spent more on new parts for it then on the original bike. If you are looking for a good tri bike then look at felt. Otherwise, buy a newer bike with a better frame before you spend $1500 and have the same lame frame. www.feltbikes.com Get a book titled High Tech Cycling. It details many performance enhancements like body positioning, training schedules, aerodynamics, efficiency and equipment. The least expensive thing to do is work on your form. A small reduction in wind drag can make up a lot of time, and learning an efficient, powerful riding position costs nothing. A new wheelset is the single best upgrade you can do to any bike, and above 15mph or so a better aerodynamic profile does you more good than lighter weight. Beyond that, start looking into a dedicated time trial bike. Cervelo makes some very nice ones for relatively little money, and would help put you in a better riding position than your Trek. train more a good solid set of wheels - Mavic Cosmic Carbones for triathlon. They spin up quick and hold the speed better. With less flex in the wheels you don't lose as much power. I upgraded to Ksyrium SSC SL's and my average speed jumped about 4 mph. Worth the extra cash if you're serious about speed! Hope this helps |
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