[Closed] The different types of road bike

TT = low aero position (esp bars) = highest straight line speed, single use, handling compromised

RR = drop bars, tight clearances, lower position than sportive bike

Sportive = drop bars, more upright position than RR, possibly lower gearing (compact chainset)

Audax = like sportive only room for mudguards, typically a 'winter training bike'

All clear?? 🙂

That's about right.

Tri'ers use slightly different bikes with steep seat tubes and small wheels. I think the rationale is that they need this to get into an aero profile, their ability to get into a flat-back position being comprimised by the body's adapation to the other dsiciplines.

FWIW the difference in your time for bike section of a tri will be affected very little if you are riding a reasonably light road bike with decent tyres.

FWIW the difference in your time for bike section of a tri will be affected very little if you are riding a reasonably light road bike with decent tyres.

Did my first tri on an MTB with slicks on 🙂

You could always stick a set of aero bars on a road-bike to give you a more aero position too.

TT bikes are not suitable for training on either - you'd need a RR bike or similar to train on so if you're looking for one bike start with a RR.

The Tri bikes we sell are pretty much all 700c wheels apart from the 48cm frames have to run 650 wheels purely because 700 won't fit.

Good road bike summary in the first post. You could add "Touring" for completeness - generally a bit beefier than your Audax or fast touring bike, with a triple chainset and all the fittings for racks, mudguards, etc.

If you are buying to race, and have no road experience, a low to mid-range RR bike is definitely your best bet for starting out. Suitable for general training and bunch riding if you join a club, but adequate for some tri-racing with the addition of clip-on aero bars. A dedicated TT bike will be faster, but less flexible, and the position and handling are more challenging if you are new to road cycling.

However, the tip about using a slicked-up MTB with tri-bars for starters is a good one. Andy Wilkinson (former national champ and multiple TT record holder) has famously won several time trials on a converted hybrid.

FWIW the difference in your time for bike section of a tri will be affected very little if you are riding a reasonably light road bike with decent tyres.

I'd disagree there, even some clip ons can make a reasonable difference in a tri. I did a rolling 16 mile bike leg in a tri on my Madone and lost a significant amount of time to folk on TT bikes who I'd normally trounce. A flat bike leg would make TT bikes even more beneficial.

Bear in mind tri/TT bikes are not allowed in road races, and are generally not comfortable for long rides, as well as having twitchier steering making them a bit of a handful in traffic.

If you want a bike purely to race tri's on then a proper tri bike will be well worth it. If you want more versatility then a conventional road bike (with geometry you find comfortable) will be a better bet, perhaps with some decent clip ons for triathlon use.