Triathlon bike - the combination of road bike and time trial bike
When it comes to triathlon bikes, one thing is paramount: aerodynamics. The aero bikes are designed for the most efficient rides at high speeds. The aim is to create as little air resistance as possible to bring as much performance to the track. The origin of triathlon bikes, as the name suggests, lies in triathlon and the first forms of triathlon by a few years earlier than most would guess. In many places it is believed that the triathlon was founded with the beginning of the Ironman competition in 1978 in Hawaii, but this is wrong, because the first forerunner of today's triathlon existed many years earlier, in 1920 in France. The annual race was called Les Trois Sports and included 3km of running, 12km of cycling and then swimming with the crossing of the Marne River. The first real triathlon, which included this in its name, was held in the USA in 1974, but it was not until the Ironman in Hawaii that it became a real boom, which then developed over the years into a separate division of bicycle manufacturers - the said triathlon bikes. The number of participants at that time was still very modest with 15 and is now at an Ironman event with several thousand participants. At big races, like the Ironman World Championship in Kona (Hawaii), there is a slipstream ban which can lead to a yellow, red or black card if disregarded. The yellow card is a warning, the red card is a time penalty and those who receive the black card are disqualified. The latter can also lead to several months of suspension from competition, depending on the severity of the offense. Triathletes must therefore always be careful to leave distances between themselves and those in front of them. The distance varies depending on the competition and the rules of the particular race (but at least 10 meters between riders). There are also triathlons that are held on roads that are not closed off, and there the triathletes must then also pay attention to cars and the corresponding rule distance, which is 35 meters. These distance rules lead to the fact that no groups form, the so-called peloton, as in racing bike races such as the Tour de France. There, there is usually a large peloton and sometimes several smaller breakaway groups, where one usually takes turns with the leading role, so that the athletes behind can save energy. The triathletes, however, have to ride alone against the wind and without the help of other riders or colleagues. Therefore, the separate category of triathlon bikes has developed which are designed exactly for the needs of triathlon competitions. The time trial bikes should therefore offer as little air resistance as possible, i.e. they should cause as little air turbulence as possible. To guarantee this, bike manufacturers and component makers regularly test their laboratory-developed products in the wind tunnel, where the perfect shape is constantly tweaked and tested. For this, there are characteristic features of a triathlon bike, such as the triathlon handlebars with special handlebar attachments, which allow a very sporty seating position with a steeper seat angle. This makes the seating position on a triathlon bike pretty much the opposite of a ride on mountain bikes or e-bikes. In addition, framesets, seatposts and the wheels are usually kept wider to cause less wind turbulence. Through all these technical processes, you get a triathlon bike therefore also very rarely under 1,500 euros and with the cheaper wheels then also rather standard components are used. These are usually just as reliable but have a higher weight than the more expensive products. Similar to the triathlon bikes, the time trial bikes are also designed and tested down to the smallest detail. The time trial bikes differ only slightly from the triathlon bikes, once by the weight that must adhere to the requirements of UCI races, and the again slightly steeper seat angle compared to the triathlon bikes. Time trial bikes are mostly used in UCI cycling races of several days, where time trial stages are scheduled. In these stages, the cyclists start individually, so that joint rides with slipstream are not possible here either. The big difference to triathlon bikes is the duration of use. In a long-distance triathlon, you sit on the bike for several hours and have to eat accordingly for a long duration and also find a riding position that can be maintained for several hours. Time trial bikes are mostly used in races under an hour and therefore there is less focus on catering there (e.g. there are usually no integrated hydration systems). In shorter triathlon races, this slipstream prohibition does not exist in some cases - in these cases, a normal road bike with road handlebars is usually used and not a special triathlon bike.
Special components for the triathlon bikes?
For components, such as wheels, groupsets, saddle and Co. is usually set on common manufacturers, such as Shimano or SRAM. While Shimano has been active in the bicycle industry for what feels like an eternity, the Americans around SRAM have earned an increasingly better reputation over the past few years.
Groupset
Most gears come from established manufacturers similar to the high-quality road bikes. Triathlon bikes for beginners usually have mechanical gears from Shimano, such as the Shimano 105 or Shimano Ultegra, installed. The Shimano 105 is the cheaper of the two shift groups with a little more weight, but is equal in reliability to the Shimano Ultegra. The high-priced models usually have electronic shifters from Shimano, such as the Shimano Ultegra Di2 or the Shimano Dura Ace Di2, or from SRAM, such as the SRAM Red Etap AXS or the SRAM Force Etap AXS, installed. These gears usually have a low weight and they shift particularly precisely for optimized riding. The special thing about the triathlon bike. The shift levers are mounted on the handlebars and the handlebar attachments, so that you can easily change gears even in the aero position.
Brakes
Brakes and brake levers are usually chosen identically to the shift groups. There are 2 basic types: there are the rim brakes on the one hand and the disc brakes on the other. The rim brake is the original braking technology, with low weight, but sometimes worse braking properties in wet conditions. Disc brakes are the novelty on the triathlon bike and have been used for about 2-3 years, with their consistently good braking characteristics (even in wet conditions) and greatly improved aero characteristics. Since triathletes are usually already somewhat ambitious cyclists, it bothers there also less that one needs a special tool for the exchange of the brakes. Therefore, when replacing the brakes also takes a lot more time than the change in a rim brake. Rim brakes are the simpler and cheaper variant, but are nevertheless gradually replaced by the disc brake at all manufacturers.
Seatpost / Saddle & Wheels / Tires
For the seatpost, constructions are used which have a high stiffness with good aero properties. We will discuss the stiffness in more detail a little further down in the section. Triathlon bikes have special saddles that comfortably allow the sporty "lying down" position with a steep seat tube angle. This steeper degree of the seat tube saves muscle power, which can then subsequently be used when running. The wheels of triathlon bikes are usually equipped with wide carbon rims, which "cut" through the wind and stir up as little air as possible. Carbon rims convince in addition to the aerodynamics of the further by their stiffness, weight and appearance. Since we have already gone into the importance of aerodynamics above, we now briefly highlight the advantage of stiffness. The more stiffness the rim has the more power comes from the pedals directly to bear, with less loss as a final result, which pays off especially on long distances. The disadvantages of carbon rims are about the poorer braking properties in wet conditions and the higher price which is not suitable for every budget.
Handlebars & Attachments
Handlebars usually have no down tube, as in a normal road bike, but handlebar attachments. These allow an almost prone ride in which the body offers as little surface for the wind as possible. Most setups convince with good adjustability to the geometry of the rider, so that in addition to the frame size or frame height, the handlebars can also be optimally adjusted to the individual size. In order to be able to provide the best possible catering during the ride, there are various drinking systems and catering boxes, which can be attached to the bike. In some cases, these water bottles and the storage space for bars and gels are already fully integrated into the bike, depending on the model and manufacturer.
Which triathlon bike is the right one?
First of all, you should clarify whether the competition you want to compete in has a slipstream ban or not. Without the slipstream ban, the normal road bike can also be used. The normal road bike convinces because of the balanced weight distribution by quieter steering and also with mountainous journeys the geometry of the triathlon bike is rather unfavorable and/or disturbing. If a triathlon bike is the right one, then there are various models from different manufacturers, such as Cube with the Cube Aerium C, Cervelo with the Cervelo P5, Canyon with the Canyon Speedmax, BMC with the BMC Timemachine or also Trek with the Trek Speed Concept. Here is a small and perhaps funny anecdote at the end, how it came to the foundation of the Ironman at all. At the edge of a running competition in 1977, a few athletes were discussing which athletes were the fitter, the runners or the swimmers. When the name Eddy Merckx was mentioned, they decided to combine 3 competitions and the winner was allowed to call himself Ironman in 1978.
Are you looking for the right triathlon bike, but you are still unsure about the choice of model? The buycycle team will be happy to help you with any questions.
