I am sure we have all looked on in envy at riders
with dedicated TT bikes but is it worth investing
thousands of pounds on another bike to use
just a few times a year if you are not a specialist
TT rider? The obvious answer is yes (as you
can never have too many bikes) but that is what
the heart tell you. What about your brain and
wallet?
On the surface TT bikes are impractical. They
are not generally allowed or welcome on group
rides
being potentially dangerous. Being on the tri
bars means you are not covering your brakes
and subsequently cannot react to a situation as
quickly as on a road bike. So essentially they
will be designated to doing what they do best time trialling or triathlon. Not such a bad thing
as time trialling is very addictive especially
with the advent of Strava allowing virtual
competition.
So are they worth the investment? This is very
much a personal decision so to give you an
idea of my background I will give a succinct
background. I am a 42 year old who was a keen
cyclist as a kid, got fat and stopped. I have now
been doing it again seriously for around 5 years
but in the form of triathlon. I am not naturally
gifted or fast. I try to average around 18mph for
a long ride on my road bike on a rolling course. I
would like to do more and more cycling though
and have joined my local club (San Fairy Ann)
to do so.
My dilemma over wether to invest was made
more confusing by the fact my road bike is a
Wyndy Milla Massive Attack that was ridden in
the Tour of Britain and weighs next to nothing.
She came complete with Dura Ace Di2 when I
purchased her at the end of the 2012 season so
very well specced. I love her and she lives in my
house far removed from the garage. She is fast,
responsive and just feels amazing. More so than
any other bike I have ridden. If she was a race
car she would be in F1. Over the past 18 months
we have completed thousands of miles together
including the hills of Ironman UK in Bolton
where I managed to get around the bike course
in 7:15. Not that inspiring a time but it was my
first Ironman and I learnt a lot.
Whilst entering Ironman Switzerland 2014
I recalled how despondent I felt seeing the
pointy helmet brigade flying past me in Bolton
as if I was going backwards. I started to pine
for a TT bike to buy myself faster times. If I
am totally honest the major reason for being
passed so frequently was due to my own lack
of ability rather than my bike which is a proven
race winner. But would my lack of talent be
inconsequential given that a TT bike is said to
improve your times by 10%? I wanted to know
if this is just marketing speak or reality? Sure
all the pros and uber fast riders ride them, but
do they achieve such gains because they have
raw talent that I don’t possess allowing them
to attain average speeds that I can only dream
about giving them the aero advantage far more
than my own moderate pace?
A convincing argument in the form of
persuasion came from a few friends who had
TT bikes and categorically said that if I had one
it would wipe 20-30 mins off my Ironman time
and due to the geometry it enable me to run
faster off the bike. I want to say I was skeptical
still but in reality my hesitation was due to
the considerable financial outlay required for
the model I lusted after. Having the luxury of a
Wyndy Milla how much would I have to spend
on a TT bike to be able to go as quickly as she
is so light and stiff? It was not something I
was comfortable spending my cash on without
any known guarantees of going significantly
faster. It would be like having a Ferrari and a
Lamborghini at the same time.
As a professional triathlon photographer and
writer I thought I would chance my arm and ask
Cervelo if they had a press bike I could borrow
to make a comparison and race with at Ironman
Switzerland this July. To be delight they said yes
and built me a P3 complete with manual Dura
Ace. It arrived approximately 5 weeks before
the race which admittedly is not a lot of time