How To Fit A Tri Bike? (TOP 5 Tips)

Sit on your bike with your weight central on the saddle and arms on the bars in your race position. Position one leg at the bottom of the pedal stroke and straighten your knee. If your saddle is the right height, the sole of your shoe should tilt downwards with the heel 1-3cm lower than the toe.

• Two other important triathlon bike fit measurements are the top tube and head tube of the bike. To measure the top tube, measure from the center of the seat tube to the center of the head tube horizontally.

How do you size a tri bike?

To measure a tri bike start from the center of the bottom bracket and measure to the center top of the seat tube. You must also note that some manufacturers measure from the center of the bottom bracket to the center top of the seat tube. So check this with the manufacturer.

How high should seat be on tri bike?

This consideration impacts power. Proper saddle height should put your knee angle between 140-150° when at the bottom of your down stroke. If the saddle is too low and the angle too acute, you’ll be spinning and bouncing without producing any power.

Does a tri bike really make a difference?

The most notable difference is the design, or geometry of the frame of each bike. Triathlon bikes have a steeper angle of the seat. The steeper angle allows the user to travel at a faster rate because you can bend your body down lower which reduces wind resistance.

Should I size down for TT bike?

I would consider that only 1/2 to 1 size down for my height. If you think a size 56cm is “normal”. Yes the 52cm top tube bike is a little small.

Should TT bike be smaller than road bike?

For a good starting point, we’d recommend looking at a TT frame that has a reach roughly 2cm shorter than your road bike, which typically means going down a size. Typically road bikes are dolled out based on top tube length, which serves as a pretty reliable indicator of whether a frame will fit someone.

Why do triathletes sit so far forward?

So they are more balanced on the bike, where triathletes are kind of front-loaded on the bike—they’re so far forward over the bottom bracket. They’re trying to actually run on the bike rather than pedal like a cyclist does—they get behind the pedal. That creates a different saddle situation too.”

How do you pick a triathlon saddle?

Triathletes, especially long-distance ones, will spend extended periods of time on the aerobars. So a tri-friendly saddle should have a narrow, flat profile due to the rider being in this aggressive forward position, with their weight placed towards the nose.

Why are tri bikes heavier?

A triathlon bike is heavier than a road bike by 2- 4 lbs or 1 to 2 kg. The reason is that the aim is to make a triathlon bike more aerodynamic rather than lightweight as it is in road bikes. The triathlon bikes come with bigger aerofoils and bigger frames than the road bike.

Can you ride a triathlon bike on the road?

A road bike will get you to the finish line of the triathlon just fine. It may not be as fast, but it’s not necessarily slow either. In fact, you can still be pretty competitive on a road bike with some solid training and coaching.

Does tri bike save your legs?

Tri bike saves your legs by making you more comfortable in a forward leaning position and reducing the drag of your body. And the frame helps a little. So if a tri bike saves you 10 min over 112 miles then that’s 10 min less on the bike and thus saved for the run.