Upgrading my cyclocross bike for Olympic to Half-Triathlons
Discussion
2 years ago I decided to train from zero for a sprint triathlon. As I wasn‘t sure if it would be a long term hobby, I bought a bit of a compromise bike - a cyclocross bike, so that I could use it for more than just the race and train on broken paths away from traffic. This is the bike I bought. https://www.cube.eu/cz/2017/road-triathlon/cross-r... (blurb in Czech but specs in English)
I pretty quickly swapped off the off-road tyres!
Last year I did a sprint and an Olympic distance and now have the bug. I‘m signed up for a sprint in April, sprint in May, Olympic beginning June, 2-80-20 end of June, Olympic July, potentially a half-Ironman and Olympic in August and then a half-Ironman in November. None will have more than 600-700m climb and the one in November is basically flat.
I feel like I‘m outgrowing the bike vs. The distances and times I‘d like to achieve. My coach is very much in the high strength-low cadence school and it seems to work for me. Over a flatfish 30km commute I‘m barely out of the hardest gear combo at 40-60 rpm.
Next year I plan on going big with the bike, but for this year I‘d like to make some choice upgrades, which ideally I could carry over to the new bike. So I was thinking either a compact or semi-compact chainset (I don‘t want a standard as I still don‘t like hills that much, although I may reassess this when I next ride outdoors, as I‘ve lost quite a bit of weight since the last time I did any!).
One thing I don‘t want at this stage is aero bars, as I won‘t feel comfortable being away from the brakes and the gear shifters!
I was thinking that some carbon aero wheels would be something I could carry over to the new bike. Do you think I‘ll get any benefit from them? Are there any other either relatively cheap or expensive but transferable upgrades you‘d recommend?
I pretty quickly swapped off the off-road tyres!
Last year I did a sprint and an Olympic distance and now have the bug. I‘m signed up for a sprint in April, sprint in May, Olympic beginning June, 2-80-20 end of June, Olympic July, potentially a half-Ironman and Olympic in August and then a half-Ironman in November. None will have more than 600-700m climb and the one in November is basically flat.
I feel like I‘m outgrowing the bike vs. The distances and times I‘d like to achieve. My coach is very much in the high strength-low cadence school and it seems to work for me. Over a flatfish 30km commute I‘m barely out of the hardest gear combo at 40-60 rpm.
Next year I plan on going big with the bike, but for this year I‘d like to make some choice upgrades, which ideally I could carry over to the new bike. So I was thinking either a compact or semi-compact chainset (I don‘t want a standard as I still don‘t like hills that much, although I may reassess this when I next ride outdoors, as I‘ve lost quite a bit of weight since the last time I did any!).
One thing I don‘t want at this stage is aero bars, as I won‘t feel comfortable being away from the brakes and the gear shifters!
I was thinking that some carbon aero wheels would be something I could carry over to the new bike. Do you think I‘ll get any benefit from them? Are there any other either relatively cheap or expensive but transferable upgrades you‘d recommend?
Honestly?
Just buy a cheap second hand Tri bike. For a similar outlay to some nice wheels, you'd get a bike that would put you in the right position which would buy you more time than any wheels or drive train upgrades.
This would also help you decide on what you'd want in your expensive new bike next year and see if a TT/Tri position is something you really want.
Just buy a cheap second hand Tri bike. For a similar outlay to some nice wheels, you'd get a bike that would put you in the right position which would buy you more time than any wheels or drive train upgrades.
This would also help you decide on what you'd want in your expensive new bike next year and see if a TT/Tri position is something you really want.
Thanks both. Problem is I live in Switzerland and cheap second hand bikes don’t seem to be readily available. The only one I found was a Felt B14 from 2014, where the seller still wanted about half of the new price (nearly £800).
I’ve found this Felt B2 2016 with Ultegra di2 new in Germany for about £2,000 delivered. Does that seem like a decent deal?
https://edelrad.de/triathlon/felt/b-serie/3001/fel...
I’ve found this Felt B2 2016 with Ultegra di2 new in Germany for about £2,000 delivered. Does that seem like a decent deal?
https://edelrad.de/triathlon/felt/b-serie/3001/fel...
JPJPJP said:
40 - 60 rpm
ouch, my knees!
I'd also be looking at a used tri / tt bike
This. I would be looking for a new coach. You do 90km grinding out the big gears and then hope to run a decent half? I honestly dont know anyone who would approach a tri in that way. I do some big gear low rpm work early in season for strength, but thats it and even then its a few intervals. You need to fins your own natural cadence, no need to chase 90rpm that a lot of people suggest but 40-60 just cant be comfortable ouch, my knees!
I'd also be looking at a used tri / tt bike
Get a tt bike. Putting carbon wheels on a cross bike is expensive and unlikely to gain any massive advantage. The least aerodynamic thing on a bike is you and a TT bike will position you in a much more efficient manner. You will very quickly get used to being away from the brakes.
If you were targeting hilly tris then weight saving would help, but flat or rolling tris its all about aero dynamics.
If you really dont want to change bikes then a reasonably cheap way to gain a little speed is some low CRR tyres. With tyres you have to weigh speed against puncture protection. Low lower the crr (resistance) generally the lower the puncture protection. Have a look on here:
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/road-bike...
For half and full I run Michelin Power Competition. They offer a good compromise between crr and puncture protection. They are a completely slick tyre though so might be fun in the wet.
For shorter races I run a corsa speed tubular. If I flat on that Ill try a can of pit stop andif that doesn't fix then whip a new tub on, or give up if I am racing for time as I will be screwed at that point.
Ive just bought the 2019 version of that bike!!
Great bike, but blimey my commute has about 6 miles of tarmac and its hard work on there compared to my road bikes , its not just the tyres but the shorter position and weight !! the other 5 miles of rough stuff are great fun on the ride to work
Great bike to cover all ground but id hate to do a TT on it
As said Planet x good start
Great bike, but blimey my commute has about 6 miles of tarmac and its hard work on there compared to my road bikes , its not just the tyres but the shorter position and weight !! the other 5 miles of rough stuff are great fun on the ride to work
Great bike to cover all ground but id hate to do a TT on it
As said Planet x good start
I built a CX bike for the West Mids championship but after the first race discovered it wasn't a sport for me. After realising I'd rather race myself than other people I adapted it with GP4000 tyres, some carbon clip on aero bars, an ISM saddle and most significantly a proper retul bike fit for a more efficient and aero position. It's not the fastest thing out out there but it's perfectly fine for sprints and I'd say the fit was the best money I've ever spent.
The difference between doing this to a CX bike or road bike will be fairly slim but if you really want to save a few minutes over a longer distance then like the other posters I'd suggest a TT bike.
There are a very limited number of TT bikes with thru axles & disc brakes at the moment so fancy carbon wheels are unlikely to be transferable in the short term.
The difference between doing this to a CX bike or road bike will be fairly slim but if you really want to save a few minutes over a longer distance then like the other posters I'd suggest a TT bike.
There are a very limited number of TT bikes with thru axles & disc brakes at the moment so fancy carbon wheels are unlikely to be transferable in the short term.
Thanks for the feedback.
Seems the consensus is go for an intermediate bike. Absent any negative comments, I think I‘ll buy this one. It could well be good enough to keep me going for longer than just into next year. Only thing it seems to be missing from my wishlist is disc brakes.
https://edelrad.de/triathlon/felt/b-serie/3001/fel...
Regarding how hard it is to complete a tri on cyclocross, I don‘t know any different. Until I bought my current bike, I don‘t think I‘d been on a bike since my early teens over 20 years ago and then mountain bikes were cool, not road bikes.
Regarding the low cadence, as above I don‘t know anything different and certainly haven‘t had any knee issues, although ironically I‘m not cycling or running at the moment, due to tweaking a knee skiing a couple of weeks ago. The coaches have also got me swimming at a pace I‘m very happy with, as well as my cycling coming on leaps and bounds. I‘ll be sure to ask if I‘ve misinterpreted the cadence advice when I see them in April. 60 on the flat seems quite natural to me.
Although asking prices seem high for second hand bikes here, I don‘t know how much sells. I reckon the current bike is worth about £500 and honestly it has more value to me than that as something to pootle around on.
Any thoughts on not buying the linked bike?
Seems the consensus is go for an intermediate bike. Absent any negative comments, I think I‘ll buy this one. It could well be good enough to keep me going for longer than just into next year. Only thing it seems to be missing from my wishlist is disc brakes.
https://edelrad.de/triathlon/felt/b-serie/3001/fel...
Regarding how hard it is to complete a tri on cyclocross, I don‘t know any different. Until I bought my current bike, I don‘t think I‘d been on a bike since my early teens over 20 years ago and then mountain bikes were cool, not road bikes.
Regarding the low cadence, as above I don‘t know anything different and certainly haven‘t had any knee issues, although ironically I‘m not cycling or running at the moment, due to tweaking a knee skiing a couple of weeks ago. The coaches have also got me swimming at a pace I‘m very happy with, as well as my cycling coming on leaps and bounds. I‘ll be sure to ask if I‘ve misinterpreted the cadence advice when I see them in April. 60 on the flat seems quite natural to me.
Although asking prices seem high for second hand bikes here, I don‘t know how much sells. I reckon the current bike is worth about £500 and honestly it has more value to me than that as something to pootle around on.
Any thoughts on not buying the linked bike?
The felt is a good bit of kit. The wheels are nothing to get excited about but they can always be upgraded later. Note the aerobars on that dont look particularly adjustable. Also worth factoring in a TT/Tri specific saddle as that comes with a bogo road saddle. DI2 on a TT bike is cool as you can change gear from the horns and the aero bars. Once you ride a bike with DI2 you wont want to go back.
However, the most important thing when getting a TT bike is the fit. I'm tall and found getting one to fit really hard. Do you know of a bike fitter near you? If you are shelling out 2.5k on a bike its worth a couple of hundred quid on a pre purchase fit. They will give you the stack and reach measurements to look for and will then tweak the bike after. You can have the fastest bike in world but if you can't get a comfy fit on it and hold aero for a long time its useless.
With regards to the cadence if that works for you and you can run well after then don't worry about it. There is a lot of chat about the ideal cadence but my view is find what works for you rather than force another number on it. I'm still a bit of a grinder averaging 78-80
However, the most important thing when getting a TT bike is the fit. I'm tall and found getting one to fit really hard. Do you know of a bike fitter near you? If you are shelling out 2.5k on a bike its worth a couple of hundred quid on a pre purchase fit. They will give you the stack and reach measurements to look for and will then tweak the bike after. You can have the fastest bike in world but if you can't get a comfy fit on it and hold aero for a long time its useless.
With regards to the cadence if that works for you and you can run well after then don't worry about it. There is a lot of chat about the ideal cadence but my view is find what works for you rather than force another number on it. I'm still a bit of a grinder averaging 78-80
Scabutz said:
The felt is a good bit of kit. The wheels are nothing to get excited about but they can always be upgraded later. Note the aerobars on that dont look particularly adjustable. Also worth factoring in a TT/Tri specific saddle as that comes with a bogo road saddle. DI2 on a TT bike is cool as you can change gear from the horns and the aero bars. Once you ride a bike with DI2 you wont want to go back.
However, the most important thing when getting a TT bike is the fit. I'm tall and found getting one to fit really hard. Do you know of a bike fitter near you? If you are shelling out 2.5k on a bike its worth a couple of hundred quid on a pre purchase fit. They will give you the stack and reach measurements to look for and will then tweak the bike after. You can have the fastest bike in world but if you can't get a comfy fit on it and hold aero for a long time its useless.
With regards to the cadence if that works for you and you can run well after then don't worry about it. There is a lot of chat about the ideal cadence but my view is find what works for you rather than force another number on it. I'm still a bit of a grinder averaging 78-80
Thanks. Yes, getting a fit is top of the list of things to do when it arrives. I have a friendly local bike shop who will do a fitting. I‘d buy a bike from there, but their cheapest tri bike is a Felt B14 and isn‘t much cheaper than the B2 I linked. Finding a cheap bike here is tough, it‘s like the low end stuff just isn‘t imported. At least the VAT here is 7.7% so, it will end up being about £2k at least.However, the most important thing when getting a TT bike is the fit. I'm tall and found getting one to fit really hard. Do you know of a bike fitter near you? If you are shelling out 2.5k on a bike its worth a couple of hundred quid on a pre purchase fit. They will give you the stack and reach measurements to look for and will then tweak the bike after. You can have the fastest bike in world but if you can't get a comfy fit on it and hold aero for a long time its useless.
With regards to the cadence if that works for you and you can run well after then don't worry about it. There is a lot of chat about the ideal cadence but my view is find what works for you rather than force another number on it. I'm still a bit of a grinder averaging 78-80
Edited by eyebeebe on Thursday 21st February 20:18
Scabutz said:
The felt is a good bit of kit. The wheels are nothing to get excited about but they can always be upgraded later.
There‘s an option to buy it with upgraded wheels for £450. Do you think they are worth the extra? https://edelrad.de/triathlon/felt/b-serie/2849/fel...
eyebeebe said:
Scabutz said:
The felt is a good bit of kit. The wheels are nothing to get excited about but they can always be upgraded later.
There‘s an option to buy it with upgraded wheels for £450. Do you think they are worth the extra? https://edelrad.de/triathlon/felt/b-serie/2849/fel...
They are only 45mm so not what you would call deep. Personally I would get the bike with the standard wheels and then keep your eye out for some deals on better wheels later.
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