Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

So im new to the whole tt thing ive been riding for about 3 years and want to start, ive never done a tt before and im only getting back to race fit after my injury im 19 years old and im just wondering would it be a waste of money going out and buying a tt bike knowing ive never done one before, tbh i dont like the whole idea of clip on bars on a road bike, my road bike is 11spd so i would be looking at an 11spd tt bike to cross wheels on the bikes, so would it be a waste of money or should i take the plunge and buy and try i only buy bikes brand new from shops, if that make sense ?

It would be a waste of money if you forked out thousands on a TT bike and decided after a few races you hated it! A Roadie with clip on bars is fine to start on, just make it as comfortably aero as you can. Move your saddle forward, drop your bars etc. If you are based near Sydney there is a monthly TT at Calga where you can check out what others are riding, ask questions and get a feel for what it is you'd like.

IMO, you should spend a few months or more learning about the sport and yourself... your strengths/weaknesses and correct pacing. If you want to shave some time off your ride, invest in a skinsuit and Aero helmet before you invest in a TT bike. At least if you don't like it you've only spent $400-$500 as opposed to $5000!

Good luck!

There's nothing to say you can't do a TT on a roadie. No clip ons, no weird clothing, same helmet. At the end of the day, a TT is a measure of your time against firstly yourself and then others. You can do a couple with your normal road bike, measure yourself against your previous time, and try out the sport. Regardless of bike, you will notice an improvement in your own times as you get fitter, better able to pace, andused to the racing.

If, after that, you feel you like it, then look at a TT bike. You won't look like a tosser if you don't have a TT bike. Anyone who turns up to race on any bike is welcomed.

hey Nicko my son is also just turned 19, here is a photo of him winning a TT stage of a little tour in Hobart .... this is his road bike, a Malvern Star C7, we slide the seat fully forward on the rails and raise it about 5mm, and put clip-ons on. I think his body position is pretty aero which is the main time saver in TTs. He has a skinsuit which is my own kit, a helmet we got for 50 bucks off a forum member, and the clips ons we rummaged out of a spare parts drawer at my Local Bike Shop, again $50. The rear disc I bought off here for $500 and the front wheel is his normal 60mm SRAM.
So no big deal with the bike or equipment but if you think you could beat him in a TT you'd be welcome to try. He goes alright. I dont see the point in buying a TT bike for approx. 3-4 Time Trials per year when we can get a great aero position on the roady with 10 minutes fiddling with an allen key.
Its up to you what you do but my son has done 5 years of TTs on this set-up and is quite happy with it. Normal 10 speed road bike which he trains on every day and races on as well. Throw on some special wheels and an aero helmet and you will look fine and if you have the legs, you can win races on a setup like this.
Try it for a few races and see.
Good luck with it.

+1 to just take your roadie and do a few TTs to see if you like it.

Not every cyclist likes racing TTs, it would be a shame to spend a few grand on a TT bike, only to find you don't like racing TTs and have to sell it for about half what you paid for it, like plenty of other people do. A TT bike is good to race TTs, Triathlons and train alone and that is about it. Yes I do commute of mine ( but it is a training ride).

I race TTs with a couple of clubs and about 20% of all riders are racing on a road bike, no clipons, no special aero bits. So you will not be out of place, racing on a road bike with regular kit.

It took me 4 races and a lot of practise to get a better time on my TT bike, after starting racing on a road bike for the first 10 race series.

If you want to get into TTs look in the 2nd hand market. Thanks to triathletes, you can find near new TT bikes that have been raced in one or two iron man events going for a song.

You also don't need a super-bling TT bike if you want to buy new. A mate of mine races A-grade masters TT on an Aluminium Trek Frame that he got for under 2K. It's the same tube shape as the carbon high-end model, just a bit heavier (and maybe not quite as stiff). However, none of these attributes are critical for TT racing.

If you don't have the gonads to push hard and suffer, won't matter what gazillion dollar bike you ride, you won't get anywhere.

As others have said, start off with a normal road bike first and see if you can cut the mustard!

Foo

I did TT's for quite some time by changing the handlebar setup on my road bike. In my case I changed the stem to get it shorter and a little lower and added clip-on's. Your body position is much more important than the bike and that can be achieved on most bikes.

I did my first TT using just my Ti bike, shallow heavy alloy wheels, with normal helmet.
I am probably a fraction of my time faster with the right gears but who cares! I am only interested on what I can achieve and just currently competing against myself.