Road bike mods to TT bike advice please

Slinkie · 24 Aug 2017 at 20:27

Hi all,

Last weekend I completed my first ironman 70.3 (and second triathlon ever) and am looking at next steps to help me improve my time. The obvious answer is to train more but I am looking at changing up my equipment to help me.

I currently only have a road bike with no additions (stock Fuji transonic 2.5). I want to look into my options to change this into more of a TT bike to not only help reduce drag but to put me in a better position to help my run.

A lot of the advice I've found online says to replace the seat post with a more upright/ reversed post and get a TT position saddle but I don't think this is possible for me as my bike has an aero seat post (see below).

Do you know of seat posts I could get that will work with my current set up? I feel without the seat post getting aero bars would not be as beneficial as I'd be too far back on my bike to be in a good position.

What advice do you have other than buy a TT bike (it is an option at the moment but with a house move on the near horizon I'd rather save some money!)

Thanks all.

Slinkie · 26 Aug 2017 at 12:06

I tried turning the post around and although it does nearly work it only goes into the frame about an inch and a half so is much too long. Just moving the saddle forward isn't ideal, I'd prefer to get a propper TT saddle in the right position as a normal road saddle in a tt position really would hurt! I've messaged Fuji through their facebook page so hopefully I hear back from them.

Slinkie · 26 Aug 2017 at 13:15

I do a lot of brick sessions. It's the geometry of a tt bike I'm trying to replicate as that position is better in terms of fatigue and aids the running section of the race. I could just get aero bars for the aero advantage but want this geometry benefit too

Slinkie · 26 Aug 2017 at 20:14

Unfortunately my bike isn't as versatile as that looks. Below is another picture of the seat post in. It's a diamond shape with a triangular attachment in the front which tightens it into place.

This is without the seat post in, the post goes in the hole at the back of the diamond. You can see a raised section in there at the front that won't allow the post to go into the front on the hole. I don't think there is a way to get this post into a tt bike position.

Slinkie · 27 Aug 2017 at 11:49

The seat post doesn't have this option, I can't see anyway of adjusting where the seat connects.

Thanks for your help though

Slinkie · 27 Aug 2017 at 16:55

But I wouldn't be using this saddle, I'd be using a tt saddle which aren't as long so it wouldn't help bringing it forward.

Slinkie · 28 Aug 2017 at 18:09

The whole point of this thread was to turn my road bike into a tt bike but as mentioned in my original post

Do you know of seat posts I could get that will work with my current set up? I feel without the seat post getting aero bars would not be as beneficial as I'd be too far back on my bike to be in a good position.

The seat post is the sticking point in this whole endevour, without that being right the position wouldn't be right for aero bars.

I'm just going to close this now as the best advice has been given already.