{"id":2633,"date":"2023-04-20T10:42:26","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T09:42:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/?p=2633"},"modified":"2023-04-20T18:01:09","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T17:01:09","slug":"how-much-faster-is-a-time-trial-bike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/discussion\/how-much-faster-is-a-time-trial-bike\/","title":{"rendered":"How much faster is a Time Trial Bike?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CrLmOr8I9wk\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CrLmOr8I9wk\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CrLmOr8I9wk\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by myWindsock.com (@mywindsock)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> <script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2>The Experiment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Using myWindsock&#8217;s cycling physics engine we raced two bikes. One a road bike and the other a time trial bike. We raced the three times at different power outputs, 150, 250 and 350 Watts. These are the sort of power numbers that might represent what a beginner, intermediate and advanced rider might do for a 25 mile time trial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have used a <a href=\"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/welcome-to-mywindsock\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1566\">myWindsock<\/a> forecast in order to see the impact of the time trial bike on the road. You&#8217;ll notice from the graphic below that we have kept the system mass and rolling resistance the same such that the difference is solely due to the time trial bike. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-6-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2636\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-6-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-6-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-6-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-6-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-6.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-7-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2637\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-7-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-7-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-7-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-7-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-7.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The course we chose was a typical UK 10 mile time trial course. You can view this course <a href=\"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/segment\/1109676\/\">here<\/a>. All Cycling Time Trials courses are available to <a href=\"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/events\/ctt\/\">view in myWindsock<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-8-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2638\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-8-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-8-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-8-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-8-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-8.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2>The Result<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are the results of the test. On the left we have the time lost by the road bike and the distance travelled along the bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-9-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2639\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-9-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-9-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-9-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-9-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rbvstt-9.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As expected the time trial bike is significantly faster than the road bike. For a rider producing 150 Watts they will lose close to 7 minutes on a road bike. We often hear people saying &#8220;I&#8217;m not fast enough for a time trial bike&#8221;, however what is clear from the above graph is, the less power you have the more time you will lose choosing the less aerodynamic option. In terms of absolute time savings, a TT bike is better value for a slower rider! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Why is a time trial bike faster? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A time trial bike is designed to be faster than a traditional road bike, hence the price hike, in time trials for a few key reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Aerodynamics: Time trial bikes are designed with aerodynamics in mind. The frame, wheels, and components are shaped to reduce air resistance, allowing the rider to move through the air more efficiently. Much of this comes from the position the rider is able to hold due to the arm rests and aero-extensions. This position is not allowed in traditional bunch racing due to the chance of a crash as the brakes can&#8217;t be immediately reached. <br><\/li><li>Geometry: Time trial bikes have a more aggressive geometry than traditional road bikes, with a steeper seat tube angle and longer top tube. This puts the rider in a more aerodynamic position than they&#8217;d be able to achieve on a road bike with clip on bars, reducing wind resistance even further.<br><\/li><li>Integrated components: Time trial bikes often feature integrated components, such as handlebars and brake levers, which further reduce drag and streamline the bike&#8217;s profile. This can make them difficult to work on &#8211; often turning what would be a simple fix on a road bike into a complicated job for a mechanic in a bike shop. <br><\/li><li>Wheel choice: Time trial bikes often use deeper section wheels, which are more aerodynamic than traditional road bike wheels. Wheels deeper than 90mm aren&#8217;t allowed under CTT&#8217;s (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk\/articles\/view\/875\">the UK&#8217;s governing body for time trials<\/a>) road bike TT rules. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>All of these factors combine to make time trial bikes faster than traditional road bikes in time trials. However, it&#8217;s important to note that time trial bikes are not necessarily faster in all situations. They are designed specifically for time trials, and may not be as comfortable or efficient for longer, more varied rides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re looking to get into time trials but are worried about not having the right equipment &#8211; Cycling Time Trials have introduced a road bike category at all their events! Make sure you&#8217;re prepared with <a href=\"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/help\/beginner-2\/mywindsock-app\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"768\">myWindsock<\/a> &#8211; perfect for planning and analysing your time trials. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We know time trials bikes are fast but how much difference do they make? We ran the numbers and found out for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2635,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16,15,3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2633"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2633"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2656,"href":"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2633\/revisions\/2656"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywindsock.com\/page\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}