Tri Bike Vs Road Bike Muscles

Posted on april 25 2013 april 25 2013 by brittany.

Tri bike vs road bike muscles. Triathlon bikes are built differently than road bikes so that you use your quad muscles more and your hamstring muscles less than on a road bike. On a tri bike for instance the hips are pushed forward and this gives you less rider tension and less engagement on the quadriceps and hamstrings. Road bike frames for competition are usually made from carbon fiber to reduce weight. The seat tube angle is also steeper on a tri bike than a road bike.

The difference in how much the same muscles are recruited between road vs triathlon bike would depend on how well each position is learned. The steeper seat angle helps the rider s hip remain open as they ride in the lower aerobar position while also facilitating more hamstring activation to preserve the quadricep power for the run portion of the race. The major differences between a triathlon bike and a road bike is the geometry of the frame more specifically the seat tube angle. On a regular road bike the seat tube angle is slacker and here you ll get 72 degree seat tube angle.

The most relaxed handlebar positions make them more comfortable than tri bikes over long distances. This positions the rider closer to the front of the bike and allows the rider to maintain a larger hip angle while in the aero position. A triathlon bike has a much larger seat tube angle 76 to 78 degrees than that of a road bike 72 degrees for a typical road bike. This can benefit triathletes because the hamstrings are necessary for running so using your quad muscles more on the bike saves your hamstring strength for the run.

It mainly has to do with the geometry of the bike s frame specifically the seat tube angle. What this means is unlike a road bike where the seat angle points towards the rear of the bike the tri bike s seat in more vertical. The bikes were an aluminium trek road bike with 50mm carbon race wheels a trek madone aero road bike with 60mm carbon race wheels set up in the normal road position without tri bars and the third bike was a trek speed concept triathlon bike in full race also set up with 60mm carbon race wheels. Use of different leg muscles i could really feel the difference in leg muscles used on the tri bike.

One geometry aspect that changes is that the seat angle on a triathlon specific bike will usually be steeper 76 to 78 degrees than the 73 degree angle often found on a road geometry. My guess is you d find nearly 100 of voluntary muscles are active for learned movement either for cycling or controlling posture balance and for breathing. Time trial tt bike one of the most frequent questions is what is the difference between a road triathlon and time trial bikes.