Choosing the right bikes (TT vs Road)
Intro
I’m having trouble deciding on which “bike setup” I should go for, and hope people want to share their advice or perspectives. I’m sorry if this question gets asked often, but I’m really poor at using Reddit’s search engine.
Background
I have been biking the last couple of years, and have recently started taking my training more seriously. I like working toward goals, and have set my eyes on finishing an Ironman (and more if I still have the drive/joy). I’m not in a rush, as I’ve set a timeframe of about 4 years with 1-2 HIM in the bag beforehand.
I have been using a cheap used roadbike, which I intend to replace, now that I’m spending way more hours on it. Cycling is my primary entry, and I will be doing road bike events before/after the IM. For that reason going all out on a new TT is not an option - I want to upgrade my road bike.
Options
This leaves me in a bit of a predicament. Should I buy a top the line road bike and do the IM with clip-on aero bars, or should I buy a mid-tier road bike and a mid tier TT bike?
Buying a top tier road bike would be better for my cycling (outside of tri), but I’m unsure how much it would ‘cost’ in performance for tri (especially as components on the top tier road would be the best versus low/mid on the TT).
The option with two road bikes has the added benefit of getting good fits for both uses, without having to change the setup of the bike, when I move between road and tri events/training.
I would love some input from people with more experience!
Examples
Example setup one:
Canyon Aeroad CFR (+ Aero bars)
Example setup two:
+
TLDR
Top tier road bike with clip-ons
vs
Mid-tier road bike and TT
Posted Jan 31, 2026, 1:32 PM UTC