I actually think that is a small differerence given the MASSIVE difference in price. Especially if you consider the steps in between. Spending 2-3k will probably cover 80% of the gap, if not more. No one here is pro anyways. And if you are, you dont need to ponder getting a Triban.
The biggest difference between the two bikes is the rider's position. The cockpit on the Triban is significantly higher which creates much more drag and the saddle is further to the back which makes it more difficult to produce power. If the geometry was the same I bet the difference wouldn't be as big. No doubt that Canyon is more comfortable and definitely more fun 😊
Yes it would be interesting to see the Triban's speed with the stem slammed right down and a forward tilting seat post, bet that would be worth 90 seconds. Then the difference is less than 2 minutes. But James is right the Triban is a budget basic bike, I wouldn't want to ride something like that.
Actually the rear hub it the worst par of triban (I have it myself), it just does not spin that well, so the bike barely accelerates while going downhill
I got the rc100 and apart the tires, pad brakes and no second front gear. It's a great bike. Just wish i had enough for that 120. Also 3 to 4 minutes is just not a gap i'm willing to spend 10k+ extra cash for.
Training on a Triban myself for my first 70.3 in June. Would like a Speedmax but my budget/wife says "NO". I would love to see the difference after upgrading the Triban with some better wheels (something like vision trimax) and better tyres (gp5000).
Hey dude, I am actually probably going to buy the Triban for my first 70.3 too, I never had a road bike before so this would be my first, if you bought it, was it a good value for money and a good idea ? Also if you choose another one I am curious to know which one you choose and for what reasons. Hope you did great on your 70.3 !
I love the way you guys calculate the cost per second on-a-Full-Ironman! but we need to know power and HR values for both Mark and James for both bikes.
Get Oli and Alex to put some proper tires and tubes on the Triban and wax its chain. I reckon if you dealt with the rolling resistance with less than a two hundred quid budget it would be a lot closer.
It would be interesting though to see how much closer can you make the Triban with a better wheelset, good tires and the aerobars properly tightened. If you can't afford a speedmax, you can't afford a speedmax. I myself moved from having a dedicated TT (Speedmax of 2017) to using just one roadbike where I try to replicate the TT position with aerobars and negative offset seatpost.
I actually sort of did this but with a Trek Domane and eventually I bought a Canyon Speedmax SLX. While it definitely helped to get an aero fitting and bars, then decent tyres. My times and training improved and I was much more aero. Maybe going from 28-29kph (very unfit at the beginning) up to more of a 32-33kph average. But my average speed was probably 32-33kph in normal conditions when riding the entry level Trek. When I switched to the Speedmax TT. I was immediately going 36kph average and often getting up to 37kph. It was a real 3-4kph jump for Olympic distance races. It was a significant jump, which for my age group started putting me at the top of the bike segment results. Cost of the bike was $1300-1400 for the Trek and $7000-7500 for Canyon Speedmax
Interesting video full of information. I’m currently debating the same comparison. I’m heading to worlds this August in Townsville Australia for the first time AquaBike long distance with Team USA. I have a Canyon Speedmax and Specialized Tarmack SL Expert . My course is 120 km with 15 U-turns and a combination of 45, (60, 90° and roundabout). Let’s not forget the fact that I’ll be riding on the left side of the road. I Continue training on the canyon speedmax pending final decision, three months before worlds
It will be interesting to see the real gain between refurbished TT like the one the did last year for the girl for 1500, a entry TT like the Canyon speedmax CF 7 and the top one they did.
while i like Canyon, i bought the Triban RC 120 first and it's amazing. Not doing Triathlon, but if you can ride long rides and have fun with this cheap bike, you'll appreciate it even more and will be happy not having spent all those thousands of euros, pounds, dollars etc. I actually showed up with this Triban at a gravel race and arrived before some riders on their specialized, canyon, trek, bmc. It's priceless 🙂
The cheaper bike is only approximately 100 kg heavier?! You could save almost that on a new pair of wheels and tires. To add, if the wheels were deep enough to have aero gains, the time distance is likely to be even smaller. And with the comfort of the up right Triban; could still get in a nice aero position. I’d chose the Triban any day.
I'd love to see a similar video but on a mid range bike as well setup for triathlon as possible for ~2k compared with the SpeedMax as this maybe more applicable to most people. It would be very interesting to see how much speed that extra 9k gets.
This would probably violate there canyon advertising sponsorship because the difference is probably about a minute over 40k reducing the desire to buy a top of the line speedmax.
The comments about 1 kg doesn’t mean much, or the biggest difference is in the aero position, etc… make me laugh. I agree that spending somewhere in the middle would likely close 90% of the gap, which would be fine for the majority of people, but there are also many of us who don’t mind spending the extra dollars to gain that extra 10% and the ease of adjusting the aero position, etc…. Love it!
The dark grey metallic Ultegra equipped Speedmax is the current SLX 8 model für (German price) 8,499 EUR, not the CFR. The CFR has a silver metallic color option. There is another color in silver for the SLX range as well. the CFR is only available with Dura-Ace or Red groupset. SLX is with Ultegra or Force (there was a Rival version but now not in their line-up).
The triban is ripe for upgrades through especially as it has a carbon fork.. the wheels are about 2.3kg. swapping out the tubes to ride now TPU tubes would save at least 200g.
Nah, this is a bodge. 1. The tyres. This is 20 watts each and only costs $100 or so, and eventually tyre runs out and no reason not to throw some GP5000. 2. Notice the much higher handle bar height on the RC520 ??? (10 cm or even more...) It's like compare a super bike on the hoods/top with a cheap bike on aero tuck. Of course that cheap bike will be faster, but does that mean super bikes are completely scam? Not exactly. You should at least mention this so the viewers in searching for a new bike could get the correct idea -- at least now they know what they are actually paying for. This becomes a comparison between 2 different positions but you say it's the bike and money, nah. Not exactly true. To make this comparison meaningful, you have to at least match the contact points (or at least try as you can). Front end as a start point. Even though the Triban RC520 has an "endurance geometry" which means a higher front end, it doesn't mean it can't get low enough. Find some -30 degree stem first, they are not that rare. If not low enough, get some -45 degree ones. Get a zero setback seat post, push the seat forward most. If that still is not steep enough, find some flip-able seat post, or negative setback seat post. If that's still not enough, you can further change your front wheel to 650B or 26'', that will rotate the bike even further so that you have even lower front and steeper seat post. As long as the race didn't ban this, you'll be fine, that's how they race time trail in the 80s. You can have the exact same effective geometry and the same position on both bikes if you really want to. Of course with the dedicated TRI bike you get everything out-of-the-box, that's a big win though. But not everyone is compare a TRI bike with a cheap bike, many of them already have a decent road bike even a race geometry bike that can get low easily with little tweaks. For these circumstances a dedicated TRI bike is just a big waste, not just money, the production, the environment CO2 emission... I really like the vibe of the 80s even though I wasn't even born at that era... I could get it completely wrong, but just go through the photos, the products, you'll see how people are like tweaking and retrofitting stuffs so that they can have the most of what they already have -- a simple steel road bike -- for everything. That's just much much more fun than today's money is king.
4minutes is a lot in a race but on a ride with club it's literally 5minutes of waiting at best. So most people who are not going for the record buy the bike you can and you will enjoy regardless.
Have a Canyon Endurace AL 6.0 (2016) and a Cervelo P5 (2016) 2nd hand. Used to cycle my first triathlons with the canyon. It's still a great and comfy Bike! The Cervelo is def faster! But I would never invest in such an expensive bike. Even If it is great fun to ride! Was lucky to buy the Cervelo 2nd hand.
hahahaahah, the Triban RC 120 is the road bike I have, the flat bars version. It is a great bike for road biking starters like me. I also got a Giant MTB, Talon 2, which I like, and a Canyon hybrid bike with flat bars, of course, and out of the three my favourite is the Canyon bike by far, but the RC 120 turned out to be a good bike for the price.
Also James was going the extra .5 kph which might not seem like much, but when you're already going quite quickly, the extra speed requires significantly more power
I am doing my first ever triathlon soon. The Valencia 70.3 on April 21st. I've been training on that Triban and it has made me want to throw it in the Thames more than once!!! 😂 Although I have nothing to compare it too I still know it is horrible!!! Haha😂
Is it really ? I want to buy it for my first 70.3 and honestly I already know it is far from perfect but I do not really see any alternative at this price point.. If you think I should buy something else please tell me !
@@titouanck hey mate. I did my 70.3 and hired a bike. The bike i hired was worth £5k. It felt like i was on a cloud compared to the Triban. I'd say train on it but hire a good one for races. You'll do the 70.3 on it but it will be harder work. I'm doing another 70.3 at the end of this month and I'm dreading using the Triban if I do use it.
I would really like to see this re-done but with the base Canyon CF-7 thats much more affordable. Like the one that is 5,400€ that still has the Shimano Ultegra Di2
It all depends on what your goals are. Unless you are trying to place in an ironman. A roadbike is all you need. I black shirted norseman on a roadbike with aerobars.
I want to do an IronMan in June 2025, I never had a road bike before, do you think the Triban will do the job or should I absolutely make the effort to find a better (and probably more expensive) road bike for that ? Thanks
Whilst this does highlight the difference, I have an old felt b16 TT bike which I'm faster than my new Merida reaction, but I'm not as confident handling, it doesn't brake as well etc etc. the right tool for the right job though - a shorter race where you won't have to brake a lot, be cautious of traffic I'd use TT, but I used road bike for ironman as I knew I'd be braking more, need more comfort, better handling. I know some of that would come with more time on a TT, but for most it's not feasible
Ok, so… can I chime in here. For all those who are saying that’s a massive not enough gain for the price. Factor in 15 years, with a couple of full and a few 70.3 ironman. Over that period of time, it’s worth the price. And, for the presenters and the staff. Would you please do a long video of the extrapolation you keep talking about… because sure, if the person can hold that pace for however long, but most people would actually get tired over the course. Maybe use Hank and Ollie from GCN. Make them do the full Ironman… and actually get some of the real extrapolated results. Or maybe even some semi beginners, giving them a bit of time getting used to the bike. Just to actually see, how pushing power over a few hours, compares to a half hour… not accounting for fatigue over time. And I’ll email the next extrapolated message.
You would not be able to get me off a top tier speedmax if I were lucky enough to own one. I'd probably find an excuse to commute the 100k each day to work! 😅 Not sure HMRC would entertain cycle to work scheme though!
I find your comment really interesting! - What do you think would have been the result if they'd tested a £2000-3'000 Tri bike against the high-end CFR? - Do you consider the fact that they want this video to make you 'feel the sentiment that your comment implied'... but that the reality is there is very diminishing returns the more expensive you get?
In the world we live in. It is natural for the creative people to charge extra for what they've done for the sake of durability, sensibility, dependability, comfort, and precision. Compared to the others who never took time to make things possible.
There is nothing wrong with a triban. They sound soooo cocky. My first bike was a triban rc520 and I loved that bike. More love for a triban than a money bike!
This comparison is what is ruining Triathlon, the impression that you cannot compete without spending enormous amounts of money, makes it elitist. It's obvious the "cheap" bike was not setup properly. Even the filming showed a significant difference in the pedal speeds, which proper gearing even on an eight speed would solve. A 1 kg weight difference is insignificant in rolling speed gained or lost. It's in the wheels, tires, innertubes and setup. This was dishonest. It's just playing up for the sponsors. As for the two minutes difference for a ten thousand pound price differential. Get off and run in cheap shoes versus Carbon Fibre and see who wins.
I missed your comment, or I might not have made my own similar one (above). I know all the staff at GTN/PlaySports have to make a living... but making these 'Entertainment' videos, presented as a 'comparative test' is just disingenuous (at best).
I have no problem with them making a living and being and entertainment. I watch for both the information and the entertainment. Perhaps what they need are professional show runners. These ideas are mundane and there's plenty of competition for eyeballs out there. They need some people with imagination. Or the Stig!
Very interesting video. For training the roadbike with aerobars is also good for group rides. I have a TT bike for indoor and competition and a road bike with aero bars for group rides. Asked the bike fitter to try and get the aerobar position similar to the TT which meant that I had to compromise the roadbike position somewhat. But taking turns up front of a club ride is nice 😊
you can't make videos....saying how accessible triathlon is by buying cheaper gear.....and then make videos like this, embarrassing the people who are trying to get into the sport and a normal price entry point by making fun of them. The bike snobbery by the South African guy is off the charts. Stop these silly commercials for canyon and make real videos again like you used to back in 2020 and 2021.
I don't think there's anything embarrassing about having a cheaper bike, they're just making a fun video. You could claim it's embarrassing to spend so much on the Canyon too. Don't take it so seriously, get a grip.
There is a good series "TT bike on a budget" where Ollie from GTN built an affordable TT bike and it lost something around 30 seconds over 10 miles to a modern TT bike (approx 5 mins IM differnce)
@@MarkLRandall I have a grip, don't worry. If we want the survival or expansion of our sport, then maybe we should be making more videos showing people how to access the sport at a more realistic price point. I know it's supposed to be fun and funny, and I am here to laugh, but not to laugh at other people.
There is no comparison between a Road bike and TT bike. There is a huge difference in pricing and purpose . This video leads to misinformation and its a waste of time.
I'm not disagreeing that a more aerodynamic setup typically allows a faster speed at equal (or slightly less) power... but I always find it incredibly suspicious when they use this kind of #BroScience presentation on such wildly varied test options! Don't you always ask yourself fellow viewer, why the disparity between the test subjects (bikes in question) is always so enormous (i.e. >£10K bike to well under
I believe the presentation of the results could be improved. It seems unnecessarily disheartening for beginners or those without the budget for a Speedmax. While I own a Speedmax and appreciate its electronic shifting and other features, there's no need to flaunt it to others.
I actually think that is a small differerence given the MASSIVE difference in price.
Especially if you consider the steps in between. Spending 2-3k will probably cover 80% of the gap, if not more. No one here is pro anyways. And if you are, you dont need to ponder getting a Triban.
Completely
I think it's a huge difference for the price. That said, you can get 80% of the way to the Canyon spending 1/3 of the money on a used bike.
But what you can't buy is rocking up to a Triathlon and overtaking someone on a Triban whilst there on a £10+ TT bike 🤣
Don't forget that you save even more with the Triban. You can use it for training rides, group rides and even shopping (with some good locks)!
Roadbike vs TT? Would be nice to see the difference between Canyon CFR (11k) vs Canyon CF (3.4k) with the same tire setup.
Probably close to 0
The biggest difference between the two bikes is the rider's position. The cockpit on the Triban is significantly higher which creates much more drag and the saddle is further to the back which makes it more difficult to produce power. If the geometry was the same I bet the difference wouldn't be as big.
No doubt that Canyon is more comfortable and definitely more fun 😊
Yes it would be interesting to see the Triban's speed with the stem slammed right down and a forward tilting seat post, bet that would be worth 90 seconds. Then the difference is less than 2 minutes. But James is right the Triban is a budget basic bike, I wouldn't want to ride something like that.
The second biggest difference is the tyres, put on some GP5000s and you will likely eliminate a big chunk of the remaining difference.
Don't forget the wheels as well. Not aero et certainly not rigid enough on the triban
Aluminum bikes are brutal. I hope to never ride one again unless it's some sort of oddball emergency
Actually the rear hub it the worst par of triban (I have it myself), it just does not spin that well, so the bike barely accelerates while going downhill
I got the rc100 and apart the tires, pad brakes and no second front gear. It's a great bike. Just wish i had enough for that 120. Also 3 to 4 minutes is just not a gap i'm willing to spend 10k+ extra cash for.
You are right.....4 kph is not wirtg extra 11 000 pound
Training on a Triban myself for my first 70.3 in June. Would like a Speedmax but my budget/wife says "NO".
I would love to see the difference after upgrading the Triban with some better wheels (something like vision trimax) and better tyres (gp5000).
Hey dude, I am actually probably going to buy the Triban for my first 70.3 too, I never had a road bike before so this would be my first, if you bought it, was it a good value for money and a good idea ? Also if you choose another one I am curious to know which one you choose and for what reasons. Hope you did great on your 70.3 !
I think you can do a full series on that. It's so interesting 😊
Yea a lot of things to compare to come up with the cost per second calculation
I love the way you guys calculate the cost per second on-a-Full-Ironman! but we need to know power and HR values for both Mark and James for both bikes.
Get Oli and Alex to put some proper tires and tubes on the Triban and wax its chain. I reckon if you dealt with the rolling resistance with less than a two hundred quid budget it would be a lot closer.
It would be interesting though to see how much closer can you make the Triban with a better wheelset, good tires and the aerobars properly tightened. If you can't afford a speedmax, you can't afford a speedmax. I myself moved from having a dedicated TT (Speedmax of 2017) to using just one roadbike where I try to replicate the TT position with aerobars and negative offset seatpost.
I actually sort of did this but with a Trek Domane and eventually I bought a Canyon Speedmax SLX. While it definitely helped to get an aero fitting and bars, then decent tyres. My times and training improved and I was much more aero. Maybe going from 28-29kph (very unfit at the beginning) up to more of a 32-33kph average.
But my average speed was probably 32-33kph in normal conditions when riding the entry level Trek. When I switched to the Speedmax TT. I was immediately going 36kph average and often getting up to 37kph. It was a real 3-4kph jump for Olympic distance races. It was a significant jump, which for my age group started putting me at the top of the bike segment results. Cost of the bike was $1300-1400 for the Trek and $7000-7500 for Canyon Speedmax
Interesting video full of information. I’m currently debating the same comparison. I’m heading to worlds this August in Townsville Australia for the first time AquaBike long distance with Team USA. I have a Canyon Speedmax and Specialized Tarmack SL Expert . My course is 120 km with 15 U-turns and a combination of 45, (60, 90° and roundabout). Let’s not forget the fact that I’ll be riding on the left side of the road. I Continue training on the canyon speedmax pending final decision, three months before worlds
Very interesting! I'm training for my first triathlon, on one of the bikes you showed. Guess which one 😃
Same, gets my hopes up for when I'll get an upgrade!
Speed max CFR, going all out like I did! Good luck and enjoy the process!
It will be interesting to see the real gain between refurbished TT like the one the did last year for the girl for 1500, a entry TT like the Canyon speedmax CF 7 and the top one they did.
while i like Canyon, i bought the Triban RC 120 first and it's amazing. Not doing Triathlon, but if you can ride long rides and have fun with this cheap bike, you'll appreciate it even more and will be happy not having spent all those thousands of euros, pounds, dollars etc. I actually showed up with this Triban at a gravel race and arrived before some riders on their specialized, canyon, trek, bmc. It's priceless 🙂
The cheaper bike is only approximately 100 kg heavier?!
You could save almost that on a new pair of wheels and tires.
To add, if the wheels were deep enough to have aero gains, the time distance is likely to be even smaller.
And with the comfort of the up right Triban; could still get in a nice aero position.
I’d chose the Triban any day.
100 kg?
I'd love to see a similar video but on a mid range bike as well setup for triathlon as possible for ~2k compared with the SpeedMax as this maybe more applicable to most people. It would be very interesting to see how much speed that extra 9k gets.
I'm sure it would not be 9k worth of extra speed
This would probably violate there canyon advertising sponsorship because the difference is probably about a minute over 40k reducing the desire to buy a top of the line speedmax.
@@scott5088 interesting. Yeah that would make sense.
The comments about 1 kg doesn’t mean much, or the biggest difference is in the aero position, etc… make me laugh. I agree that spending somewhere in the middle would likely close 90% of the gap, which would be fine for the majority of people, but there are also many of us who don’t mind spending the extra dollars to gain that extra 10% and the ease of adjusting the aero position, etc…. Love it!
The pedals + bike computer are more expensive than the bike on the triban 😀
I would definitely go for a used bike with shimano over a new bike with micro shift. Their sword groupset looks cool though but you never see it.
3 to 4 minutes less costs around 10,5K pounds?!Man, those minutes are God damn expensive!
The dark grey metallic Ultegra equipped Speedmax is the current SLX 8 model für (German price) 8,499 EUR, not the CFR. The CFR has a silver metallic color option. There is another color in silver for the SLX range as well. the CFR is only available with Dura-Ace or Red groupset. SLX is with Ultegra or Force (there was a Rival version but now not in their line-up).
Good job, Triban! 🎯
The triban is ripe for upgrades through especially as it has a carbon fork.. the wheels are about 2.3kg. swapping out the tubes to ride now TPU tubes would save at least 200g.
Nah, this is a bodge. 1. The tyres. This is 20 watts each and only costs $100 or so, and eventually tyre runs out and no reason not to throw some GP5000. 2. Notice the much higher handle bar height on the RC520 ??? (10 cm or even more...) It's like compare a super bike on the hoods/top with a cheap bike on aero tuck. Of course that cheap bike will be faster, but does that mean super bikes are completely scam? Not exactly. You should at least mention this so the viewers in searching for a new bike could get the correct idea -- at least now they know what they are actually paying for. This becomes a comparison between 2 different positions but you say it's the bike and money, nah. Not exactly true.
To make this comparison meaningful, you have to at least match the contact points (or at least try as you can). Front end as a start point. Even though the Triban RC520 has an "endurance geometry" which means a higher front end, it doesn't mean it can't get low enough. Find some -30 degree stem first, they are not that rare. If not low enough, get some -45 degree ones. Get a zero setback seat post, push the seat forward most. If that still is not steep enough, find some flip-able seat post, or negative setback seat post. If that's still not enough, you can further change your front wheel to 650B or 26'', that will rotate the bike even further so that you have even lower front and steeper seat post. As long as the race didn't ban this, you'll be fine, that's how they race time trail in the 80s. You can have the exact same effective geometry and the same position on both bikes if you really want to.
Of course with the dedicated TRI bike you get everything out-of-the-box, that's a big win though. But not everyone is compare a TRI bike with a cheap bike, many of them already have a decent road bike even a race geometry bike that can get low easily with little tweaks. For these circumstances a dedicated TRI bike is just a big waste, not just money, the production, the environment CO2 emission... I really like the vibe of the 80s even though I wasn't even born at that era... I could get it completely wrong, but just go through the photos, the products, you'll see how people are like tweaking and retrofitting stuffs so that they can have the most of what they already have -- a simple steel road bike -- for everything. That's just much much more fun than today's money is king.
4minutes is a lot in a race but on a ride with club it's literally 5minutes of waiting at best. So most people who are not going for the record buy the bike you can and you will enjoy regardless.
a $2000 bike setup would likely be best value for speed if that is the goal for $ per second.
I need a nerd data analysis between a lot of bikes on different price points looking for the optimal point for buying a Tri bike. hahaha
It’s be interesting to see how much that gap closes if you run the same wheel/tire combo on the Triban.
Have a Canyon Endurace AL 6.0 (2016) and a Cervelo P5 (2016) 2nd hand. Used to cycle my first triathlons with the canyon. It's still a great and comfy Bike! The Cervelo is def faster! But I would never invest in such an expensive bike. Even If it is great fun to ride! Was lucky to buy the Cervelo 2nd hand.
hahahaahah, the Triban RC 120 is the road bike I have, the flat bars version. It is a great bike for road biking starters like me. I also got a Giant MTB, Talon 2, which I like, and a Canyon hybrid bike with flat bars, of course, and out of the three my favourite is the Canyon bike by far, but the RC 120 turned out to be a good bike for the price.
Got the chance to test a BMC Speedmachine. Unbelievable difference to even my 2015 Felt iA. Video drops today at 11:45 am est
Why are your power readings so different, for similar times/speed on the speed max. 322w to 232w ? Thanks
They're different weights and I'm pretty sure the bike has been fitted to mark, so he'd be quite a bit more aero on it.
Also James was going the extra .5 kph which might not seem like much, but when you're already going quite quickly, the extra speed requires significantly more power
I am doing my first ever triathlon soon. The Valencia 70.3 on April 21st. I've been training on that Triban and it has made me want to throw it in the Thames more than once!!! 😂 Although I have nothing to compare it too I still know it is horrible!!! Haha😂
Is it really ? I want to buy it for my first 70.3 and honestly I already know it is far from perfect but I do not really see any alternative at this price point.. If you think I should buy something else please tell me !
@@titouanck hey mate. I did my 70.3 and hired a bike. The bike i hired was worth £5k. It felt like i was on a cloud compared to the Triban. I'd say train on it but hire a good one for races. You'll do the 70.3 on it but it will be harder work. I'm doing another 70.3 at the end of this month and I'm dreading using the Triban if I do use it.
@@stephengallagher37 Okay tanks for the answer ! I think that’s what I will do, rent a fast bike for the event yup. Good luck for your next event
I would really like to see this re-done but with the base Canyon CF-7 thats much more affordable. Like the one that is 5,400€ that still has the Shimano Ultegra Di2
Agree, curious about the margins between a more affordable but still very fast bike and the top of the line model.
It all depends on what your goals are. Unless you are trying to place in an ironman. A roadbike is all you need.
I black shirted norseman on a roadbike with aerobars.
I want to do an IronMan in June 2025, I never had a road bike before, do you think the Triban will do the job or should I absolutely make the effort to find a better (and probably more expensive) road bike for that ? Thanks
Let's see the same test but with some upgrades to the triban. Say wheels, tires, drive train. 105 spec.
Whilst this does highlight the difference, I have an old felt b16 TT bike which I'm faster than my new Merida reaction, but I'm not as confident handling, it doesn't brake as well etc etc. the right tool for the right job though - a shorter race where you won't have to brake a lot, be cautious of traffic I'd use TT, but I used road bike for ironman as I knew I'd be braking more, need more comfort, better handling. I know some of that would come with more time on a TT, but for most it's not feasible
Give the triban the same disc/deep wheel combo and then difference will be
Dont think so
Ok, so… can I chime in here.
For all those who are saying that’s a massive not enough gain for the price. Factor in 15 years, with a couple of full and a few 70.3 ironman. Over that period of time, it’s worth the price.
And, for the presenters and the staff. Would you please do a long video of the extrapolation you keep talking about… because sure, if the person can hold that pace for however long, but most people would actually get tired over the course.
Maybe use Hank and Ollie from GCN. Make them do the full Ironman… and actually get some of the real extrapolated results. Or maybe even some semi beginners, giving them a bit of time getting used to the bike. Just to actually see, how pushing power over a few hours, compares to a half hour… not accounting for fatigue over time.
And I’ll email the next extrapolated message.
Looks like the Triban is the best for training. You put out more watts on it.
Between a tt bike and a regular road bike it was always 3 or 4 km/h speed for the same person
You would not be able to get me off a top tier speedmax if I were lucky enough to own one. I'd probably find an excuse to commute the 100k each day to work! 😅 Not sure HMRC would entertain cycle to work scheme though!
When the pedals are more expensive than your bike you have done something right 😂
An example of you get what your money is worth.😊
I find your comment really interesting!
- What do you think would have been the result if they'd tested a £2000-3'000 Tri bike against the high-end CFR?
- Do you consider the fact that they want this video to make you 'feel the sentiment that your comment implied'... but that the reality is there is very diminishing returns the more expensive you get?
In the world we live in. It is natural for the creative people to charge extra for what they've done for the sake of durability, sensibility, dependability, comfort, and precision. Compared to the others who never took time to make things possible.
The fact that James's power output in the speedmax was unavailable is very sus 🧐
It is easy then. Train on the Triban and race on the Canyon.
There is nothing wrong with a triban. They sound soooo cocky. My first bike was a triban rc520 and I loved that bike. More love for a triban than a money bike!
Why is this 11k Canyon TT heavier than my 6k Stevens TT 😄
Disc brakes are heavier and not needed. Sounds like the hundred quid saving was the best choice
Laidlow used Ultegra rather than Dura Ace?
Next test is to compare a super road bike with tri bars and compare it to a super tri bike.
This comparison is what is ruining Triathlon, the impression that you cannot compete without spending enormous amounts of money, makes it elitist. It's obvious the "cheap" bike was not setup properly. Even the filming showed a significant difference in the pedal speeds, which proper gearing even on an eight speed would solve. A 1 kg weight difference is insignificant in rolling speed gained or lost. It's in the wheels, tires, innertubes and setup. This was dishonest. It's just playing up for the sponsors. As for the two minutes difference for a ten thousand pound price differential. Get off and run in cheap shoes versus Carbon Fibre and see who wins.
Exactly you saved me the time of typing it thx.
And they keep recycling these videos, new sponsor/ bike new cheap vs video....
I missed your comment, or I might not have made my own similar one (above).
I know all the staff at GTN/PlaySports have to make a living... but making these 'Entertainment' videos, presented as a 'comparative test' is just disingenuous (at best).
I have no problem with them making a living and being and entertainment. I watch for both the information and the entertainment. Perhaps what they need are professional show runners. These ideas are mundane and there's plenty of competition for eyeballs out there. They need some people with imagination.
Or the Stig!
Very interesting video. For training the roadbike with aerobars is also good for group rides. I have a TT bike for indoor and competition and a road bike with aero bars for group rides.
Asked the bike fitter to try and get the aerobar position similar to the TT which meant that I had to compromise the roadbike position somewhat. But taking turns up front of a club ride is nice 😊
Speedmax CFR with Ulttegra, not Dura Ace? 🤨 That's not even the stock config
So what about 450$ bike vs 3000$
Triban only 1.3 kg heavier? Who would say.... Yes, much slower aber waaaaaay more comfortable.
Honestly I think thats a tiny difference in speed, even ignoring the price
I'm pretty sure that's a Speedmax CF SLX, not a CFR
you can't make videos....saying how accessible triathlon is by buying cheaper gear.....and then make videos like this, embarrassing the people who are trying to get into the sport and a normal price entry point by making fun of them. The bike snobbery by the South African guy is off the charts. Stop these silly commercials for canyon and make real videos again like you used to back in 2020 and 2021.
I don't think there's anything embarrassing about having a cheaper bike, they're just making a fun video. You could claim it's embarrassing to spend so much on the Canyon too. Don't take it so seriously, get a grip.
There is a good series "TT bike on a budget" where Ollie from GTN built an affordable TT bike and it lost something around 30 seconds over 10 miles to a modern TT bike (approx 5 mins IM differnce)
@@MarkLRandall I have a grip, don't worry. If we want the survival or expansion of our sport, then maybe we should be making more videos showing people how to access the sport at a more realistic price point. I know it's supposed to be fun and funny, and I am here to laugh, but not to laugh at other people.
There is no comparison between a Road bike and TT bike. There is a huge difference in pricing and purpose . This video leads to misinformation and its a waste of time.
a single KG difference ain't worth mentioning lol. The aero parts, frame and wheels etc, and far superior gearset is the biggest difference.
Imagine paying 11 thousand pounds for a bicycle 🤡
It's 6 pounds per sec once. After that, it's free.
I'm not disagreeing that a more aerodynamic setup typically allows a faster speed at equal (or slightly less) power... but I always find it incredibly suspicious when they use this kind of #BroScience presentation on such wildly varied test options!
Don't you always ask yourself fellow viewer, why the disparity between the test subjects (bikes in question) is always so enormous (i.e. >£10K bike to well under
really enjoyed.......but you guys are snobs....having to reach for gears.......lol
I believe the presentation of the results could be improved. It seems unnecessarily disheartening for beginners or those without the budget for a Speedmax. While I own a Speedmax and appreciate its electronic shifting and other features, there's no need to flaunt it to others.
thats a good experience, money really buy you more speed about ~5km/h