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@scarlet
Trek TTX
Bit of an oddball; I have had this bike for nearly 20 years, bought when I first had a go at triathlon, and I had it set up in TT-mode for years. Is it Trek's first go at a full TT/Tri bike? An upgrade to a full TT rig led to this being chopped around in various states of trim, but this year I stuck some drops and tt bars on, just to see...
And it was a bit of a revelation, to be honest. The geo is: tt - 550mm, head angle 73, seat angle 76. The tiny stack is a problem. The lack of tyre clearance also. Lack of storage options led me to get a bit creative with carbon both up-front and out-back. But it got me around a couple of dry 400kms this year, surprisingly well.
It surprised me in how it rides; its quick, like the Merlin, but with slightly slower steering. Its efficient too; It holds its speed, and (maybe obvious for a TT rig) it feels good at higher speeds on the flat or even into headwinds. Its really comfy - probably one of the comfiest bikes I've ever ridden. I feel like I can ride all day on it (and into the night) without it beating me up.
The brakes aren't bad; these light bicycle rims are miles better than the rims on the Merlin. But still, rim brakes, 25mm tyres, super-low stack... It was an experiment that worked, but not a long-term solution.
Still, I think I learned some things from these bikes: I want handling that's somewhere in the middle of race and touring. Probably ~72-73 degree head angle (which is somewhere in the 55-65mm range). This seems to give the right kind of stable steering feel that I need when I'm covering a lot of distance, especially when I'm tired.
I want something I can set up fairly aero, because I can feel the difference at 30kph between the TTX and the CdF, and I can feel the difference between the TTX and the Merlin, just at a higher speed (35kph maybe). The 400kms on the TTX were an hour faster (riding time) than the CdF.
Comfort, maybe I'll save for tomorrow :-)
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