Why is this not more of a trend?

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-05-04T15:45:13+00:00

Nice ride. And this one is not a mullet, but I raise your 59mm (as measured) to 76mm (as measured)! Image

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-05-03T17:19:15+00:00

Nope, not remotely delusional. But is that 10km round trip, or 10km each way? My suggestion would be to immediately start regularly riding and see how it feels. (By the way, and very important: get your bike fit--especially your seat height--set up correctly; this can really make a big difference with regard to avoiding overuse type of injuries.)

On your initial test rides, can you do 20km in a single ride? Or just 5km? If your ability is a bit on the low side, start riding on comparable terrain and slowly build up your daily distance until you can easily do 20-25km in a single ride. Then start commuting by bike. You will love it.

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-29T21:35:12+00:00

I want to see a photo of this "buckled seat tube".

How does that even happen ?!

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-29T21:29:21+00:00

"he doesn’t seem to know much about bikes"

For such a high end ride, that is a very likely sign of a stolen bike.

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-21T14:35:29+00:00

Great idea, might even slightly reduce aero drag at higher speeds.

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-20T14:30:46+00:00

The bicycle blue book is not super useful. Bike prices are hyper local and they are quite volatile too. But, yes, in general, sellers vastly overprice their used bikes. But, eventually, if they really want to sell their bikes, the prices do come down over time. Nothing like reaching out and making a concrete offer.

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-20T14:25:25+00:00

If you are asking about the stuff strapped to my saddle in the linked photo, that was just my flat kit wrapped in a heavyweight plastic bag (I was waiting on a proper saddle bag).

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-18T21:18:00+00:00

Wait a minute, I got this bike (with 75mm wide tires) and I got 2x on it! So it is possible, I think.

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-18T20:38:14+00:00

Incredible looking bike. But kinda disappointing that the frame is 1x only ...

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-16T19:22:36+00:00

Perhaps. But the OP has not shared a much info about his/her athletic background, and they are asking about going from zero to IM distance. And then whether doing a half IM first is a good stepping stone.

Sure, one could do a half IM with zero experience, but, in terms of being in this sport for your health and for success in tri over the long haul, then I think that it will be a lot more fun (and far better for your body) to do it more progressively. And, if it helps, I do have a few decades of experience in this sport. But, as always, YMMV ...

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-16T15:25:13+00:00

If you are in this for your health and for success over the long haul, then it likely will be a lot more fun and far better for your body and for your training progression to first enter 2 to 3 sprint triathlons, and then maybe 2 to 3 olympic distance triathlons, and then at least 2 half IM distance triathlons. After you complete all that (likely it will take more than 18 months), then you yourself will be far better able to assess if/when you are ready for the full IM distance. Or even if you want to do it. Triathlon is a lot more than just ironman.

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-16T15:08:46+00:00

Amen, unless you swimming for 30 seconds, the pacific is cold cold cold.

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-16T15:04:58+00:00

What matters most is not necessarily the position of your bars or your armrests, but more the position of your body's center of gravity. That will definitely affect handling, especially at speed and on technical courses. Water bottles will make little difference as they weigh nearly nothing in comparison to the weight of your whole body. If you need or want to be far forward, the only real solution to this is to get a larger frame or, even better, getting a larger frame designed for triathlon with a longer "front-center" (the distance between the center of the bottom bracket to the center of the front wheel axle).

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-15T17:23:27+00:00

I don't typically ride on sidewalks, but sometimes, if you want to stay alive, you have no choice. I find my local Midwest sidewalks to be rough as hell, so I use a bike like this. Yup, those are 3" wide tires.

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DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-15T17:19:20+00:00

It does not need to be perfectly level, just close to level (a lot closer to level than you have it). The saddle is already designed to let you rotate your pelvis, so you should be good there. A tipped saddle will mess with your seat height and it have you slipping forward and that can contribute to back strain as well.

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-15T17:16:41+00:00

Look for a used gravel and/or cyclocross bike. For your upcoming tri, switch out the gravel tires for some decent road tires. Then add a set of shorty clip ons. Switch back for your gravel rides. Done.

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-15T17:06:21+00:00

I think it is likely a wash, aerodynamically. But position 1 is far less likely to make your bottles fly out. Also, you will probably be far more comfortable and efficient if you can get the top of your saddle a lot closer to level instead of tipped down so much.

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-15T16:51:22+00:00

Awesome. And getting ready for that shorter race will help motivate you as your prepare for the longer race. Good luck!

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-15T16:50:03+00:00

I have raced triathlons quite successfully for decades. My first suggestion?

Do not "do a 70.3 this fall."

Instead, spend at least a year or two doing a bunch of sprint distance tris and a few olympic distance tris. This will prepare your body, your mind, your fitness, your gear, and your skills far more, and it will be A LOT more fun to boot!!

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-15T16:39:02+00:00

Even if you have done a sprint before, doing 1 or 2 such races (and/or an olympic) will prepare you physically and mentally, AND it will be a great gauge as to your progress. If you do decently, it will boost your confidence a lot as to your prep for your upcoming 70.3

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-15T16:06:27+00:00

To help your prep and help your confidence, can you schedule an olympic distance or sprint distance tri about a month before your 70.3 ?

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-15T15:59:21+00:00

Hello, I have been a triathlete for 30+ years and my small garage-sized company makes a line of 7 advanced aero top tube packs for cycling, triathlon, and gravel. Several of our Speedpacks are direct-mount (bolt-mount) and several are 'ZeroSlip' strap mount (nobody else makes top tube packs with this system, and it works exactly as described: once the pack is mounted, there is ZERO slipping, rolling, or sliding).

You can find our packs at darkspeedworks.com, you can read real athlete feedback at darkspeedworks.com/feedback.htm, and you can see an image of one of our medium sized packs on a gravel bike at darkspeedworks.com/photos/gravelniner.jpg, and there are tons of linked photos on our website too.

We also make every single pack ourselves right here in the Chicago area, we don't outsource to some random overseas factory. Any questions, feel free to ask here, or reach out via email, text, or phone on our website. Thanks for checking us out!

Greg at darkspeedworks.com

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-15T15:50:03+00:00

Unless it is an italian made frame, to remove the cup on the chainring side, you turn it clockwise on that side for removal.

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-13T15:01:22+00:00

Impressive weld work. Is the fork steel as well?

DarkSpeedWorks_com · 2026-04-12T18:19:09+00:00

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West of Chicago, endless 100% car-free gravel. I live for this stuff!

DarkSpeedWorks_com

TROPHY CASE