[Mi10]

Just went ahead and did the unthinkable !
Converted my Road Bike into TT Bike.

I know many purists wont take this idea, however i wanted to have a unique proposition that will turn heads. Also, guess i found my calling in Time Trials.

Choices:
I am fortunate to own to beautiful Aero bikes. The Merida Reacto 400 is an alloy frame with Carbon Forks and Seat posts, whereas the Look 795 Blade RS is an all carbon frame. The Merida is more humble yet immensely capable machine. The Look is newer, more flamboyant head turner. The Merida

I initially wanted to convert the Merida to a TT setup, however, it made sense to
use a lighter bike for TT since it has a single specific goal. Besides, that the Merida also has a slightly older and lower down the performance chain - 105 groupset.







Components: I wanted to do a proper TT conversion and not just fitting an aerobar on a roadie handlebar. This involved quite bit of proactive thinking including Bike fit related aspects as well as specific components to match the existing components. I decided to keep the weight down and hence went for all Carbon components. Also, i shied away from integrated cockpits since i wanted flexibility over aesthetics.

What went out:

• Look ADH2 Road Bike Handlebar
• DuraAce Integrated Shift cum brake levers
• Existing wiring
• Existing Bartapes

What went in:

• Profile Design Svet-R basebar
• Profile Design Ergo 35c Aerobar
• Profile Design Bar Riser - 70 mm
• Profile Design Carbon TT Brake levers
• DuraAce 11speed TT Shifter
• New wiring
• New Aero Bartape

Modifications in existing fit: The change required extensive modification to the existing fit and appearance of the bike.
Removed all Spacers, Cut the steerer tube to Flush fit the base bar
Additional Aerobar extensions cut after Bike fit
Seat Post mount reversed and Seat mounted farther up for better reach
Complete Bike fit for TT position.

Some weight indices (with Pedals and Mounts)

• Merida Reacto 400 - 10.2 kgs
• Look 795 RS (Road bike fit) - 8.4 Kgs
• Look 795 RS (TT fit) - 8.8 kgs

Will let the pictures do the talking

[varunanb]

Congratulations on the upgrade. This definitely will standout and for sure get you better results in TT.

[dragntailonfire]

Congratulations, that is a wicked transformation. But I think you missed a trick here; you should've used this opportunity to satisfy the n+1 rule and get yourself a brand new TT bike.

Oh well, now that you don't have a high end road bike anymore, this is another opportunity for you. Maybe an exotic Italian: say a Colnago or a Wilier.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by dragntailonfire

Congratulations, that is a wicked transformation. But I think you missed a trick here; you should've used this opportunity to satisfy the n+1 rule and get yourself a brand new TT bike.

Oh well, now that you don't have a high end road bike anymore, this is another opportunity for you. Maybe an exotic Italian: say a Colnago or a Wilier.

Congratulations Praveen! This is all just way too high tech and high dollar for me so I don't know what to comment except for wishing you great speed and safety!

Wilier makes me weak in the knees man. Simply. In a way that the Pinarellos do not.

Cheers, Doc

[narayanang76]

Congratulations Mi10. I would simply say Look and turned a Looker!

Also, I feel you are really lucky to find these parts currently, as I hear availability issues even with very common cycle parts.

Thanks,
narayanang76

[papr23]

Congratulations Mi10! My back hurts just looking at how low the bar with brakes is. Do you also plan to get an aero helmet with a pointy end? You will certainly look like an alien on a UFO when zipping through the circuit!

[Sran]

Read everything and still could not understand what does "TT" means, saw the pictures and then understood. It's not that I am into cycling or planning to, so that I may understand, its just that it feels bad when things go over your head. I was planning to buy a battery operated Hero cycle for fun but the world has moved on so far from Hercules Rockshock and BSA photon that it feels dumb to be honest, I'll let myself out.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Sran

Read everything and still could not understand what does "TT" means, saw the pictures and then understood. It's not that I am into cycling or planning to, so that I may understand, its just that it feels bad when things go over your head. I was planning to buy a battery operated Hero cycle for fun but the world has moved on so far from Hercules Rockshock and BSA photon that it feels dumb to be honest, I'll let myself out.

Please stay. There's no qualifying exam (yet) to be allowed in here.

This is probably one of the most if not the most active sub forums on Team BHP. More eyeballs means potentially more clean energy transportation on our roads, more fun, greater health, and a better future for our coming generations.

Leave the earth in a better way than you found it in.

Cheers, Green (no peace) Doc

[Mi10]

Originally Posted by dragntailonfire

Oh well, now that you don't have a high end road bike anymore, this is another opportunity for you. Maybe an exotic Italian: say a Colnago or a Wilier.

Ha ha Yeah, n+1 rule is always there ! Although possibility of a high end road bike is unlikely in near future. Thank you!

Originally Posted by ebonho

Congratulations Praveen! This is all just way too high tech and high dollar for me so I don't know what to comment except for wishing you great speed and safety!

Thank you doc, yes in our country more than anything safety is of prime importance. I will take some time to adjust to this new position before letting it fly.

Originally Posted by narayanang76

Congratulations Mi10. I would simply say Look and turned a Looker!

Also, I feel you are really lucky to find these parts currently, as I hear availability issues even with very common cycle parts.

Thank you, Narayanan.
Oh Yes, the availability was a real concern and was hunting for specific parts for over a month. I also had to make some compromises (like going for ski bend instead of J bend) due to availability aspects.

Originally Posted by papr23

Congratulations Mi10! My back hurts just looking at how low the bar with brakes is. Do you also plan to get an aero helmet with a pointy end? You will certainly look like an alien on a UFO when zipping through the circuit!

Thank you

Aero Helmet, deep section wheels, and other TT specific upgrades are currently not my priority - Primarily because i need to spend good amount of time in training in this position before understanding where i stand. But yeah, some of them will hopefully come in after a while