TT-Bike Budget Build

[Da11as]

I like the riderever TT brake lever. But I can't find any good deal on them and dont want to spend 250-300$ +
Are the mechanical disc brakes so bad? Never had any before...

Hehe, I like the idea with the sticker

It really depends on the routing, and the routing is usually horrible on TTs.

[cLs_elite]

I got mine for £170.99 on eBay (with a discount code) from a bike shop who also sell on there. You can actually pick them up there now for even less than that! (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335035938661?var=544262923126)

Haven't travelled internationally with the TT bike yet but will be in May. Plan is to put disc brake pad spacers in for the flight, maybe even turn the levers 90deg inwards.

Thanks for the Link. It is a great deal if you located in the UK. With Shipping and import taxes it would be around 260-280$ USD for me. Have to think about it. I definetly likem tho.

[cLs_elite]

Keep us posted, I'm in Europe too, and agree. When i looked at it, assuming the frame allows, my ccl was i'd do mech disc, because the ride rever hydro are super expensive. I have mech discs on my gravel bike, they do work. Hydro is better, but i wouldnt be descending hairpins on a TT bike.
Also, from a traveling perspective for races, sram wireless + cable actuated brakes should be easier to live with than hydro hoses. And Hambini in the last nero show podcast said he had to empty his hoses from hydro fluid several times while taking planes in Europe. I doubt he made that up.

Did you use any specific mech disc setup or just what was available for you?

[ejump0]

Are the mechanical disc brakes so bad? Never had any before...

i have not ridden full hydro brakes before.
My TCR came with semi-hydro Giant conduct system.

my tt912 is with mech-disc Onirii BR-05 caliper+stock pads, RT-MT900 140 rotors, jagwire KEB-SL cable housing kit, Tektro TL720 lever.
my ttx38 is with Onirii BR-05 caliper+stock pads, RT-CL900 140 rotors, jagwire KEB-SL cable housing kit, Sensah Reflex brifters.

im only 68kg and i dont ride hills (theres almost none here), and BR05 kinda adequate.
The modulation with TL720 levers closely to my Giant conduct system.
Im not sure if my ttx38 still need more brake bedding time to get better (only had 70km mileage so far) because the feel, its not close to my tt912

[Serge_K]

Did you use any specific mech disc setup or just what was available for you?

on my gravel bike? the rig everybody was doing 2 years ago, with jagwire compressionless housing and so on.
Note that my rotors baked. I havent had that on my road bike, but i took this gravel bike on stuff that was so dangerously steep and with hairpins, idk how the road bike w hydro brakes would have fared. I'm over 80kg, the kinetic energy you accumulate when you descend steep stuff is terrifying when you have to almost stop to turn. I got brake fade at the end of some descents. And then i put a 180mm disc at the back, that helped. Still havent found a sensible front adaptor for 180mm discs.
Either way, not the terrain for a TT bike.

[cLs_elite]

Just an quick Update on this one:
I decided to wait for the anniversary sale on AliExpress next Monday, to see if I can get some bargains. I found RideRever Triva hydraulics levers for cheap (160$ including shipping) from a private seller in france. The parcel is on it's way and I hope everything will be fine.
I will give a full update next Monday / Tuesday on the parts and price after I ordered everything.
Stay tuned and have a great week. 

[cLs_elite]

I pulled the trigger today and ordered the BXT-TT-119 frame and the EliteWheel Set ENT Disc 2.0 (82mm). I have the main components but still need to order some smaller parts. Here is an overview of the components and prices (shipping included).

Component	Price in USD
Frameset BXT-TT-119	820
SQLab 613R	65
Bars w. Frame	-
Stem w. Frame	-
Casette (Aliexpress)	75
RD Force AXS D2	100
FD Force AXS D2	120
Batteries SRAM 2x	85
Crankset (Aliexpress)	74
Chain (Aliexpress)	25
Bar Tape (Aliexpress)	5
Hydro Brake Levers / Calipers (RideRever Triva)	160
Disc Rotor (Aliexpress)	25
Bottom Bracket (Aliexpress)	10
Pedals (Aliexpress)	22
Shifting eTap Blips 2x	130
Shifting Leap Components	65
PM SRAM Force D2 Powermeter (left Crank)	130
Elite Wheel Set ENT Disc 2.0	380

Total with wheelset = 2300$
without wheelset = 1900$
The Aliexpress parts offer good value for money and have many positive reviews. I can give u more details if u like. I'm expecting the frame and wheelset to arrive at the end of April or the beginning of May. Hopefully, I can finish the build by mid-May and share some pictures. If you have any questions about the build, feel free to ask!

[Serge_K]

I pulled the trigger today and ordered the BXT-TT-119 frame and the EliteWheel Set ENT Disc 2.0 (82mm). I have the main components but still need to order some smaller parts. Here is an overview of the components and prices (shipping included).

Component	Price in USD
Frameset BXT-TT-119	820
SQLab 613R	65
Bars w. Frame	-
Stem w. Frame	-
Casette (Aliexpress)	75
RD Force AXS D2	100
FD Force AXS D2	120
Batteries SRAM 2x	85
Crankset (Aliexpress)	74
Chain (Aliexpress)	25
Bar Tape (Aliexpress)	5
Hydro Brake Levers / Calipers (RideRever Triva)	160
Disc Rotor (Aliexpress)	25
Bottom Bracket (Aliexpress)	10
Pedals (Aliexpress)	22
Shifting eTap Blips 2x	130
Shifting Leap Components	65
PM SRAM Force D2 Powermeter (left Crank)	130
Elite Wheel Set ENT Disc 2.0	380

Total with wheelset = 2300$
without wheelset = 1900$
The Aliexpress parts offer good value for money and have many positive reviews. I can give u more details if u like. I'm expecting the frame and wheelset to arrive at the end of April or the beginning of May. Hopefully, I can finish the build by mid-May and share some pictures. If you have any questions about the build, feel free to ask!

Very tight execution here, well done, truly. Looking fwd to the pictures! And make sure to run a big chainring, spinning out on the flat because of gearing is very annoying, it's fun to go fast.

[cLs_elite]

Very tight execution here, well done, truly. Looking fwd to the pictures! And make sure to run a big chainring, spinning out on the flat because of gearing is very annoying, it's fun to go fast.

Hey, thanks for the reply/advice! The selection of cranks and chainrings is unfortunately a bit limited for me because I already have a one-sided power meter with a 172.5mm left crank, and I’m trying to go with a budget-friendly option.

I was planning on using a 52/36 chainring and a 10-36 cassette. I live in Switzerland, and yeah, it's quite hilly here. The event I want to participate in has a bike course with 2,200m of elevation.

Do you reckon my choice of gearing is fine, or should I reconsider? I could spend more money to customize the gearing further if necessary. My current setup is the budget option.

[Da11as]

Hey, thanks for the reply/advice! The selection of cranks and chainrings is unfortunately a bit limited for me because I already have a one-sided power meter with a 172.5mm left crank, and I’m trying to go with a budget-friendly option.

I was planning on using a 52/36 chainring and a 10-36 cassette. I live in Switzerland, and yeah, it's quite hilly here. The event I want to participate in has a bike course with 2,200m of elevation.

Do you reckon my choice of gearing is fine, or should I reconsider? I could spend more money to customize the gearing further if necessary. My current setup is the budget option.

You have to figure out what would be your expected power output for the key sections of the course and select chainring size accordingly.
It really depends on your power output, cadence and actual course (rolling, long climbs, consistent shallow gradient etc.). For example, I have FTP around 350-365, mid season weight 72-75 kg and my TT bike has 1x12 setup with 58T (oval) front and 11-34 rear and during tempo rides (260-290 Watts@90 rpm) I slip into smaller half of the cassette. If I model the actual race scenario, I will push closer to my threshold and I will be even further down the smaller cogs which will cost quite some watts, you have to be closer to the middle of the cassette during your main effort. In this case, I need a bigger chainring, 60T or 62T.

IMHO, unless you have long very shallow gradient or very long stretches of flat terrain between steep climbs, 1.5-2.5 kg lighter road bike would be more beneficial for such event.

[cLs_elite]

You have to figure out what would be your expected power output for the key sections of the course and select chainring size accordingly.
It really depends on your power output, cadence and actual course (rolling, long climbs, consistent shallow gradient etc.). For example, I have FTP around 350-365, mid season weight 72-75 kg and my TT bike has 1x12 setup with 58T (oval) front and 11-34 rear and during tempo rides (260-290 Watts@90 rpm) I slip into smaller half of the cassette. If I model the actual race scenario, I will push closer to my threshold and I will be even further down the smaller cogs which will cost quite some watts, you have to be closer to the middle of the cassette during your main effort. In this case, I need a bigger chainring, 60T or 62T.

IMHO, unless you have long very shallow gradient or very long stretches of flat terrain between steep climbs, 1.5-2.5 kg lighter road bike would be more beneficial for such event.

Hello, thanks for your input—super helpful!
You’re an absolute beast! Great FTP!

I get your point. On the flats, I’d probably be on the three smallest cogs of my cassette. During the climbs, I should be somewhere in the middle of the cassette. In that case, I’d need a bigger chainring than a 52—probably a 53 or even a 55.

The race course is the Ironman in Thun. It’s my first triathlon and my first TT bike so I have no experience. I’ll likely need to make some adjustments after my first month on the bike.
Here the link to the bike course:
https://www.ironman.com/races/im-switzerland/course#bike

[Da11as]

Hello, thanks for your input—super helpful!
You’re an absolute beast! Great FTP!

I get your point. On the flats, I’d probably be on the three smallest cogs of my cassette. During the climbs, I should be somewhere in the middle of the cassette. In that case, I’d need a bigger chainring than a 52—probably a 53 or even a 55.

The race course is the Ironman in Thun. It’s my first triathlon and my first TT bike so I have no experience. I’ll likely need to make some adjustments after my first month on the bike.
Here the link to the bike course:
https://www.ironman.com/races/im-switzerland/course#bike

You'd probably need bigger chainrings in the future but for a first race it should be fine. If it's your first time on TT bike consider to spend substantial time of your training on this particular bike and position tweaking, as it will take at least several months to be able to deliver power output similar to road bike.

[cLs_elite]

You'd probably need bigger chainrings in the future but for a first race it should be fine. If it's your first time on TT bike consider to spend substantial time of your training on this particular bike and position tweaking, as it will take at least several months to be able to deliver power output similar to road bike.

Ok cheers, I will check what is available gear-wise (other options regarding chainrings) and I hope that after 3 months on the bike I'm able to put out some power.

Which setup/chainrings would you pick for the bike course of the Ironman in Thun (180km/2200m elevation)? Would you be able to do it with a 1x Setup? Or go with 2x chainrings?
Worried I'm grinding up the hills and burn out with the wrong setup. But I will be able to figure it out when I have the bike and do some similar courses.

[Da11as]

Which setup/chainrings would you pick for the bike course of the Ironman in Thun (180km/2200m elevation)? Would you be able to do it with a 1x Setup? Or go with 2x chainrings?
Worried I'm grinding up the hills and burn out with the wrong setup. But I will be able to figure it out when I have the bike and do some similar courses.

As I said before, it really depends on your absolute power (which is important on flats) and your w/kg (as it'll affect your speed on climbs). From the gxp file it seems the course rarely has gradients above 6% but has two steady long climbs. Considering it's Ironman and a person has been prepairing for it for a while, one has to approach it as a steady tempo ride (75-86% FTP), I'd change my chainring to 56T and call it a day.
If you have ftp around 3.5-4 w/kg 52-36T front and 11-28/11-30 back will cover your needs. If it's lower or you did not train for such types of effort, than it's better to have a cassette with wider range and lower %FTP.

[Serge_K]

My FTP is waaaaay lower than Dallas, and i wouldn't run a 52 on a TT bike. But obviously, if you're not going to ride it on the flat, then it gets complicated. There are useful online tools to figure out, based on cadence, gearing and so on, the speeds at which you can ride. I can tell you that i dislike high cadences, so at 80-85 cadence, i dont want to be doing tempo in the smallest cog on the flat, because it means i spin out as soon as i start pushing, which sucks. Also, the smallest cog should always be an emergency cog, not a "i'll be doing my hard efforts in that cog".

On crank arms, be careful, you might be throwing good money after bad. I'd get pedal based power meter and shorter cranks. I'd get 165mm, now that they're cheap from China. If you plot it trigonometric-ally (?) you see how big of an impact crank length has on how high your knees go up into your chest in TT position. So it's not a marketing trick to sell more bikes. It's just objectively more comfortable to be horizontal with short cranks. And sell your 172.5mm rig before nobody wants it