Titanium Triathlon Bike for Tall Guys

In the world of triathlon bikes, if you are over 6’4″ there is simply no bike that will fit. Until now.

Clydesdale Bicycles has been listening to the requests from our tall customers and we are excited to offer an XXL triathlon bike for tall guys in our line up. This bike is truly designed for tall riders and is fully race capable in any type of triathlon or time trial. The titanium frame is light and strong and the geometry will be optimal for triathlons and time trials.

Going fast in a triathlon or time trial requires more than a sleek-looking aero bike; it also requires a good fit on a bike that supports the rider so comfortably in an aerodynamic riding position that he or she can hold that position without moving around to relieve discomfort when pedaling hard. Big riders naturally produce a lot of power, and their large bodies also create a lot of wind resistance. Physics tells us that a big rider has a speed advantage over smaller riders on a flat course provided they can drop their aerodynamic drag sufficiently. The Clydesdale Tri allows them to take that advantage. Click here to read about the physics of aerodynamics in a triathlon and how the Clydesdale Tri makes a tall triathlete faster.

These titanium triathlon bikes for big guys are built super tough and come in 2XL, 3XL, and 4XL for riders from 6’4″ to 7’2″. This bike is available with two main component packages; Shimano 105 mechanical shifting and Sram eTAP AXS electronic shifting. We have multiple wheel options depending on your needs. Please request a quote so we can send you an itemized price list for either option.

The Tri comes with specialized components to provide a smoother, more comfortable ride as well as optimized aerodynamics and powerful performance, including:

• 2×11 Speed Components
• Aero bars and shifters
• Enve Carbon Fork
• Hydraulic Disc Brakes
• Handbuilt, Bomb-Proof Wheels or factory built race wheels
• Titanium Frame

Over 80% of the aerodynamic drag of a bike and rider is the drag on the rider’s body, and around half of the remaining drag is created by the wheels. Since a big rider can have just as aerodynamic of wheels as a small rider, that’s a wash, which brings us to the frame. You can easily see that a titanium Clydesdale Tri frame is not as aerodynamic as, for example, a Specialized Shiv or a Cervelo P5. On the other hand, those bikes will not fit a 6’4” or taller rider; no company makes the huge investment in the molds required to make each size of a carbon frame for riders whose height makes them a tiny percentage of potential customers. What the titanium Clydesdale Tri offers is to support a rider who is too tall for those bikes in the most aerodynamic and pedaling-efficient position possible without giving away any of his power in the flexing of flat frame tubes. Read more.

This XXL triathlon bike is truly for tall guys, as it’s available in sizes 2XL through 4XL. We can accommodate riders up to 7’2 tall! To ensure you get the most out of your bike, we carefully engineered the proportions of the frame instead of just scaling it up. You get aero handlebars for better aero position, 180mm cranks for better pedaling efficiency without sacrificing the aero position, and custom wheels built in our Boulder, CO shop. You can also choose to upgrade to aero wheels for racing.

The good news from physics for the big rider is that aerodynamic drag is proportional to surface area while human power output tends to be proportional to body volume. In other words, assuming a similar level of fitness, a bigger rider can produce more power than a smaller one related to the cube of how much bigger they are, whereas their wind drag will go up only related to the square of how much bigger they are. The Clydesdale Tri makes the most of this inherent advantage a big rider has by positioning him to block less wind as well as be comfortable on the bike, pedaling efficiently. Read more. 

We love titanium for our XXXL bike frames, in addition to every other size. Titanium is half the weight of steel and just as strong. Our designers know that larger diameter tubing built with titanium provides more stiffness and strength, better fatigue resistance, and increased power transfer than other metals. It also has amazing compliance and ensures a comfortable ride over all types of terrain. Unlike steel or aluminum, titanium can never corrode, but you can also paint it for a unique look.

In addition to using premium titanium for our frames and top-quality materials for all our other components, we also use spoke tension meters, wheel building stands, and high-tech spoke wrenches when building wheels on this bike for big guys.