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Slowtwitch Forums: Triathlon Forum:
Aerobar idea...makes sense to me

 
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dgunthert

Oct 6, 08 7:44

Post #1 of 5 (404 views)
Aerobar idea...makes sense to me Can't Post
So after reading over posts about the new P4, how to mount a bottle cage horizontally between the bars (which I did for Longhorn 70.3 and it worked great) and then the "fastest bike" thread that photoshopped the Giant prototype front end to the P4 frame, I had an inspiration. Look at that Giant front end:



That borderline legal fairing hanging below the bars could be expanded and put to good use. Doesn't it seem like a no-brainer to make a fully integrated aerobar/bottle combination? You could mold and shape the whole thing in such a way that it could be extremely aero, hold plenty of fluids, and be easy to refill. Match it to flush headset like the Giant and you'd really be in business. Even with a standard head tube, though, it seems you could make some significant functional and aerodynamic improvements over the current options that have already proven to be faster than not having anything there.

Manufacturers are really starting to treat the entire bike setup as an integrated unit rather than a collection of parts, hence the highly integrated bottle on the P4. Hard to believe this hasn't already happened for the bars and aero bottle, given how long the aero bottle has been around.


jackmott

Oct 6, 08 7:53

Post #2 of 5 (374 views)
Re: Aerobar idea...makes sense to me [dgunthert] [In reply to] Can't Post
I think it was vision tech had a water bottle thing that is exactly what you are describing there at interbike


smtyrrell99

Oct 6, 08 8:01

Post #3 of 5 (352 views)
Re: Aerobar idea...makes sense to me [dgunthert] [In reply to] Can't Post
An integrated bottle has been done, at least twice. One of L Armstrongs bikes had an bottle integrated into the frame and the Cat Cheetah also does.

I agree that a fully integrated bike is the next step, Frame, fork, bottles, parts bar wheels tool box, etc. When you don't have to worry about clearance issues and things like part compatibility you could clean up a lot of the little issues. However it would be big cost and a small market. Not many will spend the 15,000- 20,000 it would likely cost, and you have to deal with rider preferences.

Also the risk of the UCI cutting out a big part or your market by declaring something illegal. At one point Hed had a front bottle that was declared a fairing and not allowed. It looked almost identical to some of the designs at the recent shows.

I'm curious if they will do something about theforks with headtube fairings. So far they haven't but I wouldn't be surprised.

Styrrell


GregX

Oct 6, 08 8:02

Post #4 of 5 (349 views)
Re: Aerobar idea...makes sense to me [jackmott] [In reply to] Can't Post
very cool idea. maybe giant is working on it as we speak. (but it is sort of crazy that giant has not made the bike pictured above available for sale, they'd make an easy killing with the multi-sport crowd ... )

the vision tech bottle was completely different and not super original. it was pretty much an outright copy of a hed design that's at least 10 years old (afaik, no longer made). it was oriented much more in the fore-aft direction and had more of a canoe-shaped profile.
"Half of what we taught you is wrong. Unfortunately, we do not know which half."
-- Dean and cardiologist C. S. Burwell to a Harvard Med School graduating class.
Where would you want to swim ?


dgunthert

Oct 6, 08 11:41

Post #5 of 5 (209 views)
Re: Aerobar idea...makes sense to me [smtyrrell99] [In reply to] Can't Post
I know that integrating the bottle with the frame (like the Cheetah) has been done before the P4. I'm just wondering why it hasn't been done with the bars. It seems like you could gain as much or more. Think how well you could make it flow and work as a fairing while still being completely functional.

I can't imagine a setup like I'm describing being declared illegal without the same happening to the P4. Make the bottle removable and you'd cover you backside even a bit more. The bars certainly wouldn't have to be specific to a bike model. The best option would be an integrated stem, but you could make them work with a standard stem. If you did, though, you would want to make sure the bottle position could be adjusted for and aft so there would be no big gaps between the back of the bottle and the front of the head tube. If you did make the bottle removable as mentioned, you could even make a couple of different bottle options that would match up more accurately with various length/width head tubes.

If I knew how to work with carbon fiber, I might even try taking a shot at this.