Frame bottles are generally a bad idea. Do you have any issues taking nutrition from an aid station?

yeah, that's the issue: too many issues with volunteers not letting go of bottles, not being ready, and the bigger issue of not doing well on the drink mix they provide (hypoglycemia and I need higher sodium levels).

So, that aside, realizing that I want my own drink mix, don't want to slow down for possibly unprepared volunteers and don't want to refill a bottle or get out of an aero position or litter my bike with bottles, and as a grad student I don't have the resources to head to a wind tunnel this year; so, do the photos above appear to be showing much of an aero penalty?

---

wovebike.com | Wove on instagram

My guess is there is an aero penalty but the error bars around that penalty are very large. The high end of that penalty does not outweigh the issues you mention with on-course nutrition for yourself IMO. You could always field test your setup if you have a power meter (Chung Virtual Elevation method). An alternative setup on a Speed Concept might be a Magnum bottle, Torhans cap, and an Elite Crono CX bottle on your down tube/seat tube, and a Speedfil A2. Off the top, I think that only comes to 55oz and you'd lose the insulation.

field testing it is. thanks!

the other option is good, but getting back to multiple bottles littering the bike. I just have to wonder about the penalty. There is ~1cm more bottle showing on top, though this also fills the space between the arms and possibly smooths air that would be hitting my chest/hips. Is that penalty hypothetically greater than Frodeno's and Seb's behind the saddle bottle, bottle hand offs and bottle refills?

I guess I'll have to get out there and figure it out.

---

wovebike.com | Wove on instagram

The only way to know is to test.

A bottle behind the saddle is often drag negative btw (meaning it actually reduces drag). I can't speak to Frodo but Sebi has a reputation for carefully scrutinizing his setup on the bike. I'm sure he's done the math on bottle handoffs etc.

note: going to use my 920xt mounted under my wrist since I'll be swimming and running with it, so no top mounted 520 - that will help a tad with it being streamlined. heck, at that point, I'm not seeing it exposed any more than what is shown in the instagram photo of Ryf in the Ryf new wheels thread.

---

wovebike.com | Wove on instagram

#8. You don't want to be able to see how much fluid you've drank or how much you have left.

---

----------------------------------------------------------
Zen and the Art of Triathlon. Strava Workout Log
Interviews with Chris McCormack, Helle Frederikson, Angela Naeth, and many more.
http://www.zentriathlon.com

update: ok, this thing is ridiculous, but I like it because it's easy to clean, at Raleigh 70.3 when others were taking fluids at aid stations, I left them behind and never saw them again, stainless steel rather than plastic, stays cool, and it's pretty well hidden from the front and the sides, and it doesn't leak or splash.

I'm going to be adding the below style mounting system for quicker and more secure mounting:


And, I'm tilting my bars up a tad so it's even more hidden, and I'm adding the specialized magnet for the straw to keep it more out of the wind.

I'll add photos when I feel it's "complete" to show the mounting hardware to how it's hidden by my arms and hands.

what I don't like: the weight on the front end. it's not an issue except when descending down twisty roads and turbulence off of trucks grabs thing and the front end.

---

wovebike.com | Wove on instagram

I do like the idea, especially in preserving the temperature. The only question I have is if you do a hilly 70.3, carrying 4+ lbs. of fluid (along with the extra weight of the metal?) wouldn't be too much to balance the saved time of refilling/aid station hand-offs? Even on a flat course there is some penalty but I wouldn't have the slightest how much 2 lbs. matters

---

808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

so, I was carrying 3 bottles anyways: two up front back to back and one behind the saddle, because I can't do the gatorade on the course. I seem to be OK on climbs, living in an extremely hilly area. If a 56mile course had more than 2.5k of climbing, I think I would be a bit concerned. Though, if the hills are late in the course, like at Raleigh, most of the fluid is gone and I'm OK.

Aside from refilling, there's also the fact that I never have to remove my bottle, or switch bottles. That has to count for something.

I've thought about creating a single layer stainless steel 68oz bottle that acts as a nose cone and bta bottle to scale down the frontal area and lower the center of mass, cover the bottle/cone in insulated foam and then cover in carbon fiber - it's a possibility that I'll consider this winter.

---

wovebike.com | Wove on instagram

Funny I run the a2 and elite but can you explain that bottle and why you need a torhans cap?

---

Follow me on Twitter @CK21TRHC
I use what I love: ISM, Blue70, Trek, FLO

The Magnum bottle is a standard, cheap water bottle. It has a high capacity. I don't know why I mentioned Torhans. Probably just mis-spoke. What I meant to say was run a Speedfil A2 on the Magnum bottle. IIRC it works out to 35 or 36oz because the A2 gives you just a bit of extra capacity. With the Elite bottle it's about 52oz which, for me, is enough for a 70.3 provided it's not too hot.

Do u know or confirm that bottle does have a thread that works with the a2? I know it is a special thread
Thanks

---

Follow me on Twitter @CK21TRHC
I use what I love: ISM, Blue70, Trek, FLO

Mine Magnum bottles are about three years old and I know they've gone through one revision since then (at least according to the Amazon reviews). My setup works. I can't comment on the newer bottles. That said, Performance Bike has a 28 oz bottle that has a Specialized compatible thread.