I *think* that cockpit is exclusive to Factor bikes. Agree though, looks promising. FYI while the Zipp cups are awesome (I have them on my Speed Concept) I think TriRig's new cups are the best on the market.

l

Hmm. Not sure where my actual repy went! I intended to mention that Mat's cups look the same as the new Zipp Vuka clipon cups that Rapp had on his IM to Texas Andean. Perhaps a collaboration with 51Speedshop and Zipp?

I think the basebar is exclusive to Factor bikes but I think the mono riser, aerobar pads/hardware, and extensions is what Mat is releasing. Though I'm not sure how the mono riser would fit other basebars. I guess we'll just have to see.

I'm assuming you are talking about the tririg ergo cups and not the ultralight one's. They do look nice and I like the shape of them (oval) as well as the zipps. I feel like oval shaped cups will hug me more and keep me more comfortable so I can stay aero longer. Though it's hard to justify spending more than double the cost of the zipps to get the tririgs when I don't see too much of a difference.

---

blog

Buddy do not say that about TriRigs cups as that will just cause me to spend more money.

ON TOPIC - I am interested in seeing more about this aero bar system.

Spend the money, it's worth it. I'm not a TriRig fanboy by any stretch but I'll give credit where credit is due. It makes a big difference on 2+ hour rides especially if the roads are rough. In addition to being well shaped and well cushioned they're a bit "grippy" which lets you really relax your upper body.

Are you referring to the ergo cups?

I just noticed the pads were "grippy" as I was looking at photos. Hadn't noticed that before. The shape does look perfect for what I'm looking for. Damn you.

---

blog

I didn't know there were different cups until I read your post, I checked them out and they are exactly what I need! Went to order them and they want 52 bucks for shipping to Canada... Ouch!! Forget that!

Who ships to Canada. Every Canadian has a drop box in the US don't they. lol.

Part of the similarity with Zipp may be that Dave Ripley is Mat's partner at 51. Dave was a long time Zipp employee in product management, so it's not surprising. He still lives in Indy and is still good friends with pretty much everyone at Zipp. So there may be a lot of "cross pollination" going on there. I've asked Dave and/or Mat to reply here.

---

"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

I wish I did! I am in remote Canada though... anyone want to make a quick 20 bucks :)

Hot damn... I was bugging Steinmetz for his pads on Instagram but these will probably do the trick. Solid upgrade and actually a decent price. $75 for cups/pads... when pads alone cost $35-40 anywhere else... pretty reasonable.

We've been working on this project for over a year now and are really excited to launch our product range later this summer/fall.


Bike fitters have first hand experience working with athletes aboard their bikes/components. They understand how products need to be adapted and conformed to meet the needs of the rider. Often, small details that are important to rider comfort, future adjustment, and general use are overlooked. We are paying attention to those details and are essentially reverse engineering products focusing first on the contact points.

I feel that with our fit knowledge, engineering team, and world class manufacturing we will make products that allow athletes to go faster by perfecting the human-bike interaction.

Our first products to market will be extensions, arm cups/pads, and bar tape...available for purchase around July. There are many more products in the works that will optimize comfort, improve fit, and aerodynamics.

Initial product has been delivered to the AG2R professional cycling team. A few triathletes are also riding the extensions and cups. We have made a few modifications to the aero bar system, which is in the testing phase now and will see a late 3Q - early 4Q launch.

The bar you see on the Factor Slick will be available as an aftermarket product. Stem, bar, cups, extensions...

I can post some more pictures shortly, but here is a video of Romain Bardet's bike with a prototype 51SS cockpit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3HlhMwibu4

---

Mat Steinmetz

51-SPEEDSHOP.com - instagram - @matsteinmetz - facebook

does anyone know if the ergo cups can fit on the Bayonet set up

i d love tririg cups however their spacing is only 2 cm vs 2.5cm on zipp

I believe that most are 25mm center to centers.

Our vertical cup bolt pattern is 12.5mm (25mm) with 3x10mm lateral adjustment.

---

Mat Steinmetz

51-SPEEDSHOP.com - instagram - @matsteinmetz - facebook

Do they tri rigs fit on your trek SC?

I'd go check but my Alpha X with the ergo cups is currently lent out to a friend :/ I believe I've tried and the answer is no but don't 100% hold me to that. No harm in reaching out to Nick at TriRig.

Thanks for chiming in here Mat and for the information.

If I may pry a bit more.... so what's different about the pad holders/cups than other offerings out there? I'm assuming the goal was to make something that is supportive and comfortable (along with flexibility in the fit/setup) with the hopes that athletes can maintain their position for their desired time/distance. How do these accomplish that compared to others that you have seen?

Not question the design, just trying to learn here...

---

blog

Almost every single aerobar I have ever used has a 25mm (12.5mm between holes) center to center with the exception of the TriRig armrests (20mm) which most likely is by design to ensure that you can only use their armrests. I am going to try and modify some HED armrests by using a dremel to make a connection between the holes (long slot) that will allow me to use these armrests as I like the feel of the HED armrest.

I ended up ordering the ergo cups yesterday to try them out. Figured it couldn't hurt to try them out.

Just went through some old information this morning, the SC pad holders are 15 mm center to center both directions. The ergo's are 15.5 mm center to center laterally. Bummer.

---

blog

Dremel!

I just was looking at my HED armrests that I have a couple of pairs and they are very light at 68g for the pair compared to the light versions of the TriRig's at 115g and the new Ergo version at 230g.

If I can get more comfort and go lighter I am all over that.

This was not at all the design intent. When I designed the original Alpha Classic, the 20mm spacing came naturally out of the shape of the design and the ideal dimensions for everything. Wider spacing would mean more room needed for the mounting surface, less room for cables, and/or a broader wing that would possibly create knee clearance issues.

Maybe 25mm would have been achievable without significantly hurting these goals. But at the time I didn't do a survey of what other brands were using for spacing. The goal wasn't to limit (or ensure) broader cup compatibility. It simply wasn't addressed.

The 15.5mm horizontal spacing came from the design goal to eliminate occlusion of the extension pinch bolt hole in the Alpha Classic, that was the horizontal spacing between thru-bolts and the pinch bolt.

Then when I moved to Alpha X, I kept the same spacing so that I could continue to use our existing arm cup molds. And then when making the Ergo Cups, of course needed to keep the same spacing.

The Ergo Cups were never really intended as an aftermarket product, but they've become really popular due to great customer feedback. Perhaps in the future we will consider a version with slots in the spacing to promote broader compatibility, but at this time they're just meant as an Alpha X upgrade.

---

--
TriRig.com