The short answer is that the only way to know is to test.

If you could move the Aero 30 closer I would guess that would be a faster setup. I've seen a lot of people test with it (or claim to test with it) faster. In the Aero Camp thread IIRC it was the fastest hydration setup IF you could get it within 0.5" to 1" (again going from memory).

The X-Lab is certainly a safe bet for not imposing an aero penalty.... there is a slight chance the Aero 30 imposes a small penalty that far away from you head tube.

Personally, if I didn't know and I could get away with the capacity of the X-Lab I'd go that route.

May enhance. Move it closer. I've seen some really good results with the 30 but it's not 100% across the board.

testing it the only sure fire way to be certain.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Have you considered using a Specialized Virtue bottle? It mates better with a Blue Triad as a frame bottle.

Thanks. I'm trying to remold the bottle to get it closer than 1.5". I appreciate the help.

No; I haven't taken a look at that. Think I'll see if I can find one to check it out. Thanks.

remold?

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

Interested in exactly the same two hydration options. If remolding of the Aero 30 is successful, would be really great to see pics, and read how it was done.

I just meant heating and bending the bottle so I can snug it a bit closer, as the aerobar interferes with it at just 1 place.

Ok, how are you doing that? I need to do it too

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

Used a very hot clothes iron with some cloth to act as a buffer of sorts. It worked fairly well, as I got it to under an inch away. I'll use a fit of neoprene or silicone sealant, as I'm sure I got some pinholes, but as there's no real pressure it should be good.

Speedfil tested the best on our aerobar. Sits lower and closer to the rider.

Hope that helps.

Thanks Steve! Was that the A2? If so, couldn't configure it to be useable for me. Straw position was awkward.

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Gary Geiger
http://www.geigerphoto.com Professional photographer

TEAM KiWAMi NORTH AMERICA http://www.kiwamitri.com, Rudy Project http://www.rudyprojectusa.com, GU https://guenergy.com/shop/ ; Salming World Ambassador; https://www.shopsalming.com

Hey Gary,

I'll chime in. First, we did do our comparative testing on that exact bike at A2 back in 2011. So I do have a lot of data for that bike. Although of course you may think my opinion is bias, I do believe your Aero 30 at that position will be faster than any BTA set up for a number of reasons. The shape of 30 relative to your headtube, distance from headtube (pretty good), your brake cable hidden behind the bottle, and it looks low enough where you probably get a benefit to diffusing the wheel spin turbulence. I think at the lower yaws you will be well into the negative drag zone as opposed to nothing at all or a BTA. A BTA can be very good, but it is dependent on its shape, your arm position, and width of your aero extensions. And we do have a BTA coming out next month in our AeroZ, however if I were to eyeball aero which I'm obviously doing I would say your 30 would test the fastest in a wind tunnel or ERO.

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Hans Bielat
TorHans LLC Co-Founder, Owner, Chief Innovation Officer
http://www.torhans.com

Thanks so much Hans! I appreciate the great advice. I did get it a bit closer due to some modifications on the bottle. Now it sits about 1-1.25" in front of the head tube, and is low enough to just shield the top of the TriRig brake. I assume the VR helps as well?

I appreciate your experienced info, as I know this bike was one used for testing a while back. I am serious in my age group competition, but I'm an older athlete and I'm afraid testing is beyond my means, so visuals and advice from experts such as yourself mean a lot to me.

Gary