My suggestion is to simply go to a pro fitter. My bike positions are radically different and I'm extremely comfortable on both the road and TT. I can't find a single measurement thats comparable, but both positions are extremely fast. Sorry, but a good fitter can dial this in...for a premium. But, you can get those measurements forever and simply modify slightly as you age. Worth every penny IMO.

+1

"I have decided to dial in the fit and take advantage of the duality of the bike."

can you elaborate on this? how, in practice, are you going to do this? set it up for tri, w/clip-ons, and then take the clip-ons off when it's just for road? that kind of thing?

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Sure thing. And if this makes no sense or is just plain dumb, i'm all ears!

1) either get a new "tri cockpit" and switch things out when switching modes. I realize this is somewhat time intensive, but as i don't do a lot of races (can't find a lot in Alabama...), but it is cheaper than a whole new tri bike, especially when authorization from the boas would probably lead to my demise.

Or 2) find a happy medium with a more tri-like fit with my road bars and clip ons. This is sorta what i did when i bought the bike, but have messed around with it some, which i realize i should not have done.

Am I misguided for my plan/thoughts?

Also, would I be charged for 2 x fits at a shop for this?

You would have to talk to he fitter. They probably would not charge for 2 full fits. It would probably be 1 full fit and a discounted second fit. If you get lucky they may only charge you for 1 fit.

This is just me talking and am willing to take criticism.

I've put a lot of time into my draft legal bike fit this year and what I've found is that there is a for/aft saddle position that allows me to put as much power as I can on that road bike. It is a little further back than my tri bike but not a whole lot, I think it's about 4 cm.

I've found that position from riding on the trainer as well as the road, it appears to be a sweet spot for me for that particular bike. It actually took me a few weeks to find it.

After finding that, I positioned my drop bars so that with my elbows slightly bent, I can get my hip angle down to ~95° while on the hoods. That is my road position. When I put my shorty aerobars on the drop bars I positioned the pads the same distance away from the saddle as my tri bike (I use the same type of saddle on both bikes). My extensions can only go as far as the brake hoods to be draft legal so I was restricted there. If I didn't have that restriction the extensions would be about an inch longer.

I've done threshold intervals on that bike so I can compare the speed and power I produce to my tri bike. While I produce the same power, I'm a little slower on the DL bike probably cuz I a bit higher.

Hope this helps

In my profile you can see the fit coordinates. The bikes I'm talking about are my DA4 and Cannondale CAAD5.

jaretj

Check out the products these guys have come up with (redshift sports). I don't have them, so I can't provide much more information, but I've seen them is person and they look like a great solution to exactly this type of problem.

As far as the bike fit and related charges, I'd think you have to work with the fitter to come to an agreement. But there's at least a chance if you go in with these you might be able to get a really good solution for both road and tri fit at a somewhat reasonable price.

I've wrestled with having one bike for everything for years as well. I live in a pretty small London flat with 2 little kids and just can't have more than one bike. I've done some of my fastest races with less training on road bikes with aero bars, but paid for a Retul bike fit. I don't have the space so my mentality has been to have a good enough road bike fit and optimised Tri fit as much as possible. I can't ride a Tri bike on my work commute all the time (that includes extra miles), so convert back to road set up most of the year.

Maybe it's my body, flexibility, etc...but seems like I just have to change the stem angle and move the seat slightly up and back too achieve a decent road position. My caveat is that I haven't ridden or been setup on a "super Tri bike" so don't know if I would be a lot faster. I do know that I can comfortably sit in aero position almost all day on those converted road bike positions which probably gives me a lot of free speed/time. I have an S5 and from everything I have read, it's as fast as a P4, which is fast enough for me!

Like others said, I think most bike fitters will give you a rough idea of a good road setup if you go get a Tri bike fit. I think the Tri bike fit is more complicated to get right than the road bike (just my view and maybe I have never been optimised for a road fit so can't tell if I'm missing out).

Pics below of my fit and bike (yes, I'm not super low and probably can't get low with my short-ish torso and arms).

2011 - cervelo p2
2012 - Specialized Tarmac sl3
2013 - cervelo s5

Lightning33 - As bgoldstein mentioned, the Redshift Quick-Release Aerobars might be a good solution for your front end. You mount a small bracket on the handlebar and then the aerobars themselves attach and remove in a few seconds. If you have any questions about them, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them.

I did want to clarify that the Redshift Dual-Position Seatpost is currently not compatible with your bike because of your S1's aero seatpost.

Full disclosure - I'm one of the founders of Redshift Sports, so obviously I think our products are great. YMMV.

I may misunderstand your product or wasn't clear with my question. My bike has the Cervelo seat post head that flips forward. I don't know if your seat, although a mute point, gets further forward. Also, I have clip-on aero bars, just not sure I like the pads/way to clamp to my road bar. I pretty much leave them attached.

My purpose with my initial question was to refine my fit and see if I could do 2 x fits for my bike which is touted as being to do double duty (road and tri).

I found this. Thoughts?

http://www.bikefit.com/...bikestime-trial.aspx

http://www.bikefit.com/s-13-road-bikes.aspx

It's all about geometry lightning and as was said before go see a pro. And as a fitter I can safely say that every fit is different.

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Robert Driskell
Certified Master Body Geometry fit Technician
Certified Master Retul Fit Technician
Zipp Service Course Specialist
Bikes Plus Pensacola Florida