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Home > Forum > Triathlon Forum > Low basebar + risers vs. high basebar, no risers

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Low basebar + risers vs. high basebar, no risers
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oleks
Jun 2, 23 4:55
Post #1 of 6 (1021 views)
I own an old BMC TM01 (2014) that is still quite adjustable in the front part - thanks to 2 angled and 2 regular spacers that allow 32 different stem positions out of the box.
I use Profile Design Svet R basebar + Sonic bracket kit and I can easily set up the position I find comfortable with the spacers only.

Modern tri bicycles use low basebar + spacers setup and I can achieve almost identical position by lowering the basebar and using a pair of additional Profile Design 5mm risers. One potential benefit of that could be a bit lower frontal area when I'm on the hoods. I do not care about an additional 100 grams of weight.

Does the setup with lower basebar (5cm) + a set of spacers have an aero advantage over the higher baserbar with no risers? Does it make sense at all doing it on such a bike?
Слава Україні 🇺🇦✊
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Re: Low basebar + risers vs. high basebar, no risers [oleks] [ In reply to ]
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mathematics
Jun 2, 23 5:33
Post #2 of 6 (980 views)
Basebar risers are usually bulkier and have a greater frontal area than the relatively skinny aerobar risers. It's a reasonable guess to just look at their frontal area and see which combo has the least.
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Re: Low basebar + risers vs. high basebar, no risers [oleks] [ In reply to ]
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DoronG
Jun 2, 23 7:25
Post #3 of 6 (915 views)
Generally, lower basebars will put you in a more aero position, but I would put comfort before aero.
Although you should be spending as little time on the basebars and as much time on the aerobar, you still will be on them and so should be very comfortable and not create secondary issues such as back/arm pain.
So I would find the basebar height that is lowest but is very comfortable and work the aerobars height from there.
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Re: Low basebar + risers vs. high basebar, no risers [oleks] [ In reply to ]
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lightheir
Jun 2, 23 7:32
Post #4 of 6 (903 views)
The only reason I have no risers on my basebar is because I'm small/short, and my bike size is already small - if I go XS, I'm dealing with 650c wheels, which I'd rather not do since all my other bike wheels are 700c.

If I were a normal or tall sized-person, I'd probably prefer low basebar/high aerobars just because it keeps you more aero when you're leaving the aerobars to brake, hopefully only for a short time. Plus, it's always possible to remove more aerobar riser spacers with a low basebar - whereas in my situation, I wish my basebar could lower another inch for more aero, but the bike doesn't go that low.
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Re: Low basebar + risers vs. high basebar, no risers [oleks] [ In reply to ]
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desert dude
Jun 2, 23 7:33
Post #5 of 6 (901 views)
oleks wrote:

Does the setup with lower basebar (5cm) + a set of spacers have an aero advantage over the higher baserbar with no risers? Does it make sense at all doing it on such a bike?


How fast are you going? The rule of thumb has been the faster you are the more separation you want between basebar and pads. The slower you are you'll want more headtube space.
My guess is it'll pretty much be a wash or +/- a couple of three watts...at most.

You would probably see as much if not more benefit by playing w/ stack height. I've seen A Lot of people go up .5-1.5cm with 0 aero penalty and sometimes less drag even.

To me, if you're not going to test this is searching for an answer that you can't be sure of the outcome. In that case I'd go with whichever option is the most comfortable for you and the safest for you

Hope that helps
Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

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Re: Low basebar + risers vs. high basebar, no risers [mathematics] [ In reply to ]
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oleks
Jun 2, 23 9:29
Post #6 of 6 (863 views)
mathematics wrote:
Basebar risers are usually bulkier and have a greater frontal area than the relatively skinny aerobar risers. It's a reasonable guess to just look at their frontal area and see which combo has the least.

I have a feeling that the frontal area of 2 aerobar risers combined is comparable to the basebar one.

desert dude wrote:
How fast are you going? The rule of thumb has been the faster you are the more separation you want between basebar and pads. The slower you are you'll want more headtube space.
My guess is it'll pretty much be a wash or +/- a couple of three watts...at most.

You would probably see as much if not more benefit by playing w/ stack height. I've seen A Lot of people go up .5-1.5cm with 0 aero penalty and sometimes less drag even.

To me, if you're not going to test this is searching for an answer that you can't be sure of the outcome. In that case I'd go with whichever option is the most comfortable for you and the safest for you

Hope that helps

I'm among the fastest bike splits in my AG usually.
I started with the highest basebar position initially and lowered it gradually so I could maintain good form over the distance. I'm definitely faster now compared to me 8 years ago, but my power output has also increased over time. I did not test my position and can, probably, rely on subjective feeling only.

As far as I noticed, back in 2015-2016 some pro males in Kona had a setup with a high basebar (especially on BMCs) while it is nonsense now. That's why I thought that trying to apply the low basebar on an old tri bike might make sense.
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