its been done by a number of pros and people here too --- its just a Vision lever with the tab ground off.

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Want: 58cm Cervelo Soloist. PM me if you have one to sell

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There's always this, too:

http://www.hedcycling.com/...tent=3rd_Brake_Lever

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"100% of the people who confuse correlation and causation end up dying."

So, I gotta wonder... why?

If I'm reaching for the brake, then by definition aren't I trying to slow down? Does it matter if I'm less aero as I'm trying to slow down? I can reach for the right brake on the bullhorn while keeping my left arm in the aero bars, so it's not *that* big a disruption to tap the brake if I'm just trying to scrub a little speed into a corner.

Still don't understand why they do this.
The extra lever just slows you down when you wanna go fast.
If slowing down is your goal, just sit up, or even just move one hand from the aerobars.

Yes, but sitting up requires more effort than squeezing a lever. If you are comfortably in the aero bars, why come out just to slow down a little?

>Still don't understand why they do this.

Check out this thread for the answer. This guy was was going into turns at 30+MPH in a TT were one second covers ten places. He made a braking mistake early that probably cost him 10 places. Removing a hand from the aero bars while setting up a line into a sharp turn at 30MPH is both dicey and aerodynamically inefficient.

I agree that there's little point on an IM bike, but this is a Liquigas bike.

For controling position in line, and when changing order, in the team time trial?

That set up is illegal for use in ITU AG races (forward facing brake lever)

there is a similar purpose built lever built by JTEK Engineering

http://jtekengineering.com/AeroBrake.htm

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http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

It's not for braking per say. It's for scrubbing speed going into a slight corner, or backing off out of the drafting zone without getting out of aero. I have one on my bike and think it's worthwhile.

If for some reason I have a panic stop, I'm NOT grabbing for the 3rd brake. I'm getting on the horns and hitting both.

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Punching cockroaches from day 1.

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http://www.tri-junkie.com/

Is that a Zipp disc with Hed stickers on it?

Check the jtek link I posted... they have the integrated one for shimano and campy and a generic camp one that might work.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

depending on it's braking effciency I think it might be a good idea for folks that have to ride the TT bike on open roads and courses, sometimes you need to slow down for things other than a sweeper, cars, people, deer

yeah, I said deer, that's some scary shit righ there

+1.

Besides, I want to get out of aero for ergonomic reasons as much as possible. If I can pop up to scrub speed it eases stress on my crotch, perhaps my low back, my neck and my shoulders.

There are other reasons for the third hand brake lever. I use one on my TT bike and have for many years.

If you are decending at 40-45mph, which I do alot around these parts, with or without wind, needing to scrub some speed is a good thing, especially when its windy. Now you can sit up and reach for those brakes levers, "way out on the base bars", which at 40-45 mph in wind, is a tad dicey to say the least, when the wind catches you and pushes you all over............OR...........you can move one finger from the shifter to the little front brake lever and scrub a few mph without catching any wind, thus not needing to deal with the wind at all. Its worth is weight in gold at 40-45mph!!!

I also use it in courses with alot of turns. I can scrub a few MPH as needed without getting out of aero and breeze right through a corner without sitting up, braking, gaining speed back and going back into aero. I can anticipate the corner, brake with ONE finger, take the corner and keep right on going at 20-25mph. No need to break aero in corners.

We all obsess over grams of weight, tiny watts here and there, tiny aero changes to frontal area, hiding shift/brake cables from air flow, but we don't care to hold aero positions through corners that can save alot of time and effort over a 40k bike leg? Maybe not you.....but I will : )

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Paul

You make a good point. But really, if I need to scrub a little speed why hold aero? What you do with a little squeeze of your finger from the aero position, I can do by sitting up and not really touching the brakes.

But when talking about 25 mph turns...I'm working on making the turn in aero position, scrubbing no speed, and continuing to pedal.

You may be right about slowing down at 45mph. But I'm not sure I would ever do that. I just ride it out. 60mph would be fine with me. I'm not sure I've ever encountered a situation where a breeze could take me off my bike when lifting up from the aero position that couldn't also blow me out of my line while still in the aero position. I feel pretty stable switching from aerobars to bullhorns even when it's very fast.

I don't mean to knock your solution. I'm sure that you use it to it's best advantage. I just think that with technique and tactical changes I do just as well without it.

One more thing that just came to mind. The real issue with our TT bikes is being able to get on the brakes fast in an emergency. This can happen in a race, but is much more likely to happen in training. I think the safety argument is enough to justify having brakes there.

those third brake levers may not help much in most emergency situations though.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Yeah, I don't know if they are usually wired in to the front or the rear brakes.
I am imagining an emergency situation where there's not enough time to get to the bull horns and still stop on time. Using the 3rd brake you may get half your speed scrubbed?...maybe more like 5mph less really.
But the OP showed a setup that had both brake levers on the aerobars and theoretically they could offer the same braking value as the bullhorn brakes.
Imagine if Rappstar had brakes under his hands when that truck turned in front of him at perhaps 25mph? Let's say he'd been able to brake that down to 15 before impact?

Hahaha. Good eyes!

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Chris Thornham
Co-Founder And Previous Owner Of FLO Cycling

I'm guessing that's Basso's bike. Back in 06 most of CSC was using them. They said reason was for the ability to scrub speed in the Team TT. I actually had exact setup on my first tri bike. I used it give me confidence at intersections, cover brake just incase somebody turns infront of me. Once I got comfy aero, it was removed. The brake lever feel is kinda mushy, need to add a spring to the caliper. If ya want pics, I can post them, think I still have them on my computer at home. Ya run that lever on the aero bar inline like a cyclocross lever. Need a tandem inner brake cable to run from lever, up aerobar to 2nd lever, back down other side then to caliper.

There are detailed setup instructions on Park Tools's site for those interested.

Actually, it's a Mavic.