Following this thread :). Do let us know how it rides compared to your other bikes and especially if you have any aero testing done!

I know they will be releasing the data next week from an independent group. I will definitely be updating this thread with as much info as possible. feel free to PM me. I am fairly certain I've asked about every question under the sun to the guys and learned a lot.

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

It is a particularly strange looking bike but I've never noticed any time bonuses granted to me in a race based upon my stylish outfits.

I'm interested to hear how the water "bottle" integration works. It seems like a long way from the bottle to your mouth.

I also wonder why these high end niche manufacturers even bother with accomodation for anything but electronic shifting? If it's truly a Superbike, why bother with inferior components that add complexity and cost to the frame?

You can ask them directly. I presume they'll come back to the 'ask us anything about the new Ventum' thread:

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=5648222

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'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'

At the end of the day it's still about making money on a product and with that you have to look at price points. If I'm not mistaken they only offer three different options and two of them are electric and the third being a frame set only. As for the bottle the hydration unit is much aligned with the shiv in terms of placement and having a drinking straw coming out of it. Personally I like that I can remove it and wash it. I also prefer that it hold a lot more fluid that the shiv. I owned the Shiv Sworks and I never even attempted to use the hydration unit because pulling the bag and putting it in was a pain.

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

That's why I started this thread. Jimmy Seears one of the founders and designers of the bike started a thread about the bike but doesn't have all the time in the World to be answering every question. I reached out to them and said I would be starting this and they said they would be happy to help me answer any questions that people may have.

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

So I have had quite a few people PM me with questions and here is some of the info I know

1) The Junction box is hidden in the front ferring and is very accessible and keeps the bike looking clean.

2) The nutrition storage that Jimmy mentioned will be an "add on". It is going to be made of hard silicone and will utilize the space between the hydration bottle and the top cap/stem.

3) Right now the bike comes in matte black with a glossy ventum logo. They are working on Stickers of multiple colors people can utilize and put and remove for different races or whenever

Hope this helps.

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

Will there be a place for you to carry a large number of spare tubes? ;-)

Ha. well played. today was ridiculous man. ran out of everything after two flats and had to walk a mile down 105 to that little bike shop by the entrance to Walden. I must be buying tubes from the same place Raul is. HA!

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

whats price going to be for frame/fork etc?

Georgiatri wrote:

whats price going to be for frame/fork etc?

http://shop.ventumracing.com/collections/ventum-one

$6,250 for the frameset.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Awesome to see Ventum has passed the EU safety standards for bike frames. As of now it will be interesting to see if any of the other "forward thinking" frames will participate in this testing and a big IF that they will pass. Fairly certain I don't want my frame cracking mid ride or seatpost cracking. Ventum seems to be covering all the bases when it comes to building the ACTUAL fastest bike in the world.

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

Wasn't this bike basically made in The 90's? How much is this costing people?

the concept was developed in the 90's but there has been a tremendous amount of time and advancement made into this design to improve aero dynamics WITH the rider on the bike AND with bottles and How the bike was ridden. It will be interesting to see the claims others make about their bikes and how they were tested. I guess I'm not really sure i understand your comment? Are you questioning how much advancement has actually been made or are you asking how safe is the bike?

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

I got mine!!! SUPER Pumped.

First off I want to say a HUGE thank you to Diaa, Jimmy and Neville at Ventum for making this happen. I got the unique opportunity to go to Miami and build my bike out with Jimmy Seears in their temporary warehouse ( pretty funny actually as we were in this big open space with what appeared to be a bunch of repo'd cars or something) They will be moving into their final digs next week. I will detail out the build then discuss how the bike feels after spending a 150 miles on it in two days.

1. The Build having been apart of 4 builds ( all super bikes) I will say this one was by FAR the easiest I've ever been apart of. Because there is no downtube and the seat post is so wide it makes everything go through super quick. Now there was already lines pre run to help pull the wires for the Di2 go thru and brake cables. we ( jimmy ;-) ) had them pulled through in 10 mins. Junction box A sits under the ferring on the front and is hidden from view where it is super clean. junction box B sits in the space near the BB and has plenty of room to be able to work with it. The rear derailleur screws into a hanger ( replacement hanger is given with purchase of bike as well) The stem and cockpit can be cut multiple ways to accommodate people for multiple fit options. you can bring the base bar up and and not use as many spacers under the pads to achieve the correct height and use a regular stem cap. Not as clean as the other option but helps if you need to adjust your fit. You can also have a lower base bar with the cockpit slammed and you can use more spacers under the pads to achieve the correct height. That will allow you to use the wire cover ( a sturdy hard plastic piece ) and it screws directly into the stem and covers the brake wire to the rear along with the Di2 wires. The ferring up front does a wonderful job of cover up the front brake, junction box and wires.

2. The ride- wow. This bike doesn't know how to go slow. I'm aware that people will say I'm biased and it's the "honeymoon phase" but i've owned and ridden enough bikes in my life to know how certain things feel and how they react. I also know the roads I ride on around here and what my normal speeds would be at specific wattages. for example I will normally average speed wise around 20.5-20.8 around here with an average watts of 200-210 for a longish ride. Yesterday I went out with a small group of guys to ride and we took off at our normal smooth pace and I jumped out front to pull to see how the bike would react. Well, I stuck to my normal wattage and effort level I normally would on a group ride and I split the group up in the first 5 miles and it ended up being me and one other guy. we took it a little easier on the way back and we were riding abreast and bull crapping so not a good opportunity to to see. Overall speed was right at 21mph for 65 miles so i was pleasantly surprised that it was that fast. Avg watts was 201. this morning I went out and rode 82 miles solo and wanted to see what the bike could produce under normal training parameters. I didn't have the 808's on yesterday or today that came with the bike. Normal training wheels. today was wow. had a pretty good headwind coming back after it being pretty still going out. the bike just goes. I avg'd 207 watts for the ride today ( nothing special, just a normal ride) and I avg'd 21.7mph. the bike is just fast. It holds steady in the wind and just goes. zero wobble up front. zero movement. This thing is ridiculously fast. I've ridden the BH GC RC, BMC TM01, Specialized Shiv Sworks and Colnago K-Zero.

3. The Fit- I have short legs and a longer torso compared to most and this thing just fits me perfect. It's the reason why I left the shiv ( among other reasons) and the BMC. A good TT bike should feel more comfortable in the areo bars than on the horns and this is one of them. I spent 95% of the ride today and yesterday in the aero bars. Felt great. My shiv I spent about 45% of the time in them.

The bike is well worth a look if you are considering buying a new bike. you won't be disappointed. If you have any questions fire away. I will try to post some pics

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

awesome! post a picture of it!

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

trying to figure out how. they aren't posting

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

you have to have them on a server. Use TinyPic

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

still not working.

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

copy and paste the link from TinyPic into the image button on the forum post. Make sure it is an www link and doesn't have the tags

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

[/img]

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

[/img][/img][/img][/img]

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

Why is the top tube shaped like that?

The reason I purchased this bike was for multiple reasons

1. Geometry - I'm an odd shaped dude. We took my fit from Mat Steinmetz on my BMC which is the closest I've come to being comfortable on a bike. Jimmy nailed it with this one.

2. Aeroness- I want a fast bike. based off all of the layman research I've done the Lotus 110 was a very fast design. I spoke with Diaa while he was here in Texas for IMTX and we had some great discussions on how they approached the design of this bike and I really felt like it was going to be super fast. I put a lot of trust into what he said and was doing. One thing that made me feel comfortable was that Diaa's girlfriend Leanda Cave is riding the bike. That may not seem like a big deal but Leanda is a world champion and she isn't going to rest her career on a bike that her boyfriend is building. That's a good tell that she believes in the product. If she didn't she could have stayed with Pinarello and just said she was contractually obligated and waited to see if the bike was a success.

3. Ironman setup- This was a big one. I want to stay in the aero position as long and as much as possible. The hydration system on this thing is the best idea and most practical solution i've ever seen. with a BTA bottle I have 64 oz without having to sit up and reach behind me or with a traditional bike have the aero loss of having something on the down tube or seat post. we lose so many time savings having to get out of the aero bars to stay hydrated and this is the best set up i've ever seen. can't highlight that enough.

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

It's designed like that for aero reasons. Jimmy explained to my the exact reason but I would feel uncomfortable releasing that info without Jimmy's permission. Hopefully he will come on and he can answer that but it's designed for aero reasons and to keep the bottle from rattling.

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

There must have been a Ventum pow-wow about a week ago. I got behind some guy on a Ventum, then just north of town he pulled off & in behind a dispensary in a parking lot swarmed a bunch of them...oddly, coming down Left Hand Canyon, was a gal on a Ventum--not sure who it was). All within about 15 minutes. Never saw so many of them before. I did notice that when this guy (who had is vest unzipped flapping in the wind--)...shifted gears with the Di2...what a racket it was! Quite the echo seemingly throughout the frame. Much louder than my Cervelo P3. I wonder if this was maybe because he didn't unload the pedals when shifting & the chain was just more violent slamming into the next gear.

so I'm not sure what you define as a "bunch of them" as there are only 3 maybe 4 people in Boulder who have one and they are all pro's. Two of them are married to each other and the other guy doesn't normally ride or train with them. I'm not sure what the point of the vest comment is as it has no bearing on the bike. Also, thanks for the disparaging remarks about saying it's a racket when it shifts. I have one with the Di2 and the shifting was as quiet as I've ever had with any bike I've owned with Di2. So are you on here to just troll and start something?

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

And what happens half way through the bike when you need to refill the hydration system? How easy can you refill it on the go? Can you stay in aero and do it?

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blog

Great looking bike.
Im getting mine this week!
Super excited.
If I ever learn how to post picture I will upload some!
Looking forward to meeting the Ventum crew in Kona!

Actually yes it is super easy. there is a rubber cap about mid thigh and you pop it off and and it has a leash. the hole is about one and a half inches wide. never have to leave the aero position. super super easy.

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

We've got some wind tunnel time at A2 coming up in early October if you really want to see how aero you (or anyone who owns one) are or are not on it.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

I hope this can happen. Some independent testing would be very welcome.

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'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'

Awesome! I will be there as well. Look forward to meeting all the Ventum owners

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

Just got home and the Ventum came by UPS!!

Unboxed it and it sprang out of the box/ Its so fast I can't catch it in my kitchen!!

Build and fit tomorrow.

Thanks to Jimmy and Diaa for coming through with their estimated Sept 20-23rd delivery date when I ordered back in August.
They have been great to work with.

Pictures soon!

There's a detailed write up on a Ventum build from Todd Kenyon on the TTBikeFit site: here

Cool picture from that website

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

I keep thinking the frame might grow on me but its just not pleasing to my eye.

I wonder how aero it is to have the fill cap and straw exposed to the wind

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

Just saw this pic on the Ventum Facebook page of Kyle Buckingham

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

That's a heap of hydration!

Kirk - when are you going to post some pics of your new ride?

Love the Ventum frameset, it's taken a long time for someone to take the old Lotus design and bring it bang up to date.





I've taken a few years off from triathlon / Ironman but am back training up for Ironman racing next year. My bike for 2016 will be a Planet X Stealth but I'm hoping to order a Ventum at some point. As you can see from my previous bikes, I love this style. I would have loved to have ridden a Lotus and did have a chance to buy one - shame I'm a short ass and it wouldn't fit : (

going to this evening. Have been at a conference after superfrog and haven't had time.

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

Arrived on Wednesday, built on Thursday and raced on Friday!

Why is the brake cover missing? How was racing on it?

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

Just hadn't gotten round to cutting down the brake cover.

Today tried to swap my stages arm onto the bike and found that it's not compatible - the "pod" won't go past the back brake.

Time for a set of Powertap P1's then!

Mine went into production on Friday. I am seriously excited to start riding this machine. I go the 54 with Dura-ace. Customer service has been amazing and there for me every step of the way so far

Nice to see some cool new bikes coming out. As a former Softride Rocket TT rider I like these new designs. I wish you well with it!

Kirk- Now that you've had the bike a couple months, how do you feel about it? Still in love? I'm thinking about pulling the trigger.

Thanks!

LOVE. IT. seriously. best bike I have ever purchased and raced on. In the past I spent a lot of time training on a road bike because my tri bikes weren't as comfortable but with this bike I ride it 95% of the time. sent you a PM.

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Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

Post some pics of it! Edit: I just remembered you did in the previous pages

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

Bumping this thread. New to ST and contemplating buying a Ventum One to upgrade my TT bike. Does anyone have any thoughts/comments now that these suckers have been in the "wild (i.e. AG)" for a bit?

would love to hear any feedback

I saw Alicia Kaye's bike in person last year. FWIW, it's a much better looking bike in person. It doesn't photograph well for some reason.

also looking to find out if any owners have used the Ventum on a Kickr trainer? Ventum (on the thread they started) said no to traditional trainers, but unclear if a kickr would classify since you're on a cassette.

I would guess the answer would be "no". You're probably restricted to trainers like the Omnium, KK Rock n Roll, and rollers.

You still have the same forces acting on the bike. You need a trainer where the rear is not locked for a Ventum.

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

I reached out to Ventum regarding the trainer issue and here was the response i received back. It appears there is no issue using a traditional trainer despite the initial reservations expressed by Jimmy Seear on ST:

Actually, the Ventum One can definitely be used on the Kickr trainer for training and testing power. Many of the forums confuse the Ventum with beam style bikes such as Falco and Dimond which are not warrantied for trainer usage. As it is a direct rear mount, you should have no problems with the Ventum.

I've been using my Ventum on a Kickr for the past 4 months or so with no issues. Love the bike, love the Kickr, love it all! Happy to try to answer any other questions I can. Just had my first race on the One yesterday at Puerto Rico and was really blown away by the bike's performance. Of course I've ridden it a bunch in training, but you just never know what to expect with the first race of the season, and I was very happy with everything- hydration set up, fit, feel, etc.

@triBy3 would love to see pics of people's Ones and what they're doing with them. i hope to upload some here soon. also, what was your set up for PR 70.3? Did you utilize the integrated bottle? from there, you have anything on the seatpost/in aero - more bottles, repair kits, etc.?

My bike is on the left, a client's bike is on the right. Both bikes are pretty much in race mode in the pic.

I have an XLab Gorrila XT cage on my TriRig Alpha X bars and I rode with all of my nutrition in a small bottle there (concentrated bottle of chocolate Generation UCAN). In the integrated bottle I started off with Nuun and grabbed one water bottle as a refill at the second aid station (around mile 25). The only thing not pictured on the bike was my spare kit. I had a tube, CO2, chuck, and lever all rubber banded together then velcroed under my saddle, above the rails. I rode with a Firecrest 808 front and CC disc, with Vittoria G+ tires (23mm).

My client, who is a little less trusting of his tire integrity than I am, rode with a spare bottle behind his seat that had two tubes and two CO2s in it. He also rode with the XLab Torpedo up front. He doesn't use UCAN, so he affixed a few gels directly behind the integrated hydration refill port for the race.

I'll be racing Ironman South Africa in just a few weeks and will have a nearly identical setup for that race. The only difference is I will likely switch to a Torhans. I like having a bottle up front and being able to check the amount of fluid I have level in my nutrition bottle, but running my pads in a narrow position meant that the Gorilla cage gave me these horrible friction burns on my forearms. Bearable for 56 miles, not happening for 112. Oh and the bike will have a very different paint scheme as Ventum's in house painter is working on something pretty loud for me. I'll also add the CeramicSpeed OS jockey wheels and chain.

Let me know if you'd like any more specific photos or have any other questions, I'm always happy to talk about bike and racing!

I love to see the growing number of Ventum owners sharing their experiences on ST.

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JImmy Seear
Co-Founder Ventum
http://www.ventumracing.com

Thanks, Jimmy, for being available to the forum.

LOVE my VENTUM!

It rides rock solid and fast. Have had mine now for about four weeks and love every minute on it. If you must ask about how fast, my answer is not really expressed in actual numbers since so many factors vary from ride to ride (group/draft, temp, humidity, wind, etc.). I think the best comparison for me was riding the exact 100mile course on my old bike (Sworks Transition) to the new one (Ventum) in one zone lower (z2 now instead of working harder for the same time/effort in z3).

Config: Changed out the cockpit to TriRig Alpha X, riding wireless (eTap), no compatibility issues

Originally found the water bottle thumb screw a little archaic (as in could be implemented better) but it works just fine.

Do you have a recommendation how to clean the frame best to keep its full matte stealth look?

Ive lost 2 thumbscrews. Both worked their way loose. My roads suck.
I zip tie it now and cut it after the ride.
Works perfect.

Nice bike! The Knight wheels look good on it.

I've had a bunch of Ventums come through my studio now and have had a few months to figure out cleaning my own. My go to solution is Simple Green Bike Cleaner. Spray it on, it foams up a bit, then just wipe it off.

The oversized tubing on the Ventum makes it easy to just go at it with a rag and solid cleaning agent.

Glad you are loving your Ventum and hitting the same times with less effort!

You bike looks bad-ass with those wheels and bars.

For cleaning the bike Greg had a great suggestion or I clean my bike first with de-greaser then warm soapy water. Finish with oil the chain and wood furniture polish the frame to keep it clean.

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JImmy Seear
Co-Founder Ventum
http://www.ventumracing.com

Great to know that the Kickr is a solid fit.
Anybody ttied their Ventum on a TacX Neo Smart trainer? Looking to get that trainer (W2017, second gen) due to it being less noisy than the Kickr but looking for confirmation prior to committing to such an expensive (and heavy to ship back and forth) trainer. FWIW, I ride the 58cm frame.

 

I can confirm the Tacx neo 2017 version fits / works fine with mine (51).

Ventum owners I need some help. I bought a Ventum Z earlier in the year through the trade-up program. I am doing my first international triathlon in October. Doing Challenge Aruba. I have never shipped a bike before. Anyone have any case recommendations or services who would ship international? Thanks for any help

Just got my Ventum One last week and built it over the weekend. Due to work schedule this week, I only got 3 rides in so far. This is our second Ventum One in the family (my wife bought hers last year).

From the testing done by Slowtwitch members, it's not the most aerodynamic bike (although it's not far off...), but to me, the biggest benefit is the comfort and stiffness. Broken/rough pavement is not a problem at all. Somehow it manages to isolate you from the crappy road without loosing road feel. As to stiffness, I used to be a sprinter when I was younger and can still crank out some peak power. The Ventum doesn't flex, so everything just propels you forward. Prior to this, I have a BMC TM01, which is a pretty darn good frame. On the roads I ride, I commonly had to sit up on rough pavement as it just beat the heck out of me, not so with the Ventum.

Another aspect that's important to me, it's very easy to work on and our preferred Campy EPS fits without any problems what so ever. Battery nicely tucked in the frame, the charge port right behind the stem and easily accessible, all connectors fit through the frame without needing to modify.

In terms of handling, it feels like riding my road bike (Pinarello F8 if that matters). Handling is quick, but not twitchy. For descends, the Ventum tracks really nicely and you can sweep through corners with confidence.

All in all, so far I really love this bike.

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"Suddenly the thought struck me. My floor is someone elses ceiling"-Nils Ferlin

Did you have any clearance issues on the non-driveside chainstay? Mine is rubbing against the frame of the Neo. Some paint has alredy come off the frame of the Ventum

Just move the bike forward a bit so that the Neo quick release is further back in the horizontal dropouts and it will work fine. I’d been using mine for 2 years like this.

Hello, I am in the same situation. Ventum One Di2 Dura Ace on a Tacx Neo trainer. I was wondering if you needed to use any adapters, etc. How is the fit in general and by the rear brakes, any picture you can send or post appreciated. Thank you

Yes....it fits fine. If placed as far forward in the dropouts it has a limited clearance and can make slight contact when you are out of the saddle and leaning off-center. I typically move mine back as far aft in the dropouts as I can and don't have issues with contact at all including high power sprinting where the bike is moving back and forth to both sides.

This is very helpful. Thank you.

How much additional stack can be achieved utilizing spacers with the Ventum One? Are the bars easy to adjust?

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Human Person

The base bar itself is not very adjustable. You cut the steerer tube to desired length, but from that point, the bar is where it is. With the additional stack spacers and the adjustability fore/aft, you can pretty much achieve any position. One of the most adjustable frames I've ever owned (and that is coming from a BMC TM01, which by itself it quite adjustable).

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"Suddenly the thought struck me. My floor is someone elses ceiling"-Nils Ferlin

I received my new Ventum last week, and I'd say the front end has very limited adjustability. Yes, you can move the poles and pads in or out, and stack up the pads or bars with spacers, but the poles are a fixed width and suck in a "flat" position, leaving wrists cocked down, elbows to narrow, hands too wide. Bars or poles cannot be angled up. Might work for some but not for me. I swapped out the pads to bring my elbows a bit wider which is more comfortable for my shoulder, but still feel like my hands are too wide and wrists cocked down at a funky angle. Might coincider a different solotion. Any advice while still keeping the tidiness of the front end?
Also...this sucker seems heavy! Am I fooled by all of the weight being concentrated in one place? Anyone know how the altered weight distribution will change the way it should be ridden?

Hello,

I am considering buying a Ventum. I would be replacing my current Giant Trinity Advanced Pro 2 (2016).

One of my major concerns is getting the Ventum onto my, or any, bike rack for transport. If the bike cannot go on my bike rack its a deal breaker.

I would like to see images of other peoples bikes on racks and how that has worked for you.

The bike rack that I do have is the Yakima Swingdaddy 4-bike hitch rack.

https://www.rackwarehouse.com/...VEAYYAiABEgLK1PD_BwE

The majority of racks I've seen have no trouble accommodating the Ventum, assuming you take the main bottle off. The only place you may run in to trouble is with the seat tube strap. The top tube straps should be long enough to make it around the frame, but the seat tube strap could be a bit short to get around.

I have a client who racks her Ventum on the back of her car and she uses the two top tube straps with no problem, then uses a bungee in place of the seat tube strap to hold everything tight. Works great for her and she's drive it all over the place.

I can have her snap a photo next time it's mounted if you'd like. Happy to answer any other questions you may have as well. I've been a Ventum pro and a Ventum retailer for the past 3.5 years. Email is greg@TriBy3.com

Thank you for the reply.

Is there a material difference between the ergonomics, wrench-ability, and performance of the Ventum Z vs the Ventum One?

I, for example, already own a set of HED Jet Plus 5 & 9 wheels with a disc cover for the rear wheel. That being the case, buying a model with a carbon wheel set doesn't make much sense for me.

Overall I would say that the Z is easier to work on and more adjustable while the ONE has the aerodynamic upside.

The Z comes stock with 3T bars that give you more room to move up/down/forward/back. It also has the traditionally mounted front brake that is exposed (not behind a fairing) so it is much easier to get your hands on (literally).

The ONE has a faired front end and a semi-integrated cockpit so it is faster and, in my opinion, much sleaker looking. BUT, the brakes take a little work to get set up perfectly the first time. After having built roughly 40 of them up, I can knock everything out on the one with maybe 5-10 minutes more work, but it takes a little practice. If you are buying the Ventum direct through the website or through a dealer/partner like me, the bike comes assembled so you don't have to worry about that initial setup.

Both the ONE and the Z fork have standard 1 1/8th steer tubes so you always have the option of changing the front end. For instance, I have my bikes set up with Profile Design Aeria Ultimate aerobars. I wanted a bit much adjustability and I like riding with a steeply angled front end, so I swapped out the stock bars. If you had a set of bars you really like or you wanted to get the Z but get the aerodynamic benefits of the faired front end, you could throw on a different setup with no issues. I've done a number of these custom builds for people and they always come out great- gives it that personal touch with improved aerodynamics and comfort/adjustability.

So since you already have a great wheelset in the Heds, you could go with the base model of either the Z or the ONE with the training wheels. The Visions that come stock are super durable and you can beat them up through training then throw the 5/9s on when it's time to race.

Hopefully that answers your questions! Let me know if I can clarify or answer anything else.

Thanks again for your help here.

There are a few more things that I find confusing. When I look at the Ventum Z Mechanical vs the Ventum Z Di2 setup, it appears that the only difference is the electronic shifting itself. Then I look at the price of the bikes Mechanical is $3,500 and Di2 is $5,500. I spoke with my mechanic and he said he could install Di2 for $1,500 including labor. What is Ventum doing here with the $2,000 markup on an AFTER MARKET $1,500 upgrade. Im am thinking of ordering the bike as mechanical and just upgrading to Di2 immediately to save the $500. In your experience will Ventum cut their price to account for this? I would rather not throw away parts.

I assume you mean adding something like the TriRig front brake system to save a few watts down the line as well. Which I could put that $500 towards.

Additionally, I want to use this bike for long course racing. There seem to be a few things that are leaving me scratching my head. The hydration system is a "closed" system. You cannot easily add fluids to the hydration system on the go from everything that I am reading. This is something that I can currently do with the from hydration system of my Giant Trinity. Moreover, without the down tube, there is not bottle to grab between the legs. I usually use my down tube bottle as my "gel bottle". I guess I could put my gel bottle behind the saddle and add an additional hydration system between the arms. I would love solutions for this.

Then we come to flat kit, how and where are people storing this on the bike? Would love to see some pictures of how everyone has problem solved on their own bikes.

I can't speak to Ventum's pricing structure as I'm just a pro and retail partner. Getting a full Ultegra Di2 groupset for $1,500 strikes me as a really good deal (remember, the crank is an upgrade over the mechanical Z as well), so if your mechanic can do purchase and install for that, I'd say jump on it. In my personal experience with the sales I've done, Ventum isn't too keen on doing any discounting on the Zs because they are priced pretty low (relatively speaking) to begin with.

Alternatively you could get just the Z frame and then do the full build through your mechanic if they are able to source parts for really cheap for you. If you email me (greg@TriBy3.com), I can discuss options with you further.

I will definitely disagree about the "closed system" for the hydration though. It's incredibly easy to refill the 45 ounce bottle on the fly. It's just a little pop top directly below your chest, similar to a Torhans lid or any other front mounted hydration system. I pop the lid as I approach an aid station, grab a bottle, squirt it in, and toss the bottle before I'm through the station. I specifically went with Ventum because of the usability for long course racing. I run a standard bottle between my arms that is super concentrated with my nutrition and I just do water in the big tub that I refill throughout the course. Couldn't be simpler.

And for those that like to have some solid nutrition, the second generation of bottles (that all Ventums are sold with now) have bosses on the top that you can bolt a bento box directly in to.

If you are doing a gel bottle and a water bottle, just run the gel bottle BTA and the tub is your water. With 45 ounces you are only refilling a couple times through the race, depending on heat and sweat rates, so it's really the simplest system out there.

As for the flat kit, I've done a bit of everything with mine- Xlab storage bottle behind the saddle, flat kit taped up and stuck under the saddle, flat kit in the bento box on the bike, and a special tape job that holds my spare setup around my rear water bottle cage (when I race with a bottle behind me as well). It's a bit tough to see in the pic below, but I have nutrition between my arms, water in the black jug, and my spare kit under my saddle. If I were out on a training ride, I'd just strap a saddle bag to the saddle instead.

My wife and I remember that bike from Lake Placid this year, my first full distance Ironman ever. How did it turn out for you? I can tell you that Ironman is way harder than I had expected...especially the bike portion. 11:15 and done for me, battling shingles made it fun.

Its great to hear that you can refill the bottle on the go and you can just throw a bottle BTA or Torhans BTA and be good to go from there. This makes my purchase that much easier. I am being told that the Ventum One just won't fit me, but the Ventum Z will. Your advice on this has been very helpful.