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Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video)
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Hi All - Just installed clip-on aerobars (profile design t3). Seeking input on the fit. I'm a novice, but seems either my seat needs to be moved up or the arm rests back (or maybe both or neither)? Bike was professionally fit before the aerobars just last year.

Thanks in advance for any input / feedback!

Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHrMXOGCeCU
Last edited by: bbdude: Oct 12, 21 7:36
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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [bbdude] [ In reply to ]
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Hi,

What seat post are you riding right now? With or without setback? It seems your bike is designed for endurance purposes the way the geometry looks. What you could try is to put your saddle al the way to the front and maybe even drop the spacers in the frontend and put your armrests back until your upper body and upper arm make a 100 till 90 degree angle. As a figure of speech; right now you're sitting behind a desk with the chair too low, if you get what i'm saying. Just watch out you don't hit your knees at the same time. On the other hand, I'm not sure you will be able to get a comfortable ride with this build.

Looking forward to your updated position.
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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [ScottMountain] [ In reply to ]
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ScottMountain wrote:
Hi,

What seat post are you riding right now? With or without setback? It seems your bike is designed for endurance purposes the way the geometry looks. What you could try is to put your saddle al the way to the front and maybe even drop the spacers in the frontend and put your armrests back until your upper body and upper arm make a 100 till 90 degree angle. As a figure of speech; right now you're sitting behind a desk with the chair too low, if you get what i'm saying. Just watch out you don't hit your knees at the same time. On the other hand, I'm not sure you will be able to get a comfortable ride with this build.

Looking forward to your updated position.


Thanks for the response. Bike is a Giant 2020 Contend 3 w/ stock seat post (Giant D-Fuse). No setback. When I bought the bike I had no intention of doing triathlon, much less a full IM.

I may take the bike in to be fitted professionally if the tweaks are too much, but was hoping to adjust myself :-)
Last edited by: bbdude: Oct 12, 21 10:03
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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [bbdude] [ In reply to ]
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In addition to removing the stem spacers on the fork tube, if the stem itself is angled upward, reversing it (turning it upside down) so it angles downward will also help get your front end lower.
Last edited by: Hanginon: Oct 12, 21 10:09
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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [bbdude] [ In reply to ]
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I think that would be a good idea. Again, these type of bikes are not really to be made into an aerodynamic monster. And you want to do a full distance, then maybe keep this bike for training and find another more tri specific bike where you can sit aero and comfortable and also get the power where it needs to be instead of compromising on all fronts.
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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [bbdude] [ In reply to ]
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I would recommend getting fit for a TT bike and then buying a TT bike.
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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [Hanginon] [ In reply to ]
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Hanginon wrote:
In addition to removing the stem spacers on the fork tube, if the stem itself is angled upward, reversing it (turning it upside down) so it angles downward will also help get your front end lower.


Thanks. The stem is angled upward slightly.

ScottMountain wrote:
I think that would be a good idea. Again, these type of bikes are not really to be made into an aerodynamic monster. And you want to do a full distance, then maybe keep this bike for training and find another more tri specific bike where you can sit aero and comfortable and also get the power where it needs to be instead of compromising on all fronts.


jimatbeyond wrote:
I would recommend getting fit for a TT bike and then buying a TT bike.

Thanks again. I was seeking, more or less, a third position that would be slightly more aero than riding in the drops. Unfortunately, money for another bike is out of the question.
Last edited by: bbdude: Oct 12, 21 10:53
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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [bbdude] [ In reply to ]
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If I can't get a TT bike does it just make more sense to take off the clip-on aerobars and just do the IM in the drops?
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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [bbdude] [ In reply to ]
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bbdude wrote:
If I can't get a TT bike does it just make more sense to take off the clip-on aerobars and just do the IM in the drops?
No. The aerobars (when properly fitted) make you lower AND narrower - the drops on road bars don't do that.

It costs you nothing to put the spacers above a reversed stem, and assuming you don't cut the fork tube, it is reversible.
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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [bbdude] [ In reply to ]
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bbdude wrote:

Thanks for the response. Bike is a Giant 2020 Contend 3 w/ stock seat post (Giant D-Fuse). No setback. When I bought the bike I had no intention of doing triathlon, much less a full IM.

I may take the bike in to be fitted professionally if the tweaks are too much, but was hoping to adjust myself :-)
Bad news is your fit looks awful. Looks like you're about to fall off the back, though part of that is the bike isn't level in the video.

Good news is you can make it a lot better (on the assumption that that is a round seatpost, which it appears to be in images). 90% of it is that you just need to rotate your whole body forwards. You're stuck with the road bike geometry which may not be as stable as a proper tri bike, but it isn't that bad.

In this order I would do:
1) a triathlon saddle that you can sit on the nose of and rotate your hips forward, like an ISM
2) a forward offset seatpost (or one that can be reversed to the forward position).

The above two will get your hips a long way forward, which will open up your hip angle and flatten your back out.

3) With the above done, you'll probably find that you can flip the stem and drop it down a lot. (I used to run a 35 degree stem pointed down on my road bike.) You won't be crunched up (hip angle) because the saddle is forward.
4) tilt your aero bars up - the ideal to me is to just create enough pad tilt that balances you comfortably - horizontal and you tend to slide forwards, too steep and your elbows slide down/back. You should be able to ride along without having to grip the bars to hang on. Elbow angle should end up about 90-100 degrees (currently you're much more open than that).

Note that with the setup above it won't be a good road bike setup, but that's something that can be switched quickly - drop in the different seatpost/saddle and a few stem bolts
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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [bbdude] [ In reply to ]
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Your bike doesn’t look level on the turbo. Maybe lower the front wheel and try another video to get a better picture??
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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [Island] [ In reply to ]
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Pic with levelling.



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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [bbdude] [ In reply to ]
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You can get it to work, people do gravel races on Gravel Bikes with clip-on aerobars.
Last edited by: mike s: Oct 12, 21 15:55
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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [bbdude] [ In reply to ]
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To give you an idea, here's what you'd look like with your body rotated forwards - you just need to have a saddle you can comfortably sit on when rotated that far forward (supports the pubic rami not the ischial tuberosities and doesn't squash your bits), get the saddle forward and up, and get the bars in the right position.


Last edited by: MattyK: Oct 12, 21 19:42
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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [MattyK] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks all for the comments and feedback!

MattyK wrote:
Looks like you're about to fall off the back, though part of that is the bike isn't level in the video.

I checked and it was off a tiny bit. Added some spacers towards the back and now it's completely level. It wasn't level due to the front wheel block.

MattyK wrote:
In this order I would do:
1) a triathlon saddle that you can sit on the nose of and rotate your hips forward, like an ISM
2) a forward offset seatpost (or one that can be reversed to the forward position).

The above two will get your hips a long way forward, which will open up your hip angle and flatten your back out.

3) With the above done, you'll probably find that you can flip the stem and drop it down a lot. (I used to run a 35 degree stem pointed down on my road bike.) You won't be crunched up (hip angle) because the saddle is forward.
4) tilt your aero bars up - the ideal to me is to just create enough pad tilt that balances you comfortably - horizontal and you tend to slide forwards, too steep and your elbows slide down/back. You should be able to ride along without having to grip the bars to hang on. Elbow angle should end up about 90-100 degrees (currently you're much more open than that).

Thanks. Talking to my LBS today to get this done and fitted.

MattyK wrote:
Note that with the setup above it won't be a good road bike setup, but that's something that can be switched quickly - drop in the different seatpost/saddle and a few stem bolts

Stupid question maybe, but if I'm going to be doing triathlons for the foreseeable future ... why would I (or should I?) switch it back to a road bike? Are there advantages to setting it up as a road bike when I'm not a few months out from an IM? I ride exclusively solo and usually early in the AM.
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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [bbdude] [ In reply to ]
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No reason to switch back and forth unless you want to. Group ride, long/easy ride, commuting, in traffic, etc
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Re: Bike Fit - Clip-On Aerobars (w/ Video) [bbdude] [ In reply to ]
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2nd the motion for a reverse seat post and a TT specific saddle. That will get you up over the front end as others have described by just taking your picture and rotating it around the axis.

E

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