Also interested in the answer to #1 as I'm about to pull the trigger on a Trinity Advanced Pro.

Ditched the aerovault hydration and added a BTA mount. Took off the bottom bracket fairing for training so I can more easily access the rear brake and put it on a bottom bracket supported work stand.

And you already have the Advanced Pro 2? Hmm. Been poundering about this as well, is using TT bike in a Triathlon more efficient than using a tri bike.

What They said. The front hydration bottle is crap and I would go out on a limb and say that most are. The BTA bottle is the way to go. It's so much cleaner and prevents splash from your sports drink.. As for modifications, I put on Zipp Vuka Aerobars and they make a world of difference over the stock bars.

I upgraded to the 2017 version front bottle mount and bento box on my 2016 Trinity Advanced Pro 2. The new front hydration system works great in my opinion and holds about 40oz of water.

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Mark Saroni
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COACHING | TRAINING PLANS
MS Kinesiology | USAT LII | USAC L3

Do you keep the bottom bracket fairing off or do you have it mounted back, on race day? Yea, I've seen many people use the Profile Design/Xlab mounts on their TT vairiants on race day. The TT variant seem to be a better favourite as compared to the one actually built for triathlons. But whichever the variant, I seem to see many people ditching the original front hydration systems in favour of the BTA mounts too. Shall certainly give that a look into!

Oh yes, about the aerobars! I've been contemplating reverse J-bend or as they call it, the "praying mantis position", rather than oridinary J-bend. I have a pair of 30° J-bend aerobars already mounted on. Was contemplating straight aerobars or mantis, but wanted to know a bit more insight regarding it's stability on tri-spoke and disc wheels first? Was wondering what your opinions are.

I put it back on for race day. The bike’s just easier to work on without it. And I use the zip BTA mount. The bento box on the Tri variant does come in handy though. Especially since it houses the di2 junction box.

I was back at the local retailer's for a routine bike servicing and they allowed me to compare the 2016, 2017 and 2018 versions of the bento box. I took the 2018 one as it had more space to put gels and even my multi-tools. Also instead of having an extra aero-bottle on the downtube, I have opted for the Torhans VR aero storage. I don't usually look at the numbers on my cycling computer too, so I opted for a rear computer mount from Aerocoach. So, my current contemplations are just whether or not to use reverse J-bend or straight aerobars and whether or not to use the 2018 aero hydration system or have it ditched completely and replaced with BTA mount.

There’s really no way to drop the stem any lower. You would need a completely different stem piece (the lower profile one that fits with the true variant). Even then, I’m not sure if the metal spaces on the front of the headtube would match up then.

How’s the hold on the 2017 version? I lost my 2016 front bottle in Oceanside 70.3 this year.

What parts did you order and from where to upgrade to the 2017 version?

The hold for the aerobottle is definitely better with the newer version but it's still not perfect. A buddy who also rides the Trinity lost his during a race but the road he lost it on was extremely rough.

I have the 2016 GTA Pro 2. I replaced the aerovault on the front with a newer/larger version.

There is no way that sucker is coming off if you have it installed correctly.

I also think the aerovault works just fine.


As for the Zipp Vuka Aerobars...did you just buy the extensions?

I had the same problem with the 2016 bottle. I live in Texas and the chip seal bounced it off and broke it. I went through my local shop where I'd gotten the bike and I think they got it from the Giant rep free of charge. Another little perk of working with a shop versus ordering online.

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Mark Saroni
____________________________________________________________
COACHING | TRAINING PLANS
MS Kinesiology | USAT LII | USAC L3

Yeah, the original front bottle was terrible. I was concerned about it splashing, so I did a test ride with it fully filled up. It didn't splash until the whole thing popped off. So, I raced with some tape to hold it on.

With the new one (free, just go to the shop where you purchased it or sweet talk another giant dealing shop if bought second hand), the thing is locked in. There is a piece that holds the bottom and another triangle piece that wedges on top. On the official trinity thread, someone reported that their wide/tall tires kicked the lower piece out, so make sure there is a little clearance there. Even though I've installed removed the top piece a dozen times, it is still super hard to remove. I need a screwdriver to pry it off. The thing is a sail though and may make steering twitchy in strong crosswinds. That is the only reason I'd consider a BTA bottle. So far, hasn't been a problem for me.

For the downtube bottle, the aerovault ...I windtunnel tested and it was faster with it installed. That is where I keep my flat kit. (I cut the top off and gorilla tape it back on). Bought a new one here if I ever want to put liquids in it: https://www.giantbikespares.com/...oduct_detail/3-43135

I have the Trinity Advanced Pro 0 2016 and I think it's an awesome bike.

1) I think in order to get the the stem flush you would need the TT forks and stem cover. The aero vault hydration kit wouldn't fit then either.

2) Yea the 2018 bottle fits, I got one from my local giant dealer free of charge as the original ones were abysmal. The new one as already reported, is much sturdier and will not budge if installed correctly. I use it all the time with no issues.

3) I've installed a set of USE 40 degree bends (reversed) in order to get high hands. I've also put some 20 degree wedges under the pads to angle my forearms up. They are really comfy now. Not sure about aero data but it feels fast.

I've kept all the fairings on but agree that if racing and training wheels are different widths then it would be a pain to keep swapping.

 
my 2016
with a new bottle
and new bento

The photo is old now I have several different things, hed + disc, and the aero piece that covers the rear brake and part of the wheel

I have the 2016 Trinity Advanced Pro and would love to lower my stem/bar height----and swap out the aerobar for more versatility and angle adjustability----but you can't, it's proprietary. The fork and stem is integrated. See Page 7 of the manual for the exploded view: https://www.manualslib.com/...o.html?page=7#manual

Now, notice the fork and stem on the plain jane Trinity Advanced. https://www.giant-bicycles.com/...rinity-advanced-2016

The Advanced uses a non-integrated stem design, which you can use any aerobar (and stem) with, have the ability to change armrest angle, swap out headset spacers for easy height adjustments, etc. This is a great example of keep-it-simple...stupid, isn't it? :)

So, is it worth it to have the aero advantages of the Advanced Pro instead of the versatility of the Advanced? The answer is, maybe. It really depends upon whether you're able to get into an effective position for you as an individual, one which is comfortable, allows you to put power down, is aero, and sustainable. I've tweaked the heck out of my Advanced Pro, reconfig'd the cockpit five times since Feb this year, tried different combos of spacers, changed cup positions, swapped out elbow pads, bought angled spacers for under the cups, swapped extensions three times, tried different extension rotation/hand angles, and now have it where I want it, so no need to change anything (unless I endeavor to flip the basebar upside down so the the bullhorn handles have drop, but I'm avoiding that, so I don't have to re-cable everything, again, haha).

Here's a pic before I swapped to a different set of extensions (to bring my hands up higher than the Zipp Evo 110's in this photo):



Now, I'm finally done, comfortable, not thinking about the bike fit anymore. But...but....I would still really enjoy the versatility of using a regular stem and any aerobar I like. I'm going through that exercise with a track bike for pursuit, and it's much easier than working with proprietary designs. Live and learn. Do I love my Adv Pro? Yes, it's dialed now. Would fitting be easier with the plain Advanced? You bet.

Did u say u bought spacers to allow the arm pads to be angled upward? If so where did u get them?

Aerocoach UK

Haven’t installed yet, been comfy with Cushees

Not true. Originally, yes. But the newer version works great and is super secure. Have ridden it for 2 seasons without an issue. And the roads in western NY suck.

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Human Person

dusting off the tt bike for the season. is anyone not using their front hydration system and wouldn’t mind parting with it?

You can have my 'old' version. Just pay shipping.

If you want the new style, which doesn't launch, get it here: https://www.giantbikespares.com/...oduct_detail/3-44545