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I've got my seat angle set at 77 degrees, I love how it feels.. but I'm still riding with roadie bars and clipons. Yes, I feel slightly cramped when I'm on the hoods, it's really not that bad... but what's really keeping me from switching to a full aerobar setup is the drops. I love to use my drops on fast switch back like descents (yes they are still usable). For you aerobar types, don't you miss your drops when descending? Alternatives? My setup seems very borderline.. I've never had the bike setup with a full aero front end. I'm just curious if it's worth the effort/money.
BTW, it's a Talon with a Thompson (no setback) seatpost, saddle pushed almost all the way forward on its rails.
thanks,
mike
Drops rule. I really miss them when descending/cornering with cowhorns. Ever notice how triathletes generally Sally it up when descending or approaching a turn??
I think I'm one of the few loonies left who likes his pursuit bars at almost the same height as drops would be, as that's where I need them for descending and accelerating. Most climbs can be done in the aerobars, either in the full aero position or sitting up with the hands half way up the bars.
Cowhorns are fine on flat areas but if you live/ride in a hilly area drops are best for the descents. I think that's why I don't find my P2K to be any faster than my TCR.
If I had a Talon or Soloist, I'd leave the drop bars on too. But I'd have two different seat-post/seat combos, pre-measured and marked. If the workout called for a road bike, I'd put the road saddle on in a slack position. If the workout were TT, I'd set up steep and bolt on the clip-on handlebars. Of course I'd also have an extra seat clamp on standby because all that changing is likely to wear out a seat clamp if you're not too careful. Two bikes for the price of one and a couple of parts. But if you already have another bike set up slack, I'd opt for a full TT setup on the front end of the tri bike. I have both road and tri-bikes. If I am riding hills and descents I opt for the road bike, where I can really optimize weight distribution during twisty descents. If a race has a descent where I need to be fast and I'm really concerned about handling on twisty descents, then I'd opt for the road bike with some shorty clip-ons. Otherwise, I'll be on the tri-bike with the TT setup. You'll lose more time having to reach out of the aero position for every shift than you would having to slow slightly on one or two descents.
How about a course like Wildflower?? Anyone with any thoughts on bike setup in regards to drops vs full aero.
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stretch: Apr 22, 03 10:41
Stretch, I think its mostly comfort you should aim for. I have a Talon with a Thompson's setback that I turn forward and slide the seat forward to get 77.5 degrees or so. Funny thing happens for me when I do this. Suddenly, somewhere around 76 degrees, the handling degrades enough that I have to work on staying straight.
If you like the drop handlebars on this fine bike, I'd just keep them. If you'd like to trade your drop bar system for a nice Profile Design Carbon Aire Stryke aero handlebar system, maybe we could work out a deal! I guess I'm saying that you may not be happy with the full aero system on this road geometry frame...but, you could be...maybe you're a better bike handler, maybe you're more flexible than I. It's an individual thing when you're talking about this line between "how far forward can I go before the handling suffers", but, it's amazing just how many people I hear complain about the same problem right about 77 degrees...
Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)