they perform fine because you can always get in your ideal position on any bike with the right stem and spacer and aerobar changes.

sometimes you have to go nuts like Cuddles but you can always make it work.

"Buy the brand that fits" is the most stupid and wrong mantra of bike lore in history

discuss

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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

This is so true. You can buy any bike you want, and with enough time and money make it work. That's not to say that one bike might be easier or cheaper to make work, because they are all a little different, but if you are like me and just love the way the Transition looks and feels, all you do is tell the fitter what you want, they take a long sigh, and then get to work.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

I think the answer is a combination of all of your questions. Some of the TT bike fits look awful, but they aren't riding them that long. Furthermore, they don't have to jump off of them and run immediately afterwards either. Regarding road fits, you actually do see more advanced bike fittings among some teams (SaxoBank). The human body is pretty adaptable and will conform with enough time in the saddle (remember that these folks ride 5-7 hours a day for training!)

Most stock bikes fit most people with the right combo of stems, spacers, and other things like a few posters stated before me. However, why wouldn't I buy the bike that fits best? I'm not a pro, I buy my own bikes, and I have no inclination to "make" something work if I'm laying down the cash.

They're just that good.

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Greg Bennet @ NYC Tri - Orbea Ordu, I believe. Many spacers.

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Eli Curt

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There are some truly awful fits, but remember that for the vast majority of riders, TT position if often a pretty unimportant consideration. If you aren't a GC guy, then your TT position really doesn't have much impact. Plenty of guys are using the TT as a virtual rest day. There are certainly plenty of potential GC guys that are hamstrung by bad fits - look at Basso on Fassa-Bartolo vs. on CSC and the improvements in his GC performance that coincided with the improvements in his position.

Or, to put it another way, look at the number of GC contenders with really bad bike fits; there just aren't that many. The one that comes to mind is Sammy Sanchez, and I think that (part of) the reason that he's not done as well in grand tours as he could have is because of his bike fit (and, to some extent, the bike itself).

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

Yeah, I think it's a huge distinction to question a pro cyclist with a poor TT fit (especially given UCI constraints) compared to a pro triathlete with a sub-optimal bike fit, considering what proportion of time spent on a TT/Tri bike is to their overall performance. For an IMer, it's huge; for a ProTour guy, it's only one small slice of a much bigger pie compared to their daily driver fit.

Then you get into the whole soup of UCI constraints vs sponsor equipment obligations, and you see all manner of crazy hacks the team wrenches have to try and pull off, some better than others. Clearly certain teams put different levels of emphasis on that sub-discipline, perhaps not coincidentally in relation to their position in the TT/Tri bike marketplace; i.e., selling Shivs, Plasmas, and P3s/P4s (now P5s).

they perform fine because you can always get in your ideal position on any bike with the right stem and spacer and aerobar changes.

Yep... almost always.

I can get behind this post 100%.