Sure, go ahead. The only consideration is going to be that the cowhorns that you choose need to have a pretty dramatic upsweep to allow you to use the STI levers without bottoming out when applying the brakes.

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Some are born to move the world to live their fantasies...

https://triomultisport.com/
http://www.mjolnircycles.com/

Really, it's not a matter of being a "purist", it is a safety issue: You're flying along at 22 m.p.h. The light in front of you turns yellow but, heck, you did all that work to get up to speed so you think you can thread the needle and make it. At the last second you realize a car is entering your peripheral vision from the right at 35 m.p.h. At this point you expereince "time dialation" and everything slows down. You have 7/10s of one second (the last of your life) to do something to save yourself. You grab both brakes hard as the adrenline glands, spasming on top of your kidneys, give your muscles a nitrous-oxide like boost. You pull so hard your brake cable slips 1.5 mm through the clamp (since you're not too experienced of a mechanic you accidentally overtightened them, crushing the cable and actually making it looser...). You quickly pull both brakes to the handlebars and your pads contact the rim but fail to lock your wheels. Physics wins and the inertia of over 200 pounds combined rider and bike weight travelling at over 18 m.p.h. now carries you into the right front quarter panel of the car. The driver was trying to make the light. He was accelerating. Afterward, he tells the cops he "Never even saw you, you came out of no where". The impact rips you out of your pedals. Your 18 pound bike flies 37 feet down the road, frame broken in two places. The bizarre geometry of the impact knocks you straight up, 13 feet. You land half on the roof of the car, half off, creating a compound fracture of your left femur that tears your femoral artery. At a heart rate of 160 b.p.m. your blood is travelling through your circulatory system at nearly 88 m.p.h. Now it is leaving your body at that rate. Your helmet covered head hits the pavement compressing your cervicle vertebrae and impinging your spinal column. It doesn't matter, in five more shot glasses of arterial blood loss you'll be dead anyway. About the time the guy in the car hits the number "1" in "911" on his cell phone. All becasue the bike shop guy said "Yeah, it's cool to use your sti on your cowhorns, no problem at all...." I would advise against it for safety reasons. Please never compromise safety.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I'm sufficiently scared straight after that story!!!

Great story telling though. That's EXACTLY why I stated that any cowhorns used with STIs (or any standard road lever, for that matter) need to have a dramatic upsweep, similar to what would be found on a drop bar. I've used them with no problems, both the Mavic and Cinelli brands. Takes some careful selection, but it CAN be done safely.

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Some are born to move the world to live their fantasies...

https://triomultisport.com/
http://www.mjolnircycles.com/

Nitto (don't know model name) and ITM (Moscow) also currently make cowhorns with dramatic upsweeps, as well. These are perfect for road levers, as this is whom they sell to. The Nitto ones are very underrated and pretty cheap, as well.

great peace of litterature. You make your point! One question though, it seems to me that in your story the issue is a bad installation. If installed correctly why STI on pursuit bars are unsafe (sorry if the question seems naive but I'm no specialist)? Moreover I didn't intend to touch the cables myself.

That was hilarious, but point well taken.

Chilling, nice reality check. A fine reason to devlop a personal relationship with a good mechanic. Friends don't let friends ride crap.

Geez, what a well written horror story! It could and does happen. I always say "Safety is paramount, especially mine!" I also always state that my number one goal for a triathlon is not to crash on the bike. Finishing is second, finishing fast third. I ride Profile Design Bull horns and my brakes seem to work well. I did pay to have them installed though.

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Craig

I don't really know what I'm talking about, but it appears to me (from a photo in ironman HI results) that Thomas Hellreigel (sp?) had the fastest bike split at that race with drop bars, possibly STI levers, a round-tubed C'dale, and spoked wheels. I know he is an awesome rider, and that other top riders had all the aero schwag, but maybe it really doesn't matter that much. Maybe we just have a fettish with all things aero. Why not keep the drop bars and just add some C-2 clip ons?

-Chester

I may never ride my bike outdoors again! ;-)

My cannondale R700 tri-frame came with Profile cowhorns and standard 105 levers that worked just fine for a couple of years until I eventually replaced them with Diacomp 188 levers (because everyone else was riding them and they were easier to hang up on the transition racks rather than any braking problems). The Profile cowhorns did have much more of a drop and upturn at the end than they do now.

Assumming that you're on a road bike, this is a really dumb thing to do. The only reason why tri bikes have bull horn bars instead of drops is because of a shorter top tube. If they had drop bars you would be way too low in a 78 degree seat tube with a short top tube to reach to the drops. Your road bike has a shallower riding angle and a longer top tube allowing for a drop bar.

A drop bar also allows for more variation of places to place your hands. You ride on the hoods when climbing but where do you put your hands when descending. On the drops right? Watch the roadie pros. They don't ride down fast curvy hills on the hoods or on bull horns. You just don't have the same control.

I would agree with Tom. Don't sacrifice safety. In the flash of an instance all can be lost. I've seen it happen.

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I was, now I will tri again!
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Any time is a good time.
God Bless you my friend.