sorry for the pun in the title…in my defense I am English (or was)
Looking at my now ancient aerobar setup I have been noticing that new setups, especially in the TT world separate the Tri Bar and armrests way above the handlebars.
An example would be the Profile Carbon T4 -42 or the Pro Missile Evo Aerobar (2019) to name a couple. https://profile-design.com/products/aeria-t4-alloy there’s a nifty carbon version if you need a second mortgage.
Is this a significantly faster setup or just current aesthetics.
The answer as always it depends. In general raising the extensions and pads with an Aero spacer or mono spacer (tririg, cervelo, trek etc) is more Aero than using the steerer tube for extra height.
The main thing is being adjustable so you can dial in your body’s comfort and aero. That’s why so many people are talking about tririg.
When you need to shell out £1000 on bars you need to know which is best for you.
Of those two, the PRO Missile Evo, no question. Newer doesn’t necessarily mean better/faster though. The 3T Ventus II is still one of the fastest, and even the open-mold stuff from the likes of Planet X are only a few watts behind much more expensive choices.
I’ve always kind of wondered about this as well since I’ve always ran Felt Devox bars with the pads right on top of the bars. My position and setup is fast enough that I’m very hesitant to make any significant changes (which is why I’m upgrading my 8 year old Felt B14 instead of a new bike). If I had to guess, I would think you either want the pads right on top of the bars as I have them, or separated by a minimum gap (60mm was mentioned above), and not in between.
I’ve always kind of wondered about this as well since I’ve always ran Felt Devox bars with the pads right on top of the bars. My position and setup is fast enough that I’m very hesitant to make any significant changes (which is why I’m upgrading my 8 year old Felt B14 instead of a new bike). If I had to guess, I would think you either want the pads right on top of the bars as I have them, or separated by a minimum gap (60mm was mentioned above), and not in between.
I don’t like making changes just for the sake of it (i.e. the internet told me too), but rather there should be a purpose behind it should be properly tested. I’m slammed on my Tulas and very aero as a result, so you’re probably fine (those bars are quicker than most, Bussell used them on his P2 when he won his second Nat 10 TT a few years ago).
Thanks for those names, the Planet X bars are exactly what I was talking about and they seem to be the style the English Track team were using.
The pads appear to be 3" above the handle bar. Better price than the others as well.
General rule of thumb is 60mm above the base bar for good separation.
Interesting rule of thumb as I haven’t found this at all.
Care to expand on this? This was pushed out by Felt when they were doing a ton of testing at LSWT.
What have you found and how have you tested it?
I’ve found that the frame makes a difference, but ultimately rider position trumps all. Testing-wise, I’ve done many hours with AeroCoach. When I had to replace my Plasma 3 TT (with 30mm spacers), I specifically chose a larger P5 so I could run my pads directly on the basebars (yes I have a lower CdA now, obviously not entirely due to frame/bar selection, but by how much was surprising considering how much time I’d spent getting dialled on the Plasma).
I don’t think you and I are talking about the same thing? I don’t disagree, nor do I think anyone disagree, with what you said about frame/rider. I was referring to bar/ rider interaction. Getting 60mm of risers generally allows enough air to move through the space and can be faster in some instances. Otherwise it is recommended, like you found to have the pads as close to the bar as possible.
So you’re talking all (>60mm) or nothing? When I was testing my Plasma 3, my CdA went way up when I removed the spacers (I’ll have to refer back to the data as this was years ago, but it was dropping either 10 or 20mm onto the bars).
So you’re talking all (>60mm) or nothing? When I was testing my Plasma 3, my CdA went way up when I removed the spacers (I’ll have to refer back to the data as this was years ago, but it was dropping either 10 or 20mm onto the bars).
That’s what was found provided the position stayed the same. As such I’ve not really tested it much as there is way more low hanging fruit.
I realize it has a lot to do with frame size, as I ride a slightly small frame for my height (P3c bought cheap) I have the opportunity to drop the handlebars way lower and keep the bars up. Right now it all sits high and I believe clutters up the place. As I came to this from swimming I’m already pretty big to the wind.
Also this is in a totally unscientific belief that it may be faster as the people who actually spend money on testing seem to set up track and TT bikes like that.
Was hoping that someone here was an expert. :0)
The faster aerobar is the one that will give you your best position on the bike. A lot to me aren’t adjustable enough for what is best for you so I would base choosing an aerobar based on adjust ability and fit rather than what tests lowest cda in a tunnel with no rider.
You might be right ( there’s a song there) but it’s -15 tonight and I’m trying to think summer.
So this is silly season where I drool over stuff that will make me 1 minute faster in an IM
Not forgetting that in my last IM I spent 38 minutes in total transition time
Haha fair enough. Personally I would probably buy the Tririg Alfa One as it ticks all boxes including ease of adjust ability but I run and love the Pro Missile. It is very time consuming to adjust position but it is the cleanest set up going around.
The faster aerobar is the one that will give you your best position on the bike.
But assuming you know what your best position is, and can dial it in on the frame/bar combo, is it better to have a tall frame and low bar stack, or a low frame and tall bar stack? I suspect that’s the root of the OP question here.
Well aerodynamically you are better a short frame, low base bar and a tall stack height. Then you have to find the aerobar that accommodates that.
True? I thought Slowman was on the other side of the fence…