This may have been covered in another thread, but my search strategies did not find it. What is the advantage of putting the arm pads high above the base bar as many are doing with their TT rigs in the pro peloton? I assume it is to get the base bar down in line with the knees without having to get the whole body that low, but that is just a guess. Also, where can the common man get a set up like this? I have seen a number of variations in race coverage including Lieto’s set up in Hawaii, but none for sale to the public.
I have heard a couple different reasons/explanations:
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English track team coach (or similar) stated that its faster to separate the aerobars from the basebar.
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Many pro teams use one or two sizes of TT bikes and its easier for them to adapt the bike to fit the rider by raising the aerobars.
David K
Depending on your front end configuration, if the base bar is fixed or adjustability is very limited, it may be required (for example, the Shiv). The armpad spacers are also a lot more aero than round steer tube spacers.
Glad someone raised this.
I don’t know why either, but very curious.
Maybe it’s a UCI thing, not solely an aero thing? 2009 article here.
Don’t think I’ve seen tri pros using anything so dramatic.
Maybe Cobb or Coggan will chime in.
By way of illustration - Jens Voigt had a crazy elevated arm pad set up at ToC this year, can’t find a pic, I swear it was a dble decker.
This was his set up in 2009.
cyclingnews article
2010 Paris-Nice
pic from article
and back in 2008 (sorry if too big):
from article here
Lieto IMHA 2009
and here is an ST pic of Lieto at ToC TT last month, looks like less elevation of the pads.
Glad someone raised this.
I don’t know why either, but very curious.
Maybe it’s a UCI thing, not solely an aero thing? 2009 article here.
Don’t think I’ve seen tri pros using anything so dramatic.
Maybe Cobb or Coggan will chime in.
By way of illustration - Jens Voigt had a crazy elevated arm pad set up at ToC this year, can’t find a pic, I swear it was a dble decker.
This was his set up in 2009.
cyclingnews article
Side note - what is going on with his left brake lever - is that the brake cable head sticking out?
I’m guessing it helps keep you super aero, but give you the agility of a road bike when cornering because the base bar is so low. But that’s my 100% uneducated guess.
I think it is for adjustment of the front brake because you can’t really get to the front caliper when the nosecone is installed.
You have to take into account (demonstrated by the pictures) what kind of drop is going on. Especially on bikes like the Shiv, you really don’t have much of any other way to “raise” your cockpit. There is still a pretty friggin dramatic difference from saddle to pads, it just looks really strange in pictures (especially ones without a rider or the back of the bike)
The latest round of Super bikes have taken the MIT boys research to heart. They found that the zone of negetive pressure behind the headset/spacers/stem was creating a lot of drag. The new bikes have brought the headset and stem in line (or mostly) with the Top tube in order to eliminate the wake coming off traditional setups. The problem is that you either have to raise the bridge - in this case the TT- or lower the river - in this case the stack height of whare you can connect the bars. Since you can only ride so much drop before you start losing wattage you’ve got to get that stack height back somewhere and the spacers under the arm pads are the best way to do it (shorter head tubes are better). Since most of these guys are spending very little time on the horns they don’t bother to use an upward swept bar to get that position super dialed in (plus they stay more aero when on the horns if they are super low). That’s a pretty simplified explination, but as best I understand that is the reason we are seeing these setups.
What Ti T-war said. I think you’re only seeing these setups on the “superbikes” where the stem is flush with the top tube.