I’m building a more focused race bike I can use for triathlon & TT.
As draft legal events don’t allow aero extensions I’m trying to work out if it’s feasible to swap handlebars for different events.
(possible, yes, but feasible?)
For draft legal I’d like an integrated bar & stem with an aero profile, due to the supposed power saving of 4-6 watts.
Trouble is I then can’t bolt on extensions. 😕
If I had two bars, both with full controls, how time consuming would it be to swap bars across and rethread all the control cables?*
*I’ve never yet installed cables on a bike with internal routing. 😬
I think Morf-Tech bars are what you’d be interested in (not sure if they are draft legal though honestly). Look them up and don’t know how their relaunch is going considering the current situation going on.
Swapping bars could be possible as long as you have it setup such that one leaves all the cables/housings intact externally is how I picture it (so you don’t have to disconnect any cables from derailleurs or brakes). That would leave out any bars that internally route cables/housing. I’d keep extra stem bolts on hand though because bolts do get stretched and worn out from repeated reuse (install, remove cycles).
I recall reading on another thread here there was/is an aero road bar that had special bolt on extensions feature (Vision i think). You’d have to search on if that is still available though. That is another option instead of swapping bars. Then just get an aero road stem to match with it since I’m not sure that is an integrated bar/stem setup.
I personally think it would be a pain to be swapping frequently but if it’s 1-2 max a year then maybe I’d live with it. Or just pony up the money and buy 2 bikes (one dedicated TT/Tri bike and one draft legal aero bike).
For draft legal I’d like an integrated bar & stem with an aero profile, due to the supposed power saving of 4-6 watts.
i would think that in draft legal, the aeroness of the handlebar would be less of a factor since you should be spending the majority of the time drafting. i bet once you do a bar swap once or twice you will totally hate it. it’s a total pain in the butt, especially when the lines are run through the handlebar. also, you will need to replace the brake cable inner each time unless you leave a lot of extra length since you have to trim the frayed part each time
What’s the budget? the latest Cervelo S5 has integrated bars that you can add aerobars too? I think possibly the Trek Madone can do this too? and there are ITU bars available for the Venge. If these had Etap or Di2 then additional controls aren’t all that tricky.
For draft legal I’d like an integrated bar & stem with an aero profile, due to the supposed power saving of 4-6 watts.
i would think that in draft legal, the aeroness of the handlebar would be less of a factor since you should be spending the majority of the time drafting.
I told a half truth; it’s duathlon (not tri) and I’m a relatively poor runner.
I finish the run down field and try to make up time on the bike.
Pedal hard, catch the guy ahead, recover in the draft for a minute, then try to pull out and sprint to the next rider/group.
The Vision 4D M.A.S bar would be a great solution for you. A base bar with an aero profile with mounting points to allow aero bars to be mounted directly to them. They have adjustable stack height and sold with multiple extension lengths. Let me know if you have any questions on them. Here is a link to them on Vision’s website.
This plus eTap would work nicely.
a set of clics on the extensions, linked to normal eTap shifter on the drops.
Just pull the extensions out for draft legal racing.
I do this on my ugly bike. Fortunately it has external cables (except rear brake is internal), but I have the process (bar swap, saddle swap, reattach cables and tune the shifters) down to about 30 minutes now (a little more for the wheel cover)
Full cockpit swap, so a) I can use a really slammed stem to get the pads low enough for a good fit, b) bar end shifters are so much nicer than using the STIs, and c) I don’t have to worry about attaching and removing the clip ons every time and adjusting their fit. Everything is totally repeatable on the fit.
The second seatpost and saddle is also a 1 minute swap and the forward post and proper saddle is a necessity for a good position.
Removable/replaceable cable end caps are a massive bonus, keeps the cable ends in good condition so they rethread smoothly. https://www.cyclingdeal.com.au/...shifter-cable/CED-BD
My bike has external cables, and I have 2 sets of bars, 1 with extensions. Both sets have their own cables and cable housings because the distance from the brakes and gear levers to their entry points on the frame are not the same. The exit points are the same though, so those cable housings stay in place and don’t need to be changed each time. I’m still not at efficient as I’d like to be in indexing the gears, but the brakes are a breeze.
Time wise, I can get the cables disconnected and the bars off in less than 5 minutes easily. The new bar installation and brakes connected takes about the same. On a good day I can get the gear cables installed and the gears indexed in 20 minutes, but that is because I don’t change them so often, nor take the time to focus on learning to do it, and have to keep going back to Youtube university.
There’s no way I can afford a premium bar setup from one of the big guys, unfortunately.
I do understand that one bar means only one set of controls (so cash savings in the long run) but spending £300+ on bars from one of the aero titans just isn’t an option.
I need either a budget friendly setup, or the option of spreading the cost by having two setups which can be built incrementally.
I’m 100% happy spending 30mins swapping bars, with each set having its own outers.
Presuming the inner cables don’t fray, is it easy enough slipping them through the frame’s internal guides?
There’s no way I can afford a premium bar setup from one of the big guys, unfortunately.
I do understand that one bar means only one set of controls (so cash savings in the long run) but spending £300+ on bars from one of the aero titans just isn’t an option.
I need either a budget friendly setup, or the option of spreading the cost by having two setups which can be built incrementally.
I’m 100% happy spending 30mins swapping bars, with each set having its own outers.
Presuming the inner cables don’t fray, is it easy enough slipping them through the frame’s internal guides?
For reference my setup as you see it (stem, base bar, aero bars, shifters, brake levers, seatpost, saddle and cables) probably has about $300 invested in it, through various gumtree and ebay bargain hunting. And it was built incrementally (first aero bars, then stem, seatpost and saddle, then base bar, brakes and shifters)
If your frame has internal guides it should be a cinch to slip the inners through and reuse the inner and outer cables (i.e. have a set of cables that stays on each cockpit setup). Just make sure the ends are cut cleanly so they don’t fray.
Thanks. I would say though, don’t just start throwing parts at it. Have a plan and get the right parts to get you in a good position. e.g. my aero bar and stem selection (as well as the forward offset seatpost) was based around getting a particular saddle to bar drop and reach.
Thanks. I would say though, don’t just start throwing parts at it. Have a plan and get the right parts to get you in a good position. e.g. my aero bar and stem selection (as well as the forward offset seatpost) was based around getting a particular saddle to bar drop and reach.
Mine looks the same as Matty’s. About the cables fraying, I used a dab of JB weld on the last 1/4" of the ends of the cables, just enough to bind them together but still allow passage through the cable housings.
It should go without saying to get everything connected and your positions dialed in before you cut and glue them.
