I have been using an XLAB Torpedo system for my 70.3 and IM races the past few years. I have noticed that a lot of the elites just use a standard water bottle BTA instead of a hydration system. I am curious if there are benefits/reasons for this other than preference. Is having a standard bottle BTA more aero than say a Torpedo system? Curious…
I think Stover has mentioned that a standard bottle bta has better chances of being more aero than an aero bottle bta but you would have to do some testing to confirm that is the case for you. But I don’t think that’s the reason why pro’s use a regular bottle. It’s mostly due to just being easier to deal with as you don’t need to fill the bottle back up on the fly and can simply replace it with another bottle from an aid station. IMO, an aero bottle bta is a little more difficult to deal with vs a standard bottle. But if you aren’t comfortable riding in aero while grabbing a bottle and drinking, then an aero bottle bta may make more sense.
Probably similar aero wise since it’s hiding behind your arms. PD Aeria Ultimate is likely fastest. But yeah it’s pretty much preference. I’ve gone back and forth. Now I’m in a bottle phase. Drinking is more convenient and comfortable with a straw. PD FC was my favorite because it also held gels. But then refilling is easier if you just swap bottles.
… I’ll probably be back to the FC next season. Lol
I used to prefer just using a normal bottle, but after having some issues of the race handups not fitting well in the cage, and having to hold it in place for the entire race, I switched to a pre-made system that I can re-fill and never have to worry about what kind of bottles they are handing out.
A regular bottle is pretty close to a BTA like the torpedo (the torpedo can be worse depending on the straw placement ). The BTAs like a Torhans are a different story and can vary widely depending on the design and how well they integrate with your frame. Personally, I like the torpedo for shorter races where I don’t need to refill it (easier to drink w/o breaking aero); while for longer races I prefer to just swap in standard bottles at aid stations and not have to transfer the water to the torpedo.
I used to prefer just using a normal bottle, but after having some issues of the race handups not fitting well in the cage, and having to hold it in place for the entire race, I switched to a pre-made system that I can re-fill and never have to worry about what kind of bottles they are handing out.
Same.
I haven’t raced since struggling with the small diameter bottles, but think I will go back to big refillable bottle rather than dropping and trying to hold them.
My preference to normal bottles/bidons is solely due to the ease of replacement with race course bottles and also the easier of cleaning during day to day training. The way I got around the risk of race course bottle being smaller and not fitting snugly in the cage was to have a loop of bungee at the top of both my BTA & BTS cage. This way, if the race course bottles are smaller in diameter, I still slot them into the cage and loop the bungee over the bottle mouth.
In a 70.3 in Aug. The water given on course was in normal clear plastic mineral bottles but with a squirt top. They were smaller in diameter than normal bidons. I had these slotted in both my BTA & BTS Xlab gorilla cages with the bungee loop over. It rattled throughout the last 30k but stayed in place.
The bungee also serves as a fail safe. On courses where the road condition is subpar and there is the risk of even normal bidons shaking out and ejecting, I use these bungee loops over so I don’t lose any of my pre prepared bottles.
I tried a BTA system with straw for a season, ended up under-hydrating every race that year. I’m a bit of a chugger (I usually finish a 24oz bottle in 3 or 4 pulls), so I went back to a regular bottle bc it fit better with how I drink.
I have used both. Haven’t noticed any aero difference. The torpedo is more convenient for me and I don’t have to pull out a bottle every time I drink.
Your missing the forest for the trees a bit here. A BTA system and a bottle are similar aerodynamically in a wind tunnel.
BUT…
There’s no way to refill a BTA system within the aid station limits without slowing down a lot. That means you’re carrying an empty bottle somewhere to the next aid station. So the question should be: Is BTA + empty bottle somewhere faster than just a single bottle BTA.
Your missing the forest for the trees a bit here. A BTA system and a bottle are similar aerodynamically in a wind tunnel.
BUT…
There’s no way to refill a BTA system within the aid station limits without slowing down a lot. That means you’re carrying an empty bottle somewhere to the next aid station. So the question should be: Is BTA + empty bottle somewhere faster than just a single bottle BTA.
Thanks mathematics…
Typically my BTA is straight plain water and my single BTS bottle is my concentrate mix. The BTS bottle I spread out for the entire 2:45 or so bike split (70.3) and fill the BTA bottle at every aid station which on the course in question is every 15 miles roughly. Yes, agreed…I have to slow down and dodge folks as I am refilling before I leave the trash zone. This is why I am thinking just doing a bottle that I can toss BTA and grab one of their on course 22 oz or whatever it is poland springs.
Your missing the forest for the trees a bit here. A BTA system and a bottle are similar aerodynamically in a wind tunnel.
BUT…
There’s no way to refill a BTA system within the aid station limits without slowing down a lot. That means you’re carrying an empty bottle somewhere to the next aid station. So the question should be: Is BTA + empty bottle somewhere faster than just a single bottle BTA.
Thanks mathematics…
Typically my BTA is straight plain water and my single BTS bottle is my concentrate mix. The BTS bottle I spread out for the entire 2:45 or so bike split (70.3) and fill the BTA bottle at every aid station which on the course in question is every 15 miles roughly. Yes, agreed…I have to slow down and dodge folks as I am refilling before I leave the trash zone. This is why I am thinking just doing a bottle that I can toss BTA and grab one of their on course 22 oz or whatever it is poland springs.
Sounds like you’ve got a pretty solid plan. I don’t see any reason to slow down and refill the BTA system instead of just jamming in a plain bottle. There was a study floating around about bottle position drag losses, basically anything not on the frame cost around 1 minute of a full IM. It’s not hard to imagine losing more than 1 minute by slowing down for aid station fills.
If you’re willing to go whole hog, the gatorade they hand out at MDot events (and most races in general) should be more than sufficient for a 70.3. That gets the second bottle off your frame and theoretically saves about 1 minute in aero and another minute or two for not having to slow down.