After seeing the pictures of Bjorn’s P3C, I want to try dropping the bars on my P2K (I love it. It’s red, it’s fast, and I got it cheap).
Right now I’m running a Profile Design 90 degree 100mm stem, a Profile Design base bar, and Syntace C2 clip-on aerobars. I have 11cm of drop from saddle to pads. I think I am flexible enough to ride at 16-18cm, as I have a long torso (I’m 6’2"), and I suspect there’s some free speed to be had if I can rotate my hips to go with the drop.
To achieve the extra drop, I think I need to do some, or all, of:
replacing my stem with something which slopes downward (might give me 2 cm)
replacing my aerobars with something which places the pads closer to the base bar (maybe 3cm), and maybe with some s-bends
moving my pads back a little, so I’m not quite so stretched out
My saddle nose is 10mm behind the BB, so I’m pretty steep already.
Does anyone have suggestions for a setup which would get me the drop I’m looking for? The Profile T2+ look like a possibility, but I can’t see how you’d overmount the pads and undermount the bars. Is there a better way to solve this problem without dropping more than a couple of hundred bucks (approximate amount that goes unnoticed by my beloved…)?
Just a comment… I wouldn’t consider any setup with the nose behind the BB as “pretty” steep. Barely steep, maybe, but you’ve still got lots of room to move forward if necessary. So, after you’ve got your front end where you want it to be, you might consider sliding the saddle forward. That will keep your hip angle from becoming as acute when you lower the front.
Just a comment… I wouldn’t consider any setup with the nose behind the BB as “pretty” steep. Barely steep, maybe, but you’ve still got lots of room to move forward if necessary. So, after you’ve got your front end where you want it to be, you might consider sliding the saddle forward. That will keep your hip angle from becoming as acute when you lower the front.
I have about 3cm of forward adjustment in my saddle rail. Just how far forward of BB do people actually go?
Just a comment… I wouldn’t consider any setup with the nose behind the BB as “pretty” steep. Barely steep, maybe, but you’ve still got lots of room to move forward if necessary. So, after you’ve got your front end where you want it to be, you might consider sliding the saddle forward. That will keep your hip angle from becoming as acute when you lower the front.
I have about 3cm of forward adjustment in my saddle rail. Just how far forward of BB do people actually go?
I’m about 5cm in front of the BB (on my P2K).
Check out eBay for some used Visiontech bars. They run very low pads relative to the base bar. I would suggest the Hed carbon bar, too, but then you are looking at a lot more money.
The Profile T2 looks like it has considerably more room between base bar and pads, though I haven’t seen one in person.
For those that say he isn’t “pretty steep” now: He says 6’2" with a long torso . Lets say his is 80cm and he’s 1cm behind the BB, depending on saddle, that could easily = a 79 degree seat angle. Not off the charts but in my opinion could certainly be called “pretty steep”.
I forgot to add that I had the same C2 setup and recently bought a Visiontech Base Bar & clip ons. I don’t remember the specifics, but they will definately put you a few cm lower with no other changes.
The T2 is the the Jammer with S-bend extensions. Slowman has this setup on his QR.
I sure don’t – I think that bars run way too close to the pads. Mostly because if you do that, then you are sitting totally upright when you are on the base bar. At the very most, you should be in a position similar to that of a road bike’s hoods when on the base bar. Tricky to do!
Hey BK… fair point about steepness. I have short-ish femurs, so I ‘get’ that point.
Flexibility is one aspect-- core body strength is another. If you don’t have the core body-- neck/shoulders specifically-- strength, staying in a low aero position for an IM distance race is difficult.
The T2 set-up looks like what I want. I don’t want to move the base bar much lower. I only use it when I’m climbing grades above about 6%. By that point being aero is trumped by the need to open my chest and breathe!
Thanks, guys. I’ll go shopping tonight and start experimenting.
The T2 is the the Jammer with S-bend extensions. Slowman has this setup on his QR.
I sure don’t – I think that bars run way too close to the pads. Mostly because if you do that, then you are sitting totally upright when you are on the base bar. At the very most, you should be in a position similar to that of a road bike’s hoods when on the base bar. Tricky to do!
Hey BK… fair point about steepness. I have short-ish femurs, so I ‘get’ that point.
Phase one of the experiment got done today. Here’s before:
and here’s after:
I used a no-brand 100mm adjustable stem, and got about 45mm of increased drop, with maybe 5mm of extra forward position on the base bar. Saddle stayed put.
I rode intervals today. I took 20 seconds out of my PR for a three mile flat interval, over similar conditions three weeks ago, with a similar HR profile. My shoulders are a little sore after, but that could have been this morning’s swim.
Conclusions of phase 1:
I added about 40g to the bike.
The position isn’t perfect, as my knees hit the aerobar pads when I’m out of the saddle.
I think I’m faster, but this needs more testing.
There’s too much brake and shifter cable around the headset now.
Phase 2 will be to install aerobars with pads flush to the base bar. This will give me another 20mm, for a total drop around 170mm.
Feel free to tell me my saddle’s too high, my garage door is dirty, and that my legs are hairy.
Did you put a level on the top tube when the fron wheel is on and make sure you have the same value on your trainer.
I wonder if someone will ask if you feel a bit stretched out, i.e upper arm/shoulder angle being obtuse. I’m not saying that–I just wonder if someone else would make such an observation.
I did use a level, both to ensure the top tube was level, and to align the aerobars. The adjustable stem was fiddly to get right, so that took a lot of work.
I’m going to experiment with moving my saddle forward a little, and maybe up a couple of mm, to compensate for the extra reach on the front end. I can go a little steeper before it gets hard to climb steep grades, I think.
