As the subject implies, has anyone ever actually been skewered?
Another active thread has waged a debate about whether a triathlete needs a road bike for a long ride with roadies. As expected, every other person is citing safety as a reason to purchase another bike for group rides, but it seems to me that the notion of aerobar impalement is highly overstated. Can someone actually support the claim that it is statisically more dangerous?
The only scenario where the end of an aero bar would be the leading point of contact would be in an end-over incident, where the rider and bars would extend past the front wheel - the front wheel acting as a bumper. Purely speculative, but I would imagine that most riders, when approaching and/or embracing for a wreck, turn their body to expose the side of their bike. Which in the case of road bikes, a brake/shift lever.
I’m not sure if impalement is the safety concern they are worried about, but just the longer time it takes to get from the aerobars to the brakes, especially when group riding.
I think the safety factor is not so much getting impaled by an aero bar. That is probably the least of your worries. I am sure you are right about shift levers being more dangerous on tri bikes and road bikes.
For the record I own a Cannondale Slice for a tri bike and a Felt F5 for a road bike. I put about 2000 miles a year on the tri bike and about 1000 miles on the road bike. (races, trainer and outside combined)
There are several reasons that I don’t like to ride my tri bike for recreational non training group rides.
ON THE SAFETY FRONT
#1 If you are on the aero bars you are riding along with your hands not on or near the brakes. In the .3 seconds that it takes you to move your hands from the aero bars to the horns you have already traveled 9 feet at 20 mph.
If you add in the .5 seconds it takes the average human to react you have traveled 25 feet before you have started to slow down.
#2 Bike handling skills vary widely BUT I don’t think anyone is as visible, able to maneuver as well or as stable on a tri bike as they are on a road bike PERIOD
ON THE COMFORT/FUN/PRATICALITY FRONT
#1 If I am riding with friends I usually ride along side, close talk pass food back and forth ect. All things done (for me at least) easier and safer on my road bike.
#2 I find that my Cannondale Slice is a great climber for a tri bike but my Felt F5 is better. I also feel safer on fast descents on my road bike.
#3 I can shift and use the brakes much easier with the road bike as my hands are never far away from the controls. If I am climbing hard and want to downshift (or stand and upshift) I do not need to reach out to the end of the aero bars. If I am descending fast tucked in on the drops I do not need to change my body position to feather the brakes a little like I would have to when moving from aero bars back to the brakes.
BUT different strokes for different folks. I don’t mind people using a tri bike for whatever they want. this is all just my personal preference.
I was on a group ride about a month ago where 2 riders ran into each other at the turn around point. Person A was essentially T-boned by Person B turning around at the turn around point on the ride. Person B was coincidentally riding a tri bike and Person A was riding a road bike. Person A ended up with a knocked out tooth, a bunch of facial lacerations and a bruised rib that is still painful a couple weeks later. Person B ended up with a broken nose. The theory (I was up the road 1/4 of a mile so I didn’t witness the actual incident) was that Person B put his head down in anticipation of the crash and essentially became a battering ram. No aero bars had to be extracted from either of the people.
For full disclosure, Person A rides pretty well and rides this ride regularly. Person B happened to be an out of towner and this was their first time on the ride. The ride’s route has since been changed due to this turn around point causing more confusion as the ride has slowly gotten bigger from 20 or so people for years to 57 or so at the time of the incident.
Disclosure part B. I consider myself a roadie, most of my group rides are pretty flat and fast (I’m 20 miles from the Atlantic ocean and we can avg >26 for 30 miles+) and most of the time that group consists of at least one guy on a tri bike and we don’t have a problem with it as long as he is on the base bar while not on the front.
edited because my coffee has not kicked in yet and it was jiberish.
Great points and can understand the concern of someone riding aero within a group. I for one, have no problem on the base bar for extended periods… But as you said, different strokes.
Perhaps it’s the nature of the circles I’m involved with, but impalement is always cited as the primary concern. Sounds like it’s not the general sentiment.
My understanding of the concern about tri bikes in group rides is not the impalement of someone with your aerobars or how long it takes to get to the brakes if you’re riding in aero (which you shouldn’t be if you’re riding in a peleton), but that when you do shift, you’re taking one hand off the bike which leaves room for you to go down and take others with you should you hit a rock or rough patch of road at that exact time and are unable to correct it.
My group had someone go down at 5th wheel because he hit a rock while he was shifting. He took down 3 other people.
That being said, I see a lot of roadies riding 1 handed while they grab a bottle or adjust something, so it’s not exclusive to those on tri bikes.
I don’t see an issue with somebody riding a TT bike on a group ride; especially if it is their only bike. Being in the aero bars in the pack is a different story, but just being on a TT bike isn’t a big deal to me. I don’t think twice about it when I see somebody on a TT bike on our group rides. TT bikes don’t necessarily handle worse than a road bike. It’s the rider, not the bike.
In my experience, the people who whine about riders on TT bikes are usually the most sketchy riders in the pack. More often than not, it’s some grumpy old man. Rather than exile people on TT bikes that try and do group rides, we should encourage them and help them learn how to ride straight. We should also educate them on the safety concern of being in their aero position in a pack.
Great points and can understand the concern of someone riding aero within a group. I for one, have no problem on the base bar for extended periods… But as you said, different strokes.
Perhaps it’s the nature of the circles I’m involved with, but impalement is always cited as the primary concern. Sounds like it’s not the general sentiment.
I think you may have been duped, to be honest. You sure they’re not just giving you shit for bringing your tri bike to a group ride? Those roadies can have a sense of humor too!
As others have stated, nothing to do with implement. Although I have seen a picture of a “core sample” taken from someone when a regular set of road bars didn’t have a bar plug.
But, it is due to safety. I’m primarily a road rider but am now spending more time on a Tri bike. When you combine the Tri bike with deep wheels, the handling is waaaaaay different and not neatly as quick. Add in some wind and it can get sketchy. Add in Triathletes (and others) who have never raced and / or never done close group rides and you will have a crash. If everyone are on road bikes, you reduce the wind effect, everyone is closer to the brakes and they all have more control. Won’t stop all crashes (stupid is as stupid does) but it’ll help.
Personally, I won’t ride in groups when on my Tri bike and I’m extra careful if I’m riding my road bike close to someone in Tri position.
I don’t see an issue with somebody riding a TT bike on a group ride; especially if it is their only bike. Being in the aero bars in the pack is a different story, but just being on a TT bike isn’t a big deal to me. I don’t think twice about it when I see somebody on a TT bike on our group rides. TT bikes don’t necessarily handle worse than a road bike. It’s the rider, not the bike.
In my experience, the people who whine about riders on TT bikes are usually the most sketchy riders in the pack. More often than not, it’s some grumpy old man. Rather than exile people on TT bikes that try and do group rides, we should encourage them and help them learn how to ride straight. We should also educate them on the safety concern of being in their aero position in a pack.
Sounds like you only have one bike and are inexperienced. Trying to justify endangering others by using aero bars in a group ride is foolish. And for the record, group ride = pack. And TT Bikes do handle worse than a regular road bike. Not so much because of geometry. But rider placement changes things. Someone already pointed out that it can take 25 feet for someone on aero bars to react and hit the brakes. Completely unacceptable. But obviously you like rolling the the dice and potentially injuring others because of your attitude. I’ve witnessed crashes as a direct result of aero bars. Also I really enjoy those with the waterbottle holders behind the seat that also can hold other stuff. Pump or whatnot … Some Fred, no other term accurately describes him, with aero bars and WB holders behind the seat got in our club paceline. Uninvited of course. And he was willing to take a turn at the front which is commendable. But riding behind him and watching one of the WB’s vibrate loose and fall to the ground was excitement I didn’t need. I avoided it. Maybe more dumb luck than superior handling skills. But the rider behind me ? Not so lucky. He lost a lot of skin and it could have been much worse.
Oh yeah … I’m not a know it all 30 year old. I am an experienced Old Man and I don’t ride at the back of a group.
You probably text while you drive too. Even though you know that’s pretty stupid.
For the record there are a lot of experienced Tri Guys and Gals that thankfully see the wisdom of “the Rules” but the worry is always going to be the morons who want to play with them and don’t have the skills.
Yes, in the arse last fall in Ottawa Du Worlds. Crossed to the mount line after T1, briefly slowed to slip one foot in the bike shoe & from behind a British athlete gave me an R2C shifter exam entangling our bikes & tore away 2 inches of my suit, bare arsed. Didn’t know it was torn until the US Coach approached me after the finish & asked if I was trying to pick up women during the race. Had to spin my race belt around to cover then back side with the race # while walking around after that. Ended up with a sore tailbone for about a month.
