After seeing all the bike set ups in Kona, should IM take a serious look at what their current rules are regarding bike equipment? For 2024, I thought the banning of bottles down the kit made little sense, it seemed very arbitrary to ban something that may be a bit faster and helped people carry more fluids at no financial cost. The only aggrieved party it seemed would be bottle holder manufacturers. Now this year, not only do we see outrageous multi-bottle set ups, but full on aero extension fairings. A lot of this stuff is custom, 3D printed, and costs thousands of dollars. How can that be fair to pro’s who have limited resources? It’s even cost prohibitive for most AG’ers. We will know in January if IM what the 2025 rules are. I’m not suggesting they adopted World Triathlon rules or UCI, I like that our sport allows for more cutting edge development, but what’s happening now seems to already infringe on the rules currently in place.
I think the rules are kinda silly and would actually want to see them reversed vs. moving to a more strict rule. Eliminating bottles in the jersey and electrical tape is silly when there’s no real safety impact. It seems you can have any aero fairing you want as long as it’s really expensive (Joe Skipper’s hydration contraption hasn’t been banned yet IIRC?). Those oversized pulley wheel covers are 100% a fairing with no other benefit in my mind.
I think they kind of posted it as a joke, but TriRig released a new BTA bracket and they showed an example with 4 bottles BTA. It looks absolutely wild.
I genuinely think that if Ironman had at some point made the use of a road bike compulsory, it would be a bigger sport and it would draw more participation.
Of course the chance of that ever happening is zero.
And I can see how playing around the rules and aerodynamics can be fun.
I think Ironman should think long term how do they want the sport to evolve and make the rules based on that rather than passively react to the trends of the moment.
So propose some amdts, then!
A minimum and continual space between arm rests?
Max one bottle BTA?
Max one 750ml circular cross section bottle down the top at the front?
Limit on surface area of BTS bottle cage(s)?
I personally don’t have issue with the wild bottle set ups, it’s the extensions as fairing that I think is getting out of hand.
I am offended by the bottle set-ups too! I am stuck in my ways and the offense to the aesthetics are abhorent. Aerobars with boom-boxes on fatbikes look better than some of these creations.
I was against the large volume bottles being stuffed down tops for similar aesthetic reasons, but look what that ban resulted in! A one bottle (with max size) allowance is utilitarian and likely not sufficient aero advantage to make the hassle worth it.
aesthetic reasons are the most stupid argument for a rule
Maybe…rules are the framework connecting performance, jeopardy and participation/viewership. The aesthetics certainly pluck on the latter two elements of this web.
Yet a large percentage of the UCI and IM rulebook bicycle rules are based on aesthetics.
It’s dumb but the fastest way to ride a bike is usually not anywhere near the traditional way, or even the “Golden era” Merckx/Coppi positions. Technically a recumbent is the fastest, but even if you stipulate upright road bikes you can see what happens.
The classic position looks strong and powerful. The fully aero position is closer to a fetal position than anything else.
IMO it really needs to be a box. You can come up with whatever exact dimensions you want, but anywhere around the top of the extension to around the head tube, width of ~15cm, height from head tube to top of extensions.
You’d have to word it correctly and think about loopholes, but it’s a much cleaner solution than anything open to interpretation.
Of course the interpretation is always favored by governing bodies, clever solutions that are ugly can then be deemed illegal because reasons.
to add just made up rules , for instance you cant ride a disc wheel if its windy but any depth of front wheel is ok…