I’m new to triathlon–this is my first season of racing–and I’ve had pretty good success with my Trek 1500 and some Profile clip-ons. My torso is long enough that the extra length of the road frame isn’t a factor, and I’ve gotten my seat positioned forward so that (according to the Slowtwitch article on measuring effective seat angle) I’m riding with about 79 degrees of seat angle when I’m in my typical aero position. My overall position (according to ME) is pretty good.
However, I’ve got my eye on a set of Vision Tech FSA basebar/aerobars/dura-ace bar-end shifters/brake levers that are currently up on eBay. The main things I don’t like about my current position on my road bike are that I can’t get my pads low enough and I don’t have bar-end shifters. Perhaps these would be remedied by going to a tri cockpit, not to mention the slight intrinsic aerodynamic advantage of not having dangling drop bars and brake levers. So, I ask you:
Assuming I can get into the same position with the tri cockpit as my current cockpit, how much difference will going to the tri cockpit on my road frame make on my aerodynamics and my overall performance?
Would this be a waste of money? Do tri cockpits belong on tri bikes (with tri geometries), or can I make it work on a road bike with a forward seat position? I hope it can work, the FSA bars look really cool.
Well, there I go with my first post on these boards–I’ve dropped the soap. Please be gentle! Thanks!
If you can post some pcitures, that would be great. I would like to see your current setup and a measurment of the headtube.
There are plenty of people who ride road frames with a tri front end. Position suits them better, it typcially decreases the weight of the front end and you can stay in aero while shifting.
Another option would be Dan’s Oval stem shorty bar setup. You would have the best of both worlds until you can pull the trigger of a dedicated TT bike.
At the very least the cool factor might give you the psychosomatic boost. Keau
Sure, no problem. Here’s a picture of my setup. Trek 1500 54cm. Complete with Duct Tape computer.
Requested measurements:
Head tube is 105mm, the stem is bolted to the fork at 122mm (bottom edge)
Also, my stem is 115mm currently set at an angle of about -40 degrees. Seems to work okay. My drop from saddle (measured at tip of nose) to pads (measured at lowest point) is about 12cm. The tip of my saddle is .5cm ahead of my BB, which gives me an effective seat angle of between 79 and 80 degrees, according to The Chart.
Regarding using the shorty bars - my existing system gives me a pretty good aero position. I don’t have any pics of me aero right now (in a few days I could post some) but I’m comfortable, my back is nearly flat, and my hip angle seems to be at least decent (my arm angle is fine).
And I would definitely get a psychosomatic boost from using the Vision Tech bars! They definitely look awesome, and I’d at least perceive myself as “cool” (now other people, on the other hand…).
Your down on the headset with an adjustable stem, at the very least see if you can try mounting a set of clipons under the bar with the pads flat on the base.
It looks like your running PD aerolites with stack pretty high. A new clip on with an over under mount might just do the trick.
If that doesnt work or the vision falls through, I have a used T2 alloy base and s extensions (youre on your own for levers and bar ends) and a thompson setback zero seatpost; which will give you more adjustment on the rails.
Thanks for your tips, Keau. Yeah, I’ve thought about purchasing something like the T2 cobra aerobars, that I can mount under the bar. It’s either something like that, or a full-out tri cockpit with a “low-padded” set-up such as the FSA.
Now, the question is: will going with the FSA give me anything over an under-bar-mounted clip-on besides bar-end shifting and “cool factor”?
Well you wont have road drops in the wind, theoretically giving you the advantage. You would have a more versatile bike if you kept the STI shifting (group rides, hand comfort and better shifting for climbing, etc.). I would keep them and buy a TT bike. Keau
Did you happen to see this article http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/techctr/shorty1.html it shows what Keau means about installing under the base bar.
Also, PM me if you are interested in a pair of T2 Cobra carbon bars (used for a month) with an Easton Delta Force base bar (2 years old)
Yeah, I did see that article on the shorty bars and mounting them under the drop bars. However, I’m not that interested in exploring a shorty aero system, as my existing system with the full-length aerolites gives me a good aero position as is (I have a slightly longer torso I guess). I could be wrong with my self-diagnosis of my aero position (I can post pictures in a day or two) but I don’t feel stretched out or anything with the full length aerobars on the road bike.
In theory, I guess I could keep both sets of bars and be able to switch the two sets with a day or two notice if I really wanted to do a group ride (which I don’t do very often at all). Ideally, I’d have two bikes. But the more I look at my graduate student budget, the less money I see for a new tri bike! And since 98% of my riding time these days is solo rides in the aero position, that’s why I’m considering ditching the STI system for a tri cockpit.
I guess what it boils down to is that I’m really just looking for an excuse to buy the awesome super sexy tri cockpit!
