Seat Tube angle is it all that its cracked up to be?

Triathlon Forum
1

I don’t understand the concept of seat tube angle in the abstract.

Can’t one get aero by being at a more slack angle.

Isn’t the true measurement of concern frontal area as traded off against comfort? How if anything does a steeper angle factor in?

2

you asked the same questions a month ago. click on your username. and then click on show users posts.

then read what you got in response. you can also search the forum for the info.

3

I just don’t know why then every day I read posts that preach the virtues of the steep seat angle. Why be a SLAVE to a steep angle.

Also, why do people insist on showing a profile of their bike set up when they should show a frontal view at least in addition to the side view, if not exclusively?

Frontal drag area is more important, also why do people insist on showing static views of their bike set up rather than a snap shot while pedaling at race cadence?

It is one thing to “pose” for a fit in a static image it is another to see how one’s posture and set up actually is after pedaling on a trainer for 15 minutes. You will see that there are subtle changes in posture, position on the seat, “straightness” of one’s back, head position, etc.

4

“Why be a SLAVE to a steep angle”

Don’t belittle slavery - slaves didn’t have a choice, you do. Are you some kind of racist? Do you think slavery wasn’t a big deal or something? Geez…

5

  1. Dan and Gerard are proponents of steep angle and as such, you’ll hear more about it here.

  2. A profile picture of a bike set up is far easier to evaluate than a frontal view. But then again, I wonder why people don’t just go out and spend a couple hundred $$$ for wind tunnel analysis of their positions.

  3. Frontal drag area is important, but it’s debatable how much more important. Smaller frontal areas can still have worse pressure drag around the bike/rider system.

  4. I believe steep seat tube angles allow the torso to remain straighter without compressing the hip angle of the rider and thus saving the body from exerting more energy toward maintaing an ‘aero’ position.

6

In the immortal words of Rashaan Roland Kirk
http://tinyurl.com/co5lq
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