I’m a MOP’er (olys and sprints so far), racing on the serious cheap. I ride a 4yo road Cannondale. I have no real desire to join in the roadie games at this time, yet also lack the funds to upgrade to a decent tri bike. I find the drops to be somewhat useless as I’m either on the hoods on in my aerobars 90% of the time. I can drop occasional cash on component upgrades in the quest for new toys and maybe speed but can’t afford carbon or anything too fancy … sooo … i’m interested in going to pursuit bars and bar-end shifters …
is there anything besides “twitchy handling” … like will it slow me down or screw my back or waste my legs? isn’t it just a “slammed” position?
oh yeah, i’ve been lurking for a while, so i’d like to issue the disclaimer that i respect the opinions of the people on this board, I will most certainly consider tubulars when i’m rich (aaaany day now), pay homage to cervelo, titanium, and all things carbon in my nightly prayers, and would never, ever consider posting on or about tri-newbies without their express written consent … and screw you Mr Tibbs …
sooo … i’m interested in going to pursuit bars and bar-end shifters .
Makes perfect sense. As long as you can get comfy in the aerobars, there’s no real reason not to run pursuit bars under them. Bar-end shifters are certainly better suited to TT riding than STI.
Read through Slowman’s bike fit articles on how to get yourself rigged up on road bike geometry (mainly, shorter aerobars) and swap those hooks for some cowhorns.
And, BTW – I grew up around Annapolis; Class of 78, Severna Park High.
It’s a purist’s argument. Namely road bike head tubes tend to be “too long” to allow for a “correct” position when using pursuit bars. Basically, some people can’t get as low as they’d like. That plus you’ll be riding with your center of gravity farther forward on your bike then the bike was designed for. This will manifest itself in the handling and twitchyness is something you may encounter.
Is there anything wrong with this? Nope. I rode happily for 3 years on this setup and only recently bought my first tri bike. It’s simply that it’s not for everyone. Then again, neither is rap, pate, good wine or budweiser. Go to it and have fun.
I looked in to this. Best case scenario, you may be able to get a Max Testa-esque fit - like Lieto and Macca, but for me it wasn’t going to work out - I wanted to be steeper. If you are looking to go with a forward and low fit like FIST, you aren’t going to get there.
One plus - this type of setup may make you feel more like a triathlete, which could be a nice confidence booster.
class of '78 eh? well, i’m a somewhat recent transplant, but it may interest you to know that there’s supposed to be an international distance tri IN annapolis this summer … would be a very cool setting, it think. it was originally scheduled for mothers day weekend, but has been postponed … hopefully not indefinitely.
I used my Kestrel 200EMS with pursuit and aero bars for several years. Also coupled it with a Thomson set back post flipped 180 degrees. It will certainly work but as everyone says, it does impact performance and handling. My advise, don’t go more forward than about 76 degrees. I finally just decided I wanted a dedicated tri bike and bought a PicanTi that fits me perfect. The Kestrel is now used as intended…a road bike. There is certainly nothing wrong with using a road bike for tri. From my observations at local races here in Nor Cal, I think the majority of athletes still do this. I suspect it is more of the newbies and less hard core types but plenty of them go fast that way. Just keep those drops for when you come into some money and can get that perfect tri bike and you can turn your C’dale back to what it was designed for.