I am looking to purchase a Felt B2 Pro here shortly and was told that it wasn’t a good idea to put a water bottle cage or bag behind the seat due to how the bike was designed it would remove some of the aerodynamic advancements with the bike. This lead me to thinking where the hell do I put my spare tube then? On a shorter course I would chance not taking one but not for Ironman. Suggestions? I figure that I will be using an Aerobottle for sports drink and one bottle for water which takes up the room for cages. I will have a bento box, but currently I am planning on using it for nutrition (gels, salt tabs, etc).
The circumstances we are trying to avoid are ones that look like this: This looks like a porcupine is stuck to the back of your seat. Not good. If you do some poking around on this forum and on the web with some Google searches or jump over to analyticalcycling.com you’ll see some test results that reveal that behind the saddle bottle cage carriers aren’t as aerodynamic as one would intuitively think. The solution may be something much more streamlined. You may be able to carry a tubular or spare tube under your seat, but just not like the mess pictured above. The key thing is get the entire package as small and streamlined as possible. Here is a photo that shows me riding a B2 Pro from our review photoshoot with a little flat kit underneath that is relatively small and streamlined: And here are some ideas on how to fold a tubular into a compact, small package that can be very tightly pushed up under a saddle:
Tom,
second picture with B2, how did you manage to attach something to that seatpost? Because of the double position, it is almost impossible to attach something when the seat is on the forward position.
looks like a porcupine is stuck to the back of your seat.
Tom,
Looks like one of those tele-communications satellites that they send into orbit or a cell phone relay tower antenne. Drop that bike the wrong way, and then what?
How to store a tire tube on the bike - Tubular or clincher, roll up as tight as you can and then use an old toe-clip strap ( remember those), as you have used, to tightly strap the spare under the saddle by the exposed saddle rails to the rear of the bike. Simple. Easy.
You can either strap/lash the Co2 in there if you cab roll it tight and small enough or carry it elsewhere - back pocket of your race jersey or strapped somehwere else on the bike out of the way/wind.
Just stuff it in your jersey pocket, and take it out in T2.
Old school. Love it. I see many people racing in IM races and other triathlons with NOTHING in the jersey or race tops and EVERYTHING strapped to the bike so the bike looks like a pack-mule. Why?
My favourite time at an IM race is to wander around the transition area while the swim is going on and looking at all the differen bike set ups. It’s quiet in there at this time and you can take your time. The stuff you see, though would make your spin!!
Not only does that thing look like a porcupine, but the bracket itself is rather heavy before you start to add the spare parts stuff. I have a very small black nylon bag under the seat of my P3C with 2 tubes (one long, one short stem), 3 CO2 cartiges, gun, crack pipe, and 3 plastic tire levers. Tim
I am looking to purchase a Felt B2 Pro here shortly and was told that it wasn’t a good idea to put a water bottle cage or bag behind the seat due to how the bike was designed it would remove some of the aerodynamic advancements with the bike. This lead me to thinking where the hell do I put my spare tube then? On a shorter course I would chance not taking one but not for Ironman. Suggestions? I figure that I will be using an Aerobottle for sports drink and one bottle for water which takes up the room for cages. I will have a bento box, but currently I am planning on using it for nutrition (gels, salt tabs, etc).
It may not look great, but in an IM it is functional. Where else are you going to put water bottles? on the downtube is less aero than behind the seat. Longer events have alot of luggage. Sure a less bulky solution is better for a sprint.
If you have a tubie spare tire rolled up like that, which I do now that you posted the very helpful “how to” on my post last week, how can you fit it under your seat along with a small bag to carry your crackpipe, CO2 tubes, tire levers, CO2 inflator etc. Plus, I have both a tubbie tube and a clincher tube b/c I’ll be riding both. I think it would get just as messy under the seat with all of that crap. Plus, if I have an xlab set up behind me, I have a place for a cut off waterbottle to hold all of that crap and I have another place for a spare bottle should I need some extra water. Any thoughts?
EVERYTHING strapped to the bike so the bike looks like a pack-mule. Why?
Putting the aero benefits aside, why WOULDN’T you put anything bike related ON the bike? I for one don’t like extra crap in my bike jersey - it is uncomfortable and god forbid that it starts rubbing me wrong. Then the suggestion that someone made about “just take it out in T2” flies in the face of the rest of us saying, “keep it simple” in the transitions. Spare bike parts stay on my bike in T2 and thus save me time NOT having to remove them from a pocket. Spare bike parts on the bike are NOT on my body causing any discomfort, etc.
Bringing the aero benefits back into the discussion, I bet the time you save by putting your spare tube/tire in your jersey instead of on the frame is LOST when you take the extra time removing it or changing in T2.
And here are some ideas on how to fold a tubular into a compact, small package that can be very tightly pushed up under a saddle: 