I am currently riding a Trek Madone 3.1 which I absolutely love. Nicest bike I’ve ever owned. When I bought it last year I had simply set a goal of finishing Racine 70.3 which I did averaging 19.1 mph on the bike.
Naturally, finishing is no longer enough and I’d like to improve. Getting more aero on my bike is one way to do that but the options I face are a little overwhelming. Unfortunately, a tri bike is just not in the budget this year but I can sneak aero bars and a fitting into the budget.
I’d appreciate any input on which bars to get or at least what questions I should be asking myself when choosing.
Pretty sure I’d like to stick with clip ons as I like my road bike and like to ride centuries, fun rides and some sprint tris on the regular road bars. I plan to eventually will get a tri bike so probably would not be in favor of switching out bars completely. But that leads me to another question.
If I add some clip ons and get fitted for them to be in a more aero position will this be comfortable or worse awkward to ride without the aero bars?
You will probably come forward for a tri fit. Just mark the seat post height and fore-aft measurements so you have the ride dialed both with and without clip-ons
When I first got into tri racing, I started with an entry road bike and added a set of aeros. a first set of profile design wore out quickly. Now, using zipp and happy (paid less than $100). Important, IMHO you will need a separate fitting for riding aero from conventional road riding to be comfortable.
I also purchased a new seat post that moves the saddle forward. Think it was called “fast forward” by PD. A bike fitter told me that everyone used them 8-10 years ago before the TT bikes were developed. Note, you will get the aero benefits but with some reduction in bike handling as your body is placed more forward than your road bike geometry was built – but not many sudden speed changes nor unexpected turns in triathlon, tho.
So, with one bike, I was fitted for riding in aero with diff. seat post and road-biking with stock seat post. Aeros + seat post cost of $180-200 + spare saddle + bike fitting. 30 second conversion time to swap seat posts.
I have since upgraded to a comfy and fast Trek Domane which I ride 50 or so days a year. That “aero” road bike is used for winter trainer rides and the 2-3 tri races I do each year.
I marked my seat position on the rails for both positions with a sharpie so it’s easy to find. I measured seat post height and reach for both setups. The worst part is bolting on the aero bars then un bolting them but it doesn’t take more than a few minutes. Just annoying when your rushing out the door for a group ride after work
Thanks for the input. I like the idea of a second seat post and saddle so I am a quick release away from changing my seat setup.
I’ve been fit for my road bike and find it very comfortable. Although I’ve always felt my seat is 1/2 inch too low. I’m going to a different fitter this time so I will have bike take a look at my road setup before fitting me with the aero bars.
Just be sure that your drop bars are clip-on approved. Some lighter carbon bars (including some Bontrager) are not recommended for clip-ons. Others have a taper where you would normally clamp your clip-ons. In either case, it is highly inadvisable to use aerobars.
I would add some mini clip on’s such as Vision-Tech Mini’s. This way you can leave your bike fit alone and still have the extra position. The first 70.3 I did was on a road bike with mini’s. I never changed my road bike fit and stayed in aero comfortably for 90% of the race.