xlab saddlewing bottle holders...grrrr

[nardo888]

Hey, has anyone found that the xlab saddlewing hits the butt when it has bottles in it? I just set mine up and it is right up against my bum. Also, since the bottom of the bottles are level with the saddle, would that not cause more air resistance? Xlab claims that because of that, the air can pass by the seatpost unobstructed, but now it may be hitting the bottles as it comes off my back.

Also, anyone with this saddlewing...whattaya thing about it?

[Sprocket Man]

I considered getting the saddlewing system so I read some reviews on it. Besides crowding the riders butt, another common complaint was that because the bottles were mounted fairly vertical, it has a tendency to launch the bottles when riding over bumps. In addition, windtunnel tests have shown that behind the saddle bottleholders (Xlab, Profile, etc.) are actually aerodynamically worse than mounting the bottles to the downtube and seattube. The reason is just as you mentioned, the stream of air running cleanly down your back is interrupted by the bottles. From what I've read, there's not a whole lot to like about it.

[audiojan]

Don't know about the aerodynamics, but ever since I hit my leg on the wing trying to get a quick jump on the bike in a race and tipped over, the X-wing has a find a nice home in a drawer in my basement... :)

[onetimepad]

I can relate to AudioJan...they are hard to hurdle when doing the flying-mount and they can launch bottles on big bumps (so don't hit them). I do like having everything behind my back though. I also have tubes and CO2 cartridges. As far as the aero piece goes...I doubt seriously that it makes much difference. Unless your going full IM (and even then....) your only going to see a tiny tiny difference in time. Keep in mind, wind tunnel testing indicates the body of the rider accounts for 70-80% of the drag. I suspect that the 70% number relates to the smaller skinny riders...I would probably even dipute that. The bike and it's components contribute very little to overall frontal footprint in terms of wind resistance. The rider, especially one with some extra pounds, maybe some loose fitting clothing (stuff should be skin tight), bulky helmets etc... is the biggest issue in becoming aero. On the bike, aero bars and race wheels are the two biggest things you can do that translate almost immediatley to faster rides.