Triguy
02-03-07, 09:46 AM
My recommendation for best aero setup is at the bottom, you can skip my rant if you want to...
I have one tri bike and another bike thats 3/4 built. I recently ordered a Ritchey Probiscus integrated aerobar for $55 for the second bike, which is a spectacular deal for a one piece aerobar even if it's a little ugly(which incedently enough is quite easily fixed with a hacksaw.
I was quite pleased with the quality and ease of putting the Probiscus on, except for one part, the pads were the most confusing conglomeration of risers, sliders, bolts and washers I've ever seen(not to mention NO INSTRUCTIONS). Which is interesting because there are four bolt on holes on the basebar, so if Ritchey were so inclined the could simply include a armpad with four sets of holes that would correspond and a person would have 8-12 mounting options. Instead they expected me to slide, glide, rise and bolt my way to a confusing setup.
This is no good for me. So I look at my Hed cliplites, with have 4 pairs of holes for fore/aft adjustment. The holes were a little wider than the Ritchey basebar, so I sanded a mm or two inward on each hole and bam. The Ritchey bars now have what I wanted, a simple, fixed low mounted arm pad.
Now, the even better part was, the Ritchey pads mounted perfectly on the Hed bar.
The result?
Well for those who have ever owned the Hed fliplites, if you're like me, you may have found the armpads a little to flimsy, the inability to fix the "flipping" part that fixes itself to the bar and the thin lightweight armcups created something that had very little side support for my arms. The new Ritchey pads are curved a much more anatomical way and are a bit sturdier. I'm probably adding 20 grams or so but it should be well worth it.
And the Probiscus? Well I simplified the installation quite a bit. I lightened the system up about 20-50 grams(the pads are a bit lighter but not using all the hardware also saved a lot). Not only that but it sits low to meet my needs of a lot of drop.
I guess it's interesting to me how the two companies were after different goals. One to be light, and one to be adjustable but both achieved their goal to a level that obstructed the functionality of their product. Finally, let me say, the Probiscus is a great buy for the money, and the Hed bars are amazingly light.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Secondly, I have spent a lot of time wondering why it seems like it's so hard to find a good front end that is aerodynamic, functional and looks good without haveing to pay over $150. Well, Easton of all the companies in the world has a budget basbar out now and it's cheaper than Vision or Profile T2. Ovals A710 is also a great light adjustable bar for the money. For a total of about $125 after shipping you can have a real good front end.
Easton aluminum base bar $50 with %15 off(coupon code = slowtwitch) = $42.5
http://www.trisports.com/eadebar.html
Paired with
Oval A710 aerobars for $70
http://store.airbomb.com/Itemdesc.asp?IC=HB7005&link=qbike
I have one tri bike and another bike thats 3/4 built. I recently ordered a Ritchey Probiscus integrated aerobar for $55 for the second bike, which is a spectacular deal for a one piece aerobar even if it's a little ugly(which incedently enough is quite easily fixed with a hacksaw.
I was quite pleased with the quality and ease of putting the Probiscus on, except for one part, the pads were the most confusing conglomeration of risers, sliders, bolts and washers I've ever seen(not to mention NO INSTRUCTIONS). Which is interesting because there are four bolt on holes on the basebar, so if Ritchey were so inclined the could simply include a armpad with four sets of holes that would correspond and a person would have 8-12 mounting options. Instead they expected me to slide, glide, rise and bolt my way to a confusing setup.
This is no good for me. So I look at my Hed cliplites, with have 4 pairs of holes for fore/aft adjustment. The holes were a little wider than the Ritchey basebar, so I sanded a mm or two inward on each hole and bam. The Ritchey bars now have what I wanted, a simple, fixed low mounted arm pad.
Now, the even better part was, the Ritchey pads mounted perfectly on the Hed bar.
The result?
Well for those who have ever owned the Hed fliplites, if you're like me, you may have found the armpads a little to flimsy, the inability to fix the "flipping" part that fixes itself to the bar and the thin lightweight armcups created something that had very little side support for my arms. The new Ritchey pads are curved a much more anatomical way and are a bit sturdier. I'm probably adding 20 grams or so but it should be well worth it.
And the Probiscus? Well I simplified the installation quite a bit. I lightened the system up about 20-50 grams(the pads are a bit lighter but not using all the hardware also saved a lot). Not only that but it sits low to meet my needs of a lot of drop.
I guess it's interesting to me how the two companies were after different goals. One to be light, and one to be adjustable but both achieved their goal to a level that obstructed the functionality of their product. Finally, let me say, the Probiscus is a great buy for the money, and the Hed bars are amazingly light.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Secondly, I have spent a lot of time wondering why it seems like it's so hard to find a good front end that is aerodynamic, functional and looks good without haveing to pay over $150. Well, Easton of all the companies in the world has a budget basbar out now and it's cheaper than Vision or Profile T2. Ovals A710 is also a great light adjustable bar for the money. For a total of about $125 after shipping you can have a real good front end.
Easton aluminum base bar $50 with %15 off(coupon code = slowtwitch) = $42.5
http://www.trisports.com/eadebar.html
Paired with
Oval A710 aerobars for $70
http://store.airbomb.com/Itemdesc.asp?IC=HB7005&link=qbike