Triathlon - To those who race on road bikes...

Which modifications have been most worth the money (apart from wheels) I'm still considering changing to a forward post and longer aero bars, but I get mixed reviews on the effectiveness of doing such. I'm about to do an Olympic distance event. Do you really recover more quickly on the run? (As compared to when you just used your road setup) Also, can someone please tell me what the "Slam" riding position is?
Thanks.

"Big Slam" information here:

http://softride.com/fitting.asp

Most effective in terms of speed/$? Aerobars (which sounds like you already have) and an aero helmet. You can also look into getting a wheel cover to make your rear wheel into an inexpensive disc. :) www.wheelbuilder.com has them avaliable.

You can also look into getting a wheel cover to make your rear wheel into an inexpensive disc. :) www.wheelbuilder.com has them avaliable.

is that really worth it? honestly.

and you dont happen to be the Psydotek that posts on some WRX forums are you?

Aero bars, and clipless pedals will give the best results for money spent.

~fatBoy
http://trifatboy.com

is that really worth it? honestly.

and you dont happen to be the Psydotek that posts on some WRX forums are you?

Yeap, that's me. :D

Is the wheel cover worth it? I really don't know... But for $65 for the cover vs. $600+ for a disc wheel, it won't hurt trying. :)

Yeap, that's me. :D

Is the wheel cover worth it? I really don't know... But for $65 for the cover vs. $600+ for a disc wheel, it won't hurt trying. :)

haha, im BlackVenom96 from WRXF. havent been on there in awhile though. :o

i think im gonna pick up those covers just to try them out.

The wheelcover is the best money spent. It has tested very close to a disc in terms of aerodynamics.

you dont by chance have a link to an article about them or how they tested do you?

edit: just ordered a set after doing some searching on this forum. thanx guys.

Biketechreview.com had some numbers, but you have to pay for them. Someone posted them on another forum and I seem to remember the wheelcover being less than 30 seconds slower than a disc over 40K. That would make the wheel cover 90 seconds faster than a regular wheel, for $65.

I'll keep looking for hard numbers though.

thanx for suggesting those covers. i took them out for a little ride today and definatly noticed it was easier to hold a higher pace on the flats. i could also tell they were slowing me down on the climbs though.

ive got a good 45 mile trail loop out here thats flat as a pancake the whole way. ill use the covers on it in a couple weeks and give a report then. should be interesting to see if i gain any anverage speed.

Sounds nice! I'm still debating when i should get them and for which bike... I've only got one more triathlon planned for this year but it's a hilly course so i'm not sure i'll really need them. Then early next year i was planning on picking up a HED3 wheel anyways...

aero bars and the biggest bang for the buck, and but a large amount. However, that is if you train some on them and are somewhat comfortable. Just slapping a set on before a race with little time on them and not other adjustments (like seat) is counter productive. In that case one would be better off riding without them and staying the drops as much as possible.

I'm in the northeast, so most of the rides are hilly. Seems like the wheel covers are only an advantage on fairly flat courses. Is that correct? For $65 if they are generally an advantage I'll get them tomorrow.

I'm in the northeast, so most of the rides are hilly. Seems like the wheel covers are only an advantage on fairly flat courses. Is that correct? For $65 if they are generally an advantage I'll get them tomorrow.

i noticed them slowing me down on climbs just as much as they helped on the flats. and i wasnt doing any serious climbing, but it was also one ride. ill report back after i mess around with them some more. :D

The big thing I am wondering about after switching from racing on a road bike to TT bike is how much to lower my stem. There are a few spacers in there now. I don't know how low to go. If you have to adapt to a new position to really test the aero vs power output tradeoffs, then how do you come up with any new position in a reasonable period of time?

I think its like developing a good road fit. Trial and error, with a pro fit in there towards the end of the experiment.