Triathlon - Seat Posts, Aero Bars, and such...

Hi –

I’m (hopefully) doing my first tri in july. I’m using my roadbike, a Giant OCR1, and want to make some minimal cost upgrades that will provide the most benefit.

From browsing old threads, it sounds like a forward seatpost and a set of aero bars are the two most helpful components.

It looks like the Profile Fast Forward and the Thomson Setback, installed in reverse, are the two main options. I’m trying to decide which one to get. The Profile is obviously designed for such a thing, but the forward angle looks pretty extreme. Has anyone used this post, and if so, did you feel like it pushed you too far forward? Likewise, if anyone has used the Thomson, I’m curious to know how you like it. I was also wondering if the Titec Hellbent mountain post, installed backwards, would work as a tri post.

Secondly… aero bars. I had been thinking of getting the Syntace C2’s. However, I read some reviews yesterday and one said that the C2’s are better suited for a tri specific bike because they bring you really far forward. If using a forward post, though, I imagine this would not apply. Thoughts? The review I read mentioned that the Profile Carbon Stryke is the best option for road bikes because of its adjustability. Please let me know what you think.

Any other advice for component add-ons/upgrades are more than welcome, as well.

Thanks,
Kurt

I don't think a seat post reversed will help that much. Adjust the existing post, angle down a bit, move it forward a few MM at a time.

I had a pair of Syntace bars that were nice as they were seperate bars. Nice feature for those of us with a 49" chest.

The big thing is to get comfortable. If your course is flat, the aero bars can be very helpful, but you need to get it so its comfortable for 25 miles or more and still ahve legs to run on. if you can't get oxygen to those legs, little good it will do.

You can get a new seat post to put you in a more forward position but I don't recommend it. Why? Because it will put too much weight on the front wheel. The shift in balance between front/rear will upset the handling of the bike. I'm not saying it can't be ridden that way, just that it's not optimal. Plus when you move forward, you may need a longer stem. And since you really want to rotate forward, not just slide foward, you really want to drop the handlebars (if that's even possible on your bike). The upshot is that if you likely won't be riding in the "best" triathlon position by getting a forward seat post. So what I recommend is getting some aerobars that are designed to be put on road bike.

Just out of a beginner's curiosity, what does the forward seatpost do for you in a triathlon? Is it supposed to save your legs for the run, and if so how does it do that? I guess I'm having trouble picturing rotating forward v. sliding forward. Thanks.

TB: The theory is that it puts you into a position on the bike that makes the transition into running easier. I've never used one though.

Kurt: I've used the Profile AirStryke bars in the past and you can adjust the overall length of them and you can adjust the width of the arm rests. If you want even more adjustability you can use the Split Second bars.

Good luck doing your first triathlon. What triathlon are you planning on doing?

Here is a review of some common aerobars:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/barwars.shtml

I too have a Giant, I just needed a zero setback seatpost. I went with the HED aerobars. Also, you can get around needing a taller stem by adjusting the height on the elbow pads.

By all accounts, aerobars are the single greatest upgrade for triathletes.

Thanks for all the advice – keep it coming.

The tri I’m planning on doing is Waterloo Triathlon in Michigan, July 10. It’s a 0.5 mile swim, 16 mile bike, 5 mile run. I’m not sure whether I’m going to go Clydesdale or 30-34 class. The deciding factor of whether I send the entry in at all will be how comfortable I am w/ swimming distance by then. I’m currently taking some lessons and reading Total Immersion, so I’m hoping I’ll be halfway capable w/ a bit of practice.

The aero bars in the Bikesport review look nice, but are vastly more expensive than what I was looking at. I think I’ll start w/ a decent $90-$120 pair.

Tri-Berkely, the forward seatpost, as mentioned in another response, helps save you for the run (in theory). The forward positioning puts the emphasis on your quads, leaving you w/ some juice in the hamstrings which are heavily used when running.

Kurt: Enter the clydesdale class. We need to show those skinny guys that we can do tri's too :). Seriously, unless you're really, really fast you're likely to get hammered in the 30-34 group. See if you can find the results from previous results and see the time differences between age groupers and clydesdales.

Who you calling a "skinny guy"?!?!?!?!?!?

I'll take your encouragement into consideration. Of course, I'm only 199 right now, so I've got a pound to gain if I'm going to do the Clydesdales.

I actually did look at the results from last year for the tri I'm looking at, and yes, the leaders of the 30-34 class were a bit faster, but due to the large number of entries, there were also quite a few people in that class who sucked a lot worse than the slowest clydesdale.

Who you calling a "skinny guy"?!?!?!?!?!?

Right now anyone that either (1) weighs less than me or (2) is not a Clydesdale :)

I'll take your encouragement into consideration. Of course, I'm only 199 right now, so I've got a pound to gain if I'm going to do the Clydesdales.

I hate you. No, not really, I only have myself to blame for being overweight. Given that your triathlon isn't for a couple of months and that you'll be training for it, I kind of doubt you'll gain, if anything, you'll drop a little weight. Race in your age group.

Thanks for all the advice – keep it coming.

The tri I’m planning on doing is Waterloo Triathlon in Michigan, July 10. It’s a 0.5 mile swim, 16 mile bike, 5 mile run. I’m not sure whether I’m going to go Clydesdale or 30-34 class. The deciding factor of whether I send the entry in at all will be how comfortable I am w/ swimming distance by then. I’m currently taking some lessons and reading Total Immersion, so I’m hoping I’ll be halfway capable w/ a bit of practice.


I wouldn't mess with the bike for such a short ride. You are talking an hour ride, you might save a minute or two. I'd spend the money on Master's Swimming. I did a Half IM on a road bike and didn't think twice about it. I just got the aerobars and that's because I'm planning on doing a full IM where the time savings can be a bit more substantial. But that bein said, I'm thinking of just getting a tri-bike. The one thing that stinks about full on aerobars (not the clipons) is that you are often in the wrong gear because it's not as easy to change gears. That really messes with your cadence.

Tri-Berkely, the forward seatpost, as mentioned in another response, helps save you for the run (in theory). The forward positioning puts the emphasis on your quads, leaving you w/ some juice in the hamstrings which are heavily used when running.

I think you've got that backwards, the forward position recruits more from the hams and gluts helping to keep the quads fresher for the run.

On the aerobars, I have the C2's and like them alot. I did shorten the stem and brought the seat forward. I'd recommend getting a proper fitting a bike shop if you can.