Old 10-07-05 | 06:11 PM
  #14  
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Mojo GoGo
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Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Honeoye Falls, NY

Bikes: Specialized Allez, Madone 5.2

Originally Posted by theskyking
1. What is so wrong with my tri-style positioning? I could do centuries and feel good, fast, comfortable. I could race and do relatively well. Why should I be so motivated to get "fit right" if there wasn't a problem in the first place? If it ain't broke...why fix it?
Nothing is wrong with a tri fit. The issue is whether your current setup is a correctly fit for you... My tri - esque fit was incorrect and had me riding with my toes pointed. This put too much load on my quads which led to premature fatigue and some calf cramps. After time I adapted to this unique setup but because it isolated my quads I didn't get the benefit of using my hip flexors and glutes. In addition, even though I was flexible enough to have a 4-5" drop between my seat and bars, it didn't help me go any faster. In fact, my LBS has found that more often than not the more aero of a position that a rider creates (past neutral) the slower they go - this is because while they have a lower profile they are positioned such that they can not sustain a high level of output over a long duration. The aggressive setup often times results in an improper hip angle which does not allow the rider to fully expand their diaphram while they're bent over. The LBS has seen this across many riders with quantitative results (rider times at local training TT rides) as opposed to subjective feedback (wow, I felt really fast in the new position). A more well known example of more aero not necessarily being faster would be LA scrapping his F1 bike which had the narrow BB.
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