Originally Posted by
Kapusta
Yep. TicTac’s bike is not even close to that TT setup. The fact that he thinks it is speaks volumes to how little he understands it.
TT bikes have steep STAs. TicTac has done exactly the opposite and shoved his saddle all the way back on a setback seat post.
And why would one even post a TT race pic in a thread on non-competitive riding? Does he think those guys ride bikes like that when they are not racing or training?
I used to use a forward offset saddle
My Ride by
Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
and forward offset bars
220mm stem by
Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
to, as far as possible, put myself in more of time trial bike position with as far as possible a steep effective seat tube angle (STA). Since I ride on roads with cars, I wanted to use road bike bars, rather than time trial bike bars, for their superior braking and maneuverability.
These days as you say, my set up is set backwards. This was mainly because I got old and my glutes got weak and also because I realised how to get low on a rearwardly offset road bike.
In either case I am aiming to
1) reduce the frontal area of my body which I believe makes the greatest contribution to being aerodynamic.
2) "Anything but KOPs" because I find it makes it easier to spin if you are tiptoe pushing back at the end of the stroke, in a time trial position, or heel-down pushing forwards, in my current "French"/ "ankling" style of road bike riding.
I do this, though I never compete (other than in the past on Strava), because I find it exhilarating and motivating to go fast, which helps keeps my weight down, so far (though I think I'll get fat again one day, alas. Fight fight against the growing of the flab!).
I am not quite sure how Robbie is pedaling but my position is now fairly similar to that recommended to road-bike time-trialists by John Cobb, advisor to LeMond and Armstrong, and I believe the main point is getting down low, as was also encouraged by late 20th century road bikes, because catching the wind on your chest will make a lot more negative difference than the positive differences provided by internal cables and behind the frame brakes and all those "innovations" of the upright and therefore non-aero, "aero road bikes" of the past two decades, which I still believe to be cobblers.
Do you sell them?
Tim
Timothy Takemoto (timtak)