tri bars ... thoughts/comments??

[bobg]

Just been sitting here wondering what other ways I could spend money on my bikes then thought of tri bars. I've never used them before neither do I know anybody who does, so any comments would be most welcome. SJS do some cheapo ones via E bay but I'll wait and see way you all think. The majority of my rides are 1/2 days on quiet flat roads mostly 25/35 miles, seemingly into a head wind and I wondered if they might worth a try re increasing average speed and maybe comfort?
Thanks

 

[Smokin Joe]

They give you another hand position which can certainly aid comfort during a long ride, but the will not make you go faster when they are simply bolted onto your existing road bars. Time trialists who gain an advantage from tri-bars will have also lowered their bar position and possibly altered the length of the stem.

Having seen many TTers riding with these things fitted, I am convinced that 50% gain no advantage whatsoever, and many even go slower than they would without them. This is born out by the fact that the average clubman is doing the same sort of times that were being done thirty years ago, all the speed increases have been at the top end.

 

[bobg]

They give you another hand position which can certainly aid comfort during a long ride, but the will not make you go faster when they are simply bolted onto your existing road bars. Time trialists who gain an advantage from tri-bars will have also lowered their bar position and possibly altered the length of the stem.

Having seen many TTers riding with these things fitted, I am convinced that 50% gain no advantage whatsoever, and many even go slower than they would without them. This is born out by the fact that the average clubman is doing the same sort of times that were being done thirty years ago, all the speed increases have been at the top end.

Ta SJ, Very useful.
Even a possible comfort advantage might make them worth a try. I have a long term shoulder injury that kicks in after an hour or two, which made me wonder if another position might be worth a try. I've jiggled with stem /saddle over the years and it's the best I can get it at the moment. The time/speed element is just me competing against myself on my circuit so not really a major consideration abeit good to have . BTW I was amazed to find about a 2mph improvement by going on the drops over 10 miles into a pretty stiff breeze. Something I seldom bother to do cos I'm not as bendy as I once was ....and a bloody site slower than I was 30 years ago

 

[Mortiroloboy]

Bugger...I have a set of Century profiles sitting in the shed waiting for the club 10's I thought they would help me gain a couple of seconds

I would have thought the scrunched position would quite likely aggrivate a shoulder injury?

 

[bobg]

Bugger...I have a set of Century profiles sitting in the shed waiting for the club 10's I thought they would help me gain a couple of seconds

I would have thought the scrunched position would quite likely aggrivate a shoulder injury?

Yup it might, but if I can get a set from SJS for £15 then its got to be worth a try. Apart from that. they look so cool . I tried resting my forearms on the top of the drops the other day to see what if felt like but came close to ending up in a ditch. Wonder if I can reposition the bar end shifters - maybe its not worth the bother..

 

[Mortiroloboy]

Yup it might, but if I can get a set from SJS for £15 then its got to be worth a try. Apart from that. they look so cool . I tried resting my forearms on the top of the drops the other day to see what if felt like but came close to ending up in a ditch. Wonder if I can reposition the bar end shifters - maybe its not worth the bother..

You need to be Mr Millar to pull that one off! (How does he do it?)

 

[palinurus]

I don't suppose clip-on tribars helped me that much in club 10s but I did find I could maintain my -admittedly not-very- aero position easier with them than without.

Since I could never be bothered to remove them I often rode around with them attached on the weekends, the extra position was sometimes welcome but I missed having a comfortable position on the tops even more (if I were to do this again I'd consider those clip-ons where you can flip the rests up).

When I finally got around to taking them off the decrease in weight was quite noticeable uphill.

For flattish roads with headwinds they were useful.

 

[Joe24]

Yup it might, but if I can get a set from SJS for £15 then its got to be worth a try. Apart from that. they look so cool . I tried resting my forearms on the top of the drops the other day to see what if felt like but came close to ending up in a ditch. Wonder if I can reposition the bar end shifters - maybe its not worth the bother..

Its easy to do. Have a couple of tries at it and you might be able to do it. What i found easier when i first did it was to hold the brake cables which strangely made a huge difference.
I was thinking about getting some for the club TT's but i dont think i will bother now.

 

[bobg]

Mmmm, Not sure what to do now maybe I'll practice the "forearm position"
some more - I had another go after that last post but I felt a bit shaky however the wind was blowing the bike all over the shop which didn't help and I was on my old Soens ex track thing which is twitchy anyway.

 

[Eurostar]

I read somewhere that tri bars were invented for comfort rather than speed by one of the RAAM nutcases.

 

[Jacomus-rides-Gen]

Tri-bars do make a difference to cruising speed, I have used them to great effect before. If you get on a flatish piece of road and ride against a rider of roughly equal ability, the tri-bar rider will start to pull away.

 

[bobg]

Thanks chaps, I'm slowly being talked round again. Trouble is I have shortish arms and have always been obliged to go for short stems ... it gives me a similar riding position to people with proper length arms with longer stems so God knows what tri bars would feel like. Think I'll at least have a try though.

 

[Eurostar]

Tri-bars do make a difference to cruising speed, I have used them to great effect before. If you get on a flatish piece of road and ride against a rider of roughly equal ability, the tri-bar rider will start to pull away.

That's why I'm fitting them to my touring bike. (Although I've never used them before.) I'm also aiming to manage without panniers in the hope of getting my cruising speed as high as poss.