Tri-bars...do you recommend them for long day-rides?

simonn

Hello,

I'm just curious as to whether there would be any benefit in fitting a set of 'clip-on' tri-bars for 4 to 9 hour rides?

Am I right in thinking that with tri-bars in place that I'd lose the space on the top of my handlebars where I'd normally position my hands for 70% of the time?
Would adopting the necessary crouching position cause back problems?

Sorry if these seem like dumb/tedious questions but I could do with a little advice!

Cheers,

Si.

http://www.justgiving.com/simonnicholl

robbarker

Unless you are intending to go at 20mph plus, no. If you find you crack on and are comfortable spending a lot of time on the drops, it might be worth trying. If, like most riders, you spend 95% of the time on the hoods, forget it. Spend the money on B&B, food and beer and do a weekend tour of Wales instead!

Stuck on a Giant

Simonn, tribars can be worth a couple of mph and do offer an alternative position on longer rides - I find them quite useful - on gentle downhills you can get a bit of free extra speed for no extra effort which is always useful, and it can help into headwinds as well. There will be those who say that because they save you effort, you're not getting the same benefit from the ride - but at the end of the day who doesn't like the opportunity to go a bit faster?

The downside is that you do lose some space on the tops - pick you bars carefully and it's not too bad, and there are some (Profile Designs?) where the arms spring up when not being used.

Monty Dog

Having an extra position on long rides can help reduce fatigue - particularly if you are able to get down into a headwind. The first rider to experiment with a tuck position used them for the RAAM - Race Across America. You might need to fiddle with your bars and postion a bit to find what works for you - a true TT position will be too extreme and you'll find it hard going on your lower back. There are some mini-tri bars available which might suit your need - they're shorter and don't require such an extreme position but still able you to get into a tuck. Cinelli Spinaccis were one such model - now discontinued but you'll find some on ebay. Whatever you do avoid the Profile ones with flip-up arms rests - the build quality is appalling, the pivot pins fall out and you find yourself riding without arm pads - which isn't very comfortable.

hammerite

I'm just about to put some tri bars on my bike mainly because I'm doing a few tris and maybe some time trials over the summer.

I intend to leave my tri bars on all the time so then I can use them as an option if I need to. But can easily whip them off on rides where they are restricted. I usually ride on the hoods so don't need to worry about losing space on the handlebars.

On another thread Bronzie suggested moving your saddle forward a touch to deal with the extra reach required to place your elbows on the pads, which apparently makes it a bit more comfortable for your back, but more importantly your manhood!

bahzob

Re protecting your manhood this post on Joe Friels blog may be of interest
http://www2.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2008/04/adamo-saddle.html

nic_77

I got a set of tri-bars a few years ago for triathlon (fairly obviously) and have kept them on my bike ever since. I do find them useful for long training rides, particularly as I do almost all of my riding alone. I've not had any back trouble as a result - even after using them for several 100+ milers (including last year's Ironman)

There is some loss of space on the handlebars, especially if you like to ride in the saddle with hands close together on long hills. You will almost certainly want a stem mounted computer as well.

All that said, I will take my tri-bars off for the Marmotte this year - mainly because I expect to be riding in a group most of the time (where it is important to be able to get to the brakes quickly!)

Nic

aracer

Have got Spinacis on the tandem, which mainly gets used for touring. The small clamp area and lack of armrests means you don't lose a significant amount of bar space, so can still use the tops as usual - I have extra padding under the tape where my forearms rest, though given you don't put as much weight on here as with normal tri bars that's not that big a deal. I find I use them quite a lot when touring as I find the position more comfy - not particularly trying to be more aero at all (the aero benefit is just a nice side effect, and you do actually get an advantage below 20mph - even at 15mph most of your effort is going against wind resistance). Meanwhile there isn't the lack of control you can get with normal tri-bars - they are just as solid for handling the bike as the normal bar position (otherwise I'd never get my stoker agree to their use).

Mark Alexander

many tri-bars are comfortable just sitting up with your hands on the rests so you don't really loose the upright position and can add two extra positions not just one. Make sure that you get comfy arm rests!!

geoff_ss

A friend of mine used them for 24 hr TT and for the PBP mainly because of the comfort, which is important in both events.

Geoff

simonn

Hi All,

Thanks so much for taking the trouble to post your advice-it really is appreciated.

Separate topic I know,but has/does anyone use Topeak RX bags and racks?
If so,how much stuff roughly can you fit in there,and are you happy with your purchase?

I promise I'll shut-up now!

Cheers,

Si.

robbarker

No - I had a look at them and they seem fussy, over designed, not partcularly good quality and too proprietory.

For Audax use I use a Carradice Prima rack pack:

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/images/produ ... dice_l.jpg

and a Tubus Vega rack:

http://actionoutdoors.co.uk/shop/images/tubus/vega.jpg

Both are excellent quality - bombproof in fact, but light and simple.

SteveR_100Milers

simonn wrote:

Hello,

I'm just curious as to whether there would be any benefit in fitting a set of 'clip-on' tri-bars for 4 to 9 hour rides?
Am I right in thinking that with tri-bars in place that I'd lose the space on the top of my handlebars where I'd normally position my hands for 70% of the time?
Would adopting the necessary crouching position cause back problems?

Sorry if these seem like dumb/tedious questions but I could do with a little advice!

Cheers,

Si.

http://www.justgiving.com/simonnicholl

I use clip on tri bars on my road bike for TTing, 50's 100 and 12 hour so the answer is yes, but depends on what you want to achieve. Personally I only use them for TTing as I think they are ugly and ungainly not to mention that they get in the way by taking up precious handlebar space for any other riding.

andrewgturnbull

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

simonn wrote:

Hello,

I'm just curious as to whether there would be any benefit in fitting a set of 'clip-on' tri-bars for 4 to 9 hour rides?
Am I right in thinking that with tri-bars in place that I'd lose the space on the top of my handlebars where I'd normally position my hands for 70% of the time?
Would adopting the necessary crouching position cause back problems?

Sorry if these seem like dumb/tedious questions but I could do with a little advice!

Cheers,

Si.

http://www.justgiving.com/simonnicholl

I use clip on tri bars on my road bike for TTing, 50's 100 and 12 hour so the answer is yes, but depends on what you want to achieve. Personally I only use them for TTing as I think they are ugly and ungainly not to mention that they get in the way by taking up precious handlebar space for any other riding.

Hi there.

Steve - I hope you're using them in training too! You gotta do all your intervals down on those bars. Specificity, specificity, specificity!

Cheers, Andy

robbarker

The other point to make about tribars in an audax / day ride bike is that they are only really beneficial if you get into a good aerodynamic position.

This will mean your upper arms are not far off making a right angle with your forearms - Andy's got a good position in his avatar and you can see it there.

With most brands of tri bars this position can only really be achieved by running a shorter stem than is ideal for a normal road position using the drops and hoods.

Even if you get bars that can be set back from the handlebars, you will find that the forearm cups can scrape the top of your knees when "honking" up hills. I suffer from this when I use my tribars, for triathlons funnily enough.

So overall my view is that they are great if you want to go fast and stay in the tucked position for much of the time, but are probably counter productive otherwise.

aracer

You're ignoring most of the comments in this thread about the main benefit being added comfort, rob.

robbarker

I've never found tribars a more comfortable alternative to using drop bars conventionally, although I've done 100 mile plus rides on them , staying tucked most of the way.

Anyway, one should never expect a concensus on a cycling forum, that would be terribly dull. There will always be a set of views based on varying degrees of experience. I can only tell things as I've found them, and if everyone else forms a different view then I can live with being a minority of one and Simon would be best advised to ignore me if he perceives this to be the case!

rdaviesb

Plenty of tourists use them on the continent, and I'm going to give them a go this summer. Spinacci's first, if I can ebay a pair.

SteveR_100Milers

andrewgturnbull wrote:

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

simonn wrote:

Hello,

I'm just curious as to whether there would be any benefit in fitting a set of 'clip-on' tri-bars for 4 to 9 hour rides?
Am I right in thinking that with tri-bars in place that I'd lose the space on the top of my handlebars where I'd normally position my hands for 70% of the time?
Would adopting the necessary crouching position cause back problems?

Sorry if these seem like dumb/tedious questions but I could do with a little advice!

Cheers,

Si.

http://www.justgiving.com/simonnicholl

I use clip on tri bars on my road bike for TTing, 50's 100 and 12 hour so the answer is yes, but depends on what you want to achieve. Personally I only use them for TTing as I think they are ugly and ungainly not to mention that they get in the way by taking up precious handlebar space for any other riding.

Hi there.

Steve - I hope you're using them in training too! You gotta do all your intervals down on those bars. Specificity, specificity, specificity!

Cheers, Andy

What's that?

I know I should be using them but they get in the way, so the first TT for me in May is going to hurt my back unbelievably. Sometimes learning is a process that's just easier to forget...