Tri Bar Question?

AlanW

After more years away from racing than I care to recall, I have decided that I am going to give time trialing another shot. :shock:

My question is, and looking at the many types of tri bars on sale now, what tri bars would people suggest?

Yes I know that its a very personal thing as I seem to recall trying several pairs many years ago until I found some that suited me the best. Much to my wifes delight............ :oops:

But I need to start somewhere.

They need to be the bolt on type suitable to mount to my carbon 31.8 Ritchey bars on my CR1 Pro

Nickodemus

I've got a par of Profile T2 Plus carbon aero bars, and i find them really comfy and i seem to get a nice posiiton on them...

k-dog

You want short or draft legal aero bars. A lot of people make the mistake of just fitting clip on aero bars and this positions them way too far forward.

A few good ones are:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=26979 - a carbon version is available too.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=29368

And although these are long bars they are adjustable so they will slide back for a decent position - the advantage is that the armrests are further back nearer your elbows but the disadvantage is that you could hit your knees on them if riding out of the saddle.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=24251

Due to 31.8 bars becoming very common now most clip-ons are coming with 31.8mm clamps with shims to 26.0 so these will all fit.

musto_skiff

What does draft legal mean?

k-dog

Draft legal just means they are sanctioned in certain events - where they allow riders to ride in a pack. They aren't allowed to extend past the end of the brake levers.

Basically it's because a full on aero set up (short TT and steep angles etc) doesn't handle especially well so it's not as safe for riding in a group - so you can use the short bars with more normal geometry to allow decent handling.

So, they're aero bars that are designed to fit on a 'regular' bike.

hammerite

I have these, http://www.cyclesportsuk.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=2811&cPath=499_430 good quality tri bars. I have one problem with them though, the hand position is too flat which means that I get a wrist ache (only in one wrist strangely!) when down in the bars too long.

You can get this version which give you a better hand position. http://www.cyclesportsuk.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=2812&cPath=499_430

Can't remember what make and model they are but you can also get some tri bars where the arm rests flip up when you don't want to use them, which gives you an extra hand position on the top of the bars and is particularly useful if climbing.

AlanW

Useful info guys, many thanks. Interestingly all those mentioned so far are ones that I had already thought about.

But as mentioned in the last post, I quite like the idea of the ones where the arm rests fold up up, like these ones - http://www.cyclesportsuk.co.uk/product_ ... th=499_430

I really need to find a shop that sells them so that I can have a proper look before I commit to buying.

Nickodemus

BTBR wrote:

Useful info guys, many thanks. Interestingly all those mentioned so far are ones that I had already thought about.

But as mentioned in the last post, I quite like the idea of the ones where the arm rests fold up up, like these ones - http://www.cyclesportsuk.co.uk/product_ ... th=499_430

I really need to find a shop that sells them so that I can have a proper look before I commit to buying.

I didn't go for draft legal ones, because i knew that if i was ever going to be drafting in a big group i wouldn't have them on anyway, and i actually wanted the more stretched out position. Generally i don't think tri-bars are really used in road races and the only other time would be drafting in a large group is if i was an elite triathlete, which i'm not, so....

You can easily adjust the length of the T2+ Cobras without cutting them too.

I used to have the profile bars with the fold up armrests, tbh i found them really annoying. If you're on them they're fine, and comfortable, but when you're not using them, they rattle around like crazy! I like my bike to be as silent as possible! In a TT, when are you really going to be wanting to use that part of the handlebars anyway?

SteveR_100Milers

Another one for Profile T2's. I did try out some "draft legal" bars (Oval 901 IIRC) and they were way too short to be comfortable for anything longer than a 10.

James1823

check with Ritchey that you can safely clip on aero bars to your carbon handlebar

SteveR_100Milers

James1823 wrote:

check with Ritchey that you can safely clip on aero bars to your carbon handlebar

should be fine, there are plenty of TT bikes with carbon bars and clip ons, not to mention steerers and seat tubes.

John.T

Another vote for Profile T2+. Very comfortable and very adjustable. I use mine at almost full length on my road bike and have no trouble with handling. I have topped 45 mph on a descent while using them. The 'draft legal' bars are only for use in elite triathlons where riders can be in a bunch. They are not allowed in road races and are not long enough to get a proper TT position.