Ball park figure Tri Bars

[HLaB]

At a guess, how much do you gain time/speed wise from Tri Bars. At the moment my bike has wing profile bars like these so I can't fit clip ons. I do like the bars however, and although probably cheap (OME) they are comfortable on long rides, would tri bars gain me anything for TTs? The other option is I use my alu rather than carbon bike which has regular bars for my next TT and borrow tri bars.

 

[zizou]

there was a good bikeradar article on this subject a couple of years ago, i think clip on bars gave something like a 30 watt saving over the drops

 

[zizou]

found a link

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/how-aero-is-aero-19273/

 

[HLaB]

found a link

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/how-aero-is-aero-19273/

Cheers :-)
Makes me feel better about my 5mile TT time the other night, if I'm reading it right for the same effort (based on strava wattage, 212w) I could in theory save 14% nearly 2mins and the folk on full TTbikes, etc would be able to go upto 28% (3.9mins) faster for the same effort. Lol, so in theory I won it

 

[Crackle]

THere's this too

http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm

 

[Noodley]

I rode a TT a few years ago on my road bike, then rode another on a flatter course a few weeks later on my TT bike. Exactly the same time, to the second...

 

[HLaB]

If I've understood it right Crackle for the same strava calculated wattage of 212w and the same time I done and the same weight of bicycle, altitude & temp conditions the tri position would save me circa 46s over 5 miles, a bit more conservative but still a significant saving IMO.

 

[HLaB]

I rode a TT a few years ago on my road bike, then rode another on a flatter course a few weeks later on my TT bike. Exactly the same time, to the second...

That interesting noods. I'm certainly no expert there but on a hilly course or perhaps in sidewinds there won't be much advantage to the tri bars but on a flatter course I would have thought you would have seen a saving. According to Crackle's link altitude and temperature have a lot to do with it too, perhaps your flat course was with sidewinds and/or at a lower altitude and/or a lower temperature

 

[Noodley]

I put it down to not being used to the TT bike position and using muscles slightly differently and slighty different muscles in the TT position than on the road bike. That, and just not being very fast...

 

[HLaB]

I put it down to not being used to the TT bike position and using muscles slightly differently and slighty different muscles in the TT position than on the road bike. That, and just not being very fast...

That first bit is feasible

 

[cyberknight]

All i know is when i tried some spinacci bars last year it added a good 1 mph to the speedo when i was in TT position.

 

[screenman]

I have seen guys on tri bars that are as aerodynamic as a garage door.

 

[Brahan]

I rode a TT a few years ago on my road bike, then rode another on a flatter course a few weeks later on my TT bike. Exactly the same time, to the second...

I put it down to not being used to the TT bike position and using muscles slightly differently and slighty different muscles in the TT position than on the road bike. That, and just not being very fast...

Conditions are about the biggest factor.

 

[Noodley]

The fact that I threw up 5 times when riding my TT bike might not have helped

 

[screenman]

To use a line from another post, not fit for use then.