John Cutler posted on October 19, 2010 14:59
A dedicated tri bike is not for everyone. We meet great athletes every day who do just fine racing triathlons on road bikes with clip-on aero bars. But what about bike fit? Can you simply bolt on a set of clip-on bars and call it a day? The short answer is NO.
Most clip-on aero bars orient the pad directly over the handlebar. Placing your elbows over the bars on a well fit road bike results in an extremely stretched out position. Being stretched out (see Chris Boardman’s superman position) is certainly aero, but it does not address comfort, riding economy, or control.
http://cyclinginfo.co.uk
Comfort
In a comfortable position, your upper body weight is transferred through the upper arm to the elbows, with the upper arm perpendicular to the torso. Clip-ons leave you 5-8cm forward of this position. Try holding a plank for 20 seconds. Now shift your elbows 8cm forward. Notice the difference?
Economy
Having to actively hold your weight in this position (as opposed to a more passive position) uses energy that might be better spent putting power to the pedals, or held in reserve for the run.
Control
The elbow position relative to your torso will effect how your bike handles. One of the merits of a tri bike is that it is engineered for your weight to be further forward. Putting too much of your weight on the front wheel (common with clip-ons on a road bike) can make for erratic handling. With the correct equipment and placement, your road bike can handle more like a road bike and less like a shopping cart.
Getting Fit
CycleLife is a “fit first” shop. The perfect fit doesn’t need to wait until you get around to purchasing a dedicated triathlon bike. Feel free to contact us to discuss your goals, equipment, and injuries. We can make the road bike / clip-on aero bar combo work.
In the example below, the rider is extremely stretched out.
In this next example we have a different rider. Post fit, her position is more comfortable and efficient
