gycho77

This thread will be discussing about the difference between road bike and track bike.
ex) crank length, position, and other

I have a question about road bike and track bike pursuit position
Why do track cylists prefer wider position over time trial position?
I thought narrow position is more aerodynamic.

andr0id

I've wondered that too.

Seems like the track position would divert airflow out and around your hips and knees.

I changed the aero bar angle on my TT bike to be narrow in he front, but bring my elbows out more toward my knees and hips. more of a V shape than the normal II shape from the top. It's a hell of a lot more comfortable and I can't tell a difference in speed. Of course I can't afford a wind tunnel either so I might be totally wrong.

TrackMonkey7

I know you don't mean to say that all trackies prefer a wider position as evidenced here:
etc...

All athletes are individuals so they're going to have many reasons to be in whatever position they choose to race in, so no one can really give a definitive answer except for the riders themselves. However, with the minimal amount of pursuiting and kilo-ing I've done, I can say from experience that a wider position feels more stable and comfortable, yet the narrower position reduces frontal area and is probably inherently more aero.

carleton

But some of the fastest ones do

Dalai

@TrackMonkey7 which is more aero is dependant on the individual... You cannot generalise when it comes to aero.

Poppit

Wiggins is a good example of this. Years spent in a TT position means he is more comfortable than most in this position.

Trackliche

u s a! U s a!

- tc

Trackliche

Hmm. Dunno why it won't let me capitalize.

-TC

carleton

I think there was probably some ALL CAPSLOCK GUY years ago that ticked off the admins, so now if your posts is all caps, it will get rejected on save.

SprintzNKiloz

Maybe wider stance gives you more stability with the front end of the bike?

queerpunk

that's what i speculate - especially for pursuits, which, for top-end riders, are anaerobic efforts... compared to road time trials, which are pure aerobic efforts.

carleton

In my limited experience with aero bars, wider was better for negotiating the turns.

I'm sure that riders at the world level don't have that issue. But, for me riding DLV (a pretty bumpy track) wider certainly helped me stay "on the gas" while being jostled around during kilos.

JimiMimni

Phil Burt, the fit guru for British Cycling, mentions towards the end of his fit book that in his opinion narrower is better, until you're over 6ft tall. If you're watching WorldTour racing, the guys who matter the most in a stage race TT are the general classification riders, who trend toward the "microscopic" end of the size scale. They should be really narrow. Fabian Cancellara and Tom Dumoulin have wide-ish set ups in their TT positions, and they're super quick, while having almost normal-sized bodies. Tony Martin, with a similar build, has a very narrow bar.

This is a stretch, but consider this: Teams of road racers have 20? dudes. It takes a lot of time to fit 20 dudes. Teams/mechanics are going to put the riders in "the most aerodynamic" position, and call it a day. Tweak a few things here and there, and you're going to be pretty close for almost all your riders.

Lastly, you've still got to breathe in the aerobars. Pinched ribs makes that really hard.

Quinn8it

i go wide- because its easier for me to breath...
i also don't sweat Aero too much- because i just do Kilos... and i think being at maximum output trumps maximum aero, especially when I'm only in the position a little more than 3 laps..

unfortunately my "wide" is limited by the width of my clampable area on my base bars- so its not super wide or even as wide as id have it if i could put it where i want it.

taras0000

Get a hold of Sam Wittingham of Naked Bicycles. He'll make up a set of bars to whatever specs you want, with however much adjustability you want. They will be steel of course, so you'll be able to brag about that too.

Quinn8it

my coach rode those bars.. i sought them out a couple years ago and they told me they don't do them anymore..

taras0000

Seriously?! I find that surprising considering the kind of custom work that goes into many of his builds. He's certainly capable. Maybe Eric Barr or Steven Herzfeld can make something up.

carleton

Maybe it's a retooling thing that's a pain in the butt. Or sourcing small parts. I ordered some aero bars from him under the recommendation of the same coach that Quinn has and noticed that the small parts (risers, screws, arm pads, extensions) were from Vision. Maybe he can't get those anymore.

Tiemeyer has made aerobars in the past, too. When I asked him by phone if he could make some, there was a long pause and he said no. It was one of those things where you ask an Engineer if they can do something and the answer is "Yes". But, the real question is if they want to do it. In this case, the answer was "No" He said that he'd made some in the past, but didn't want to be in that business I guess.

Poppit

Wiggins, kind of poetry in motion, if you know what I mean.

https://youtu.be/TS6EbowMfKY

taras0000

Maybe I need to pick up a small CNC and get my ticket in TIG.

Poppit

Boardman vs Wiggins