Flash

I'll go with Leipheimer for the win.

Re: TT tech I'm seeing more and more guys with upward-curving or slightly-upward curving aerobars. I tried an extreme up-curve and this and it did not work out for me -- uncomfortable and reduced power output. My bars now look more like Richie Porte's below.

Your thoughts on Solvang as well as trends in TT tech?

Racer Ex 

I'll go with Phinney or Martin, mostly because Levi's not my favorite person.

The bar is a combo of comfort and aerodynamics for that particular rider. The UCI changed where they measure hand placement this year (people were *gasp* using their shifters to hold onto!) so some riders have hand to go to plan "B".

We all should send an email to the UCI thanking them for continuing to stifle as much creativity and progress as possible.

mollusk

This idea has been around for a while:



A couple of years ago I had two students design and prototype an hydraulically actuated version of this for a high honors project.

ridethecliche

Why not just put the brake behind the fork?

That's an over complication, no?

brianappleby

It's awesome how the UCI gets it's panties all bunched up about making bike modification illegal, but does nothing useful to prevent athlete modification.

rpeterson

Most wind tunnel testing seems to show that behind the fork is at best no worse than putting it in front. Inside seems to be just a huge pain in the ass as far as I've seen.

kleinboogie

Levi is one of my favorite riders but I'm going with Phinney and I deplore his youngness. That is if he can not crash.

There's a video on youtube that shows how most TT riders slide forward. My guess is the upward bend in the bars makes it easier to pull themselves forward.

rruff

He is *not* pulling with his arms.

Don't do it... unless you have some ratcheting drive mechanism that's connected between your bars and your wheels.

ridethecliche

That looks so bad...

kleinboogie

And you know that because?

I don't but my thought is that they do it because (a) it relieves the pressure of being in the same position, even if that position is the optimal one and/or (b) by sliding forward they feel like they're doing something useful or going faster than they really are even if its at an unconscious level.

ridethecliche

They're slipping forward and pushing themselves back.

Racer Ex 

I'll say it took me a long time and a lot of saddles and position changes before I found stability.

recon455

Tom Zirbel

Creatre

David Zabriskie will grab it for sure. US Pro Championships are right around the corner and he wants the title back, so he will be in good form. So will Phinney though, but I think he has lost too much this year from his wrecks and injuries. Levi will throw down a good time but I don't think he will win. Martin is always one to watch, he is super strong.

rruff

I happens naturally. The typical euro road position puts a lot of emphasis on the glutes and hamstrings, with a rearward saddle position to facilitate this. If they use the same muscles and pedal stroke in the TT with a more forward saddle position they will naturally be pulled forward. So... it is either that, or use a rearward position which pinches the hips more, or use a different pedal stroke that emphasizes the quads more. It's a compromise any way you do it.

rpeterson

There was a recent article about Contador where he mentioned his sliding forward was a minor fit issue and that he was able to fix it with a very small change. I'll see if I can find it. I had the same issue with my TT bike until I realized I wasn't racing UCI races and jammed the seat forward, no more sliding, lots more comfort. And I'm always a DZ fan, but that's cause he's a local boy.

Handelfan

What don't you like about him? He's always seemed like a pretty nice, down-to-earth guy who never toots his own horn. Or do you mean you don't like him as a racer?

Flash

Agree. As noted, when I had the bars in an extreme upturn, I thought it was an efficient position for me. I was definitely pulling a bit. Then I lowered the bars to look more like the youtube video above and found that my whole trapezius/shoulder/arm area became more relaxed, allowing me to comfortably produce more power.

Flash

I think it is Levi's niceness and down-to-earthness that cause me to look past him a lot of times. Clearly his attitude and approach is great for the sport, but in terms of how he presents as a racer, not so much fun to watch.

kensuf

I'm a DZ fan too. That's because he's DZ, and we share a birthday.

ridethecliche

DZ nuts.