A Bars
chis
Posts: 94
in General Chat
Do A Bars make a real difference? During the Commonwealth Games Tri events I saw a number of competitors with A bars fitted - in fact probably most - but very few seemed to be using them. Is this because the allowing of drafting made the ride fairly much a non-event and so nobody was attempting to really put the hammer down or was it that the course was too technical for the riders to stay on the A bars? If it was the latter, why have them? The riders at this level will have known the course in advance.
Anyway, do they make a difference to Joe Average like me in sprint tris or in short course duathlons?
Any comments welcome.
chis
Anyway, do they make a difference to Joe Average like me in sprint tris or in short course duathlons?
Any comments welcome.
chis
0
Comments
I think that the reason for your impression was that the womens race, which i watched, certainly turned into more of a road race than a time trial making tri-bars redundant. Having said that the riders were using them when they hit the front of the group. Us mortals don't have the choice of course and on your own into the wind the aero position with elbows in will help to put the power down efficiently.
David
you were right the first time; it's because pros are allowed to draft. in a pack you can just sit in behind the riders in front with less effort than normal. you'll also want to be on brakes so you can control your speed, hence tri bars become a bit redundant if the race is in a bunch. you'd see the pros on their tri bars if any of them actually managed to get off the front of the group.
as for us mere mortals, well tri bars can make quite a difference. they'd certainly shave a few minutes off a 40k ride for a fit rider, but the slower you are, the less difference they're likely to make. certainly worth havng though if you're serious about triathlon though.
matt
chis