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- For many people the words comfortable and aero
are two words that simply do not go together
in the same sentence.
Understandably going from a fairly upright position
on a road bike and then moving to an aero dynamic
triathlon or TT bike, can feel like quite a shock.
Something I spend a long time getting myself used
to over the years too, so today I thought I'd share
my tips on how to get comfortable whilst being aero.
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Now one thing I was advised when I first got myself
on to a triathlon bike, and ignored
at that the time, was to ease myself into it.
And having learned the hard way,
go around in circles with my fit.
I rather advise that you learn from my mistake.
See, everything from how often you ride on your aero bars,
your fit, it all should just be done bit by bit
to start off with.
Actually, a really good starting point
is on the indoor trainer.
It's a safe environment where you can
build up your confidence.
You can practice going in and out of your aero bars
to start building up to one minute in the aero bars
and then 4 minutes out of the aero bars,
4 minutes in the aero bars and maybe 1 minute out.
Until finally you feel a point that you can do
sustained periods of time in the aero bars without breaking.
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Now falling on from easing yourself in,
it's important we talk about something called stack height.
Now for those triathlon newbies out there,
probably wondering what on earth I'm talking about.
Admittedly, we do have some rather weird
words and phrases here in triathlon.
The stack height is simply referring to the amount of stack
between our base bar, here,
and our elbow cups and aero bars, here.
It's this little section here.
Now quite often we see people getting triathlon bikes
and they feel the need to go really low and aero
at the front end looking all pro.
But I've got news for you, because more often than not
it's not more aero.
In fact, you're actually trying to go aero
at the cost of being rather uncomfortable.
What you want to do is actually increase the stack height
to a degree that's going to relieve
the amount of tension in your shoulders.
That will make you more comfortable,
more sustainable for a longer period of time
and also by relieving that tension,
it allows you to relax your neck,
your head down and be more aero.
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Now whilst we're on the subject of aero bars,
one area that is so often overlooked, yet so important,
is your elbow cups and elbow pads.
Don't just assume that the ones
that come with your bike are the best.
Also just be weary that some elbow pads
will wear out with time, too.
If you are someone that feels like you need
a little more cushioning under your elbows,
then you can get some thicker pads that you can replace.
You can also get some foam that you
can cut down to size and stick down,
that's what a lot of the pros do.
See at the end of the day,
your elbows are one of your main contact points
with your bike when you are in the aero bars.
So you want to make sure that you're comfortable.
That's going to really increase your confidence
when you're in the aero bars.
Additionally, you may want to consider
the shape of these elbow cups.
Some elbow cups feel a little bit more secure than others.
By that I mean you feel locked into your position.
That tends to come with elbow cups
that have a little bit more of a curvature
on the outside and these can also
just be easily replaced and changed in and out of bikes.
That's going to drastically change the amount
of confidence and comfort you have whilst being aero.
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We're now moving on to possibly
the most talked about item on people's bikes.
And that is, the saddle.
Now trying to find a saddle that works for you
on a road bike can seem to take a heck of a long time.
Trying to find a saddle that works for you
on a TT or triathlon bike, well that can seem
to take an absolute lifetime.
Now personally, I would highly recommend a saddle
with a split nose design, like this one here.
The idea being that because we are leaning further forward
when we're in the aero,
we are also putting a lot more pressure
through the front of the saddle, here.
So having that split nose design,
that helps to relieve that pressure.
And honestly, it's been an absolute game changer for me
and I know for a lot of others.
But, obviously, it's very important
that you find one that works for you.
It is another major contact point with the bike.
So I'd really actually recommend
you trying it before you buy it.
A lot of local bike shops offer this service.
Just to make sure that you're super comfortable
before you go ahead and commit to purchasing your saddle.
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Now back to the aero bars.
There are actually a couple of small changes
that we can make that can considerably change their feel
and hopefully our comfort with them.
One, which we see a lot of people doing,
is putting an ever so slight tilt upwards with the aero bars
as I've done here, actually.
That's to prevent that feeling of slipping
off the front of them.
Previously, when I used to have them a lot more flat
I feel like I was slipping off the front,
so I'd grip on hard with my hands.
That would create a lot of tension in my shoulders.
Now, with them tilted up,
I feel almost like I'm wedged
or locked into this position here.
Now to do that on your bike, it might just be a case
of simply adjusting a couple of bolts.
Failing that, you may need to get a little adapter
or wedge that's going to fit just beneath
the aero bars and the elbow cup, here.
Now another thing to consider is also
with your bike computer.
Now ideally you want this bike computer
as close to your line of sight as possible.
So often I see people with their bike computer
right back here on the stem.
Now if you're someone that's planning to refer
to your bike computer whilst your riding
and read those metrics,
then you're going to be like a nodding dog
up and down, that's going to be very uncomfortable.
You're also going to be reducing your aero dynamics
by doing that, by dropping the head up and down.
But more importantly that's also going to reduce
the amount of time that you're looking ahead
and down the road in front of you.
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Now your saddle positioning can
totally transform the feel of your bike.
Honestly, I notice if my saddle height or tilt
on the saddle changes just one or two millimeters.
Now as for the aero bars,
you'll see a lot of triathletes
having a slight tilt on their saddle.
But this time their tilting the nose of their saddle down.
And that's just to relieve that pressure
that we were talking about before.
Personally, I have mine almost flat
and then about a two mil drop on the nose.
That's enough to relieve that pressure
whilst not feeling like I'm slipping off the front.
Others go for a little bit more of a severe drop,
but just be weary that you don't want to feel
like you're continually pushing yourself
back onto the saddle, because then
that's going to increase that tension
in the shoulders, that we talked about before.
(futuristic music)
And finally, a fairly obvious one to finish,
but make sure you stretch.
Having a nice flexible lower back
is going to allow you to get lower,
more aero dynamic, but more importantly it's going to
allow you to stay there for longer.
Don't just stop there at the lower back,
because your body acts like a chain.
So make sure your hamstrings are nice and flexible,
also your upper back and your shoulders.
It's all going to allow you to get a bit more range
in your back, but will also allow you to stay
in those aero bars for longer.
Now when you are starting out
in the aero bars, just be weary.
You are going to fatigue quite a lot.
You're probably going to get off the bike
and feel quite tight.
So again, just make sure you stay on top of that stretching.
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If you'd like to see our comfort versus aero video,
which was actually filmed on this exact road
about a year ago now, see that by clicking down here.
If you'd like to see how to ride on aero bars,
you can see that by clicking just down here.