Originally Posted by hrumpole .
90 min @ NP 193-
Tried some intervals, but am adjusting to the aero position and find it difficult to hold it 2x per week. Need more practice-I'm faster when I ride aero less, ironically.
Don't try and go too low. Start off with the angle of your back about the same as your regular road bike position and bring your armrests in such that your upper arms "shield" your legs. You need to learn how to relax on the aero bars, such that you can ride a dead straight line easily under effort, make gentle turns in the road and climb shallow grades effectively without breaking an aero tuck, and it'll take a longer to do this while you're also struggling to pedal.
Getting your head lower is important too - try "shrugging it down." The easiest way to visualize this on the bike is to try and get my jaw as low as possible, without moving the jaw itself.
You may find it useful to tilt your helmet back a little to give you better visability up the road without lifting your head so much. I find sometimes my helmet slips forward and it block the view and forces me to raise my head to see - which likely increases drag. Adjust the retention lock on the back of the helmet to negate slipage as much as comfortably possible. I find using 3M's cheap saftey glasses, which are rimless, good for riding in a low position. ANSI rated for impact resistance and cost $9 from Home Depot. If I wear my Oakleys, I have to lift my head up higher to see under the top rim of the glasses, or drop the glasses a little down the front of my nose so I can see over the top - which defeats the purpose of having glasses on in the first place.
As for tri/aero bar pad placement, I find I feel best when the pads are about 2/3rds the way down my forearm, closer to my elbow. Any closer to my wrists and I get neck/shoulder ache and any closer to my elbow I seem to be able to get less leverage on the bar for times when you want to stay aero but you're climbing a shallow grade. If I have the bars such that my elbows are on the pads I notice a big drop in short term power too.
Aero helmet - it's hard to beat the "$ to aero" value of an aero helmet. Only clip on bars beat it.
Gloves - for aero, no mitts is better than regular mits. The newer TT specific mitts are a good idea if you want mitts for the race. If it's a warm weather Tri, I wouldn't bother with them and the other time trial staple - lycra shoe covers - as the time you spend putting them on will be about the same amount of time you'll save by using them
For your race, if you're using regular rims, run a tire thats the same width as the rim - probably a 19mm. Go to a 21 or 22mm tire if you're using the latest HED or Zipp wheels.
