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Aero bottle set-up for bike racing

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    I am working on a project this winter myself...should be slippery
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    Here's my between the aerobars setup consisting of a $6 bottle cage and 4 zip ties.  I've tried the PD aero bottle, the SpeedFill, Hydrotail behind the saddle, and this allegedly the most aero, easiest to use, and minimizes my time out of the aero position.  This is great for training and for racing as you can easily take bottles off the course (or from the local 7-11 and be on your way)

    [URL=http://img132.imageshack.us/i/img3293j.jpg/];image[/URL]

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    Posted By mancona (aka Matt Ancona) on 18 Nov 2009 10:18 AM

    attachly, I tuck the straw into the black loop that the cap of the profile design bottle makes...

     Thanks Matt.   That visual explained a lot.  I have my straw in the rear hole.  If I flip it around I can tuck it in the cap band like yours.   I'll test that next.    Also, I have to 2nd and 3rd everyone's comments on your ride...very sweet.   r/Paul

     

     





     

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    Posted By Fred Gilbert on 20 Nov 2009 12:10 AM

    Here's my between the aerobars setup consisting of a $6 bottle cage and 4 zip ties.  I've tried the PD aero bottle, the SpeedFill, Hydrotail behind the saddle, and this allegedly the most aero, easiest to use, and minimizes my time out of the aero position.  This is great for training and for racing as you can easily take bottles off the course (or from the local 7-11 and be on your way)

    [URL=http://img132.imageshack.us/i/img3293j.jpg/][/URL];



    Fred, I've seen this set-up and don't quite get it.  Do you have to remove that bottle from the areobars everytime you want a drink?   I refill my PD aerobottle with other bottles....toss and retrieve new ones from the course like you, but store extras behind the seat as necessary.   Seems like a better set-up for training than racing.   Why do you think this is better than an aero bottle...would love to know!   r/Paul

     

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    Posted By mancona (aka Matt Ancona) on 18 Nov 2009 10:18 AM

    attachly, I tuck the straw into the black loop that the cap of the profile design bottle makes...


    Matt, nice set-up and I see the PT CPU is in front of the bottle.  How do you have the CPU mounted?  I may need to do that now that I have changed my aerobars out to Zipp Vuka/Chicane.

     

     

     





     

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    Posted By John Stark on 21 Nov 2009 12:04 AM
    Posted By mancona (aka Matt Ancona) on 18 Nov 2009 10:18 AM

    attachly, I tuck the straw into the black loop that the cap of the profile design bottle makes...


    Matt, nice set-up and I see the PT CPU is in front of the bottle.  How do you have the CPU mounted?  I may need to do that now that I have changed my aerobars out to Zipp Vuka/Chicane.



     

    It's just a profile design computer mount, but I put bar tape around both bars first and then taped it in place.  I couldn't stand it moving arond or rattling.



     

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    Posted By David Corso on 18 Nov 2009 08:35 AM

    here is my setup. No splash, no yellow thingy.



    Dave,  Thanks for the pic.  I think I've tried alot but have never seen this.  What brand and where do you get?

     

    Thanks Trent

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    It's from Bontrager.  The only modifiication I made was to flip the PT mount over and turn it so that it was in the back.  I got it at the LBS.

     

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    Thanks Dave,  I may have to give this one a try as the roads around here get perty rough and I get splashed all the time with the PD aero bottle now. 

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    Trent - the roads around here are one continuous field of potholes.  I never get splashed from the fill hole, but occasionally get squirted from the straw.  I have thought about putting a camelbak type bite valve on it to get around this problem.

     

     

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    Posted By Paul Hough on 20 Nov 2009 05:57 PM
    Posted By Fred Gilbert on 20 Nov 2009 12:10 AM

    Here's my between the aerobars setup consisting of a $6 bottle cage and 4 zip ties.  I've tried the PD aero bottle, the SpeedFill, Hydrotail behind the saddle, and this allegedly the most aero, easiest to use, and minimizes my time out of the aero position.  This is great for training and for racing as you can easily take bottles off the course (or from the local 7-11 and be on your way)

    [URL=http://img132.imageshack.us/i/img3293j.jpg/][/URL];



    Fred, I've seen this set-up and don't quite get it.  Do you have to remove that bottle from the areobars everytime you want a drink?   I refill my PD aerobottle with other bottles....toss and retrieve new ones from the course like you, but store extras behind the seat as necessary.   Seems like a better set-up for training than racing.   Why do you think this is better than an aero bottle...would love to know!   r/Paul

     

    Hey Paul.  I'm a big fan of keeping it simple and this is by far the best setup I've found for both racing and training. 

    I don't think you need more than 2 bottles on the bike even for IM (I seriously debated going with only one bottle at IMC).  If you buy into 2 bottles being sufficient, you've probably got at least one regular bottle on the downtube that is fairly aero that you can use, so the question is where does the other one bottle go.  Behind the saddle mount isn't very aero based on what I've read.  And I've raced with the PD aerobottle for a few years and found it incredibly messy, a hassle to refill, and when I was refilling it I was up out of the aero position.  Unless you tuck the straw in somewhere like discussed above the straw is your biggest enemy.  And if you believe the guys at Cervelo (I do), if you have an aero headtube the PD aerobottle has a negative impact on aerodynamics.  

    With the bottle cage between the aerobars I can take a bottle from the aid station, slam it in and be on my way in the aero position.  After a little practice I can now easily grab the bottle and drink while riding aero (grab bottle with right hand, turn my head to the side, give a couple of squirts, put the bottle back, and off I go).

    Just my $.02 based on what I believe to be most aero and what's easiest for me to use.

    Fred

     

     

     

     

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    Fred, I've seen this set-up and don't quite get it.  Do you have to remove that bottle from the areobars everytime you want a drink?   I refill my PD aerobottle with other bottles....toss and retrieve new ones from the course like you, but store extras behind the seat as necessary.   Seems like a better set-up for training than racing.   Why do you think this is better than an aero bottle...would love to know!   r/Paul

     

    Hey Paul.  I'm a big fan of keeping it simple and this is by far the best setup I've found for both racing and training. 

    I don't think you need more than 2 bottles on the bike even for IM (I seriously debated going with only one bottle at IMC).  If you buy into 2 bottles being sufficient, you've probably got at least one regular bottle on the downtube that is fairly aero that you can use, so the question is where does the other one bottle go.  Behind the saddle mount isn't very aero based on what I've read.  And I've raced with the PD aerobottle for a few years and found it incredibly messy, a hassle to refill, and when I was refilling it I was up out of the aero position.  Unless you tuck the straw in somewhere like discussed above the straw is your biggest enemy.  And if you believe the guys at Cervelo (I do), if you have an aero headtube the PD aerobottle has a negative impact on aerodynamics.  

    With the bottle cage between the aerobars I can take a bottle from the aid station, slam it in and be on my way in the aero position.  After a little practice I can now easily grab the bottle and drink while riding aero (grab bottle with right hand, turn my head to the side, give a couple of squirts, put the bottle back, and off I go).

    Just my $.02 based on what I believe to be most aero and what's easiest for me to use.

    Fred

    I can attest to how aero Fred's bike is after seeing it at IM Canada, freaking thing looks like a torture device 8-)

    I am going down the same route as Fred on my P4 by getting rid of the PD aero bottle, the guy's at Cervelo I talked to at Canada were adamant that it wrecked the whole front Aero dynamics of the bike with the PD bottle on. Now I just have to learn how to grab the built in water bottle on the P4 it is a long way down there and I have almost crashed trying to grab it on my first ride.

     

     

     

     

     

     





     

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    the yellow 'sponge' you get with the profile is a POS. Get the CeeGee brand one, it's a thick black sponge with pre-cut slots for the straw. Only the biggest bumps will get me splashed now.
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    Posted By Fred Gilbert on 22 Nov 2009 03:44 PM

    Here's my between the aerobars setup consisting of a $6 bottle cage and 4 zip ties.  I've tried the PD aero bottle, the SpeedFill, Hydrotail behind the saddle, and this allegedly the most aero, easiest to use, and minimizes my time out of the aero position.  This is great for training and for racing as you can easily take bottles off the course (or from the local 7-11 and be on your way)

     

     

    I actualy saw this set up on a P4 at the cervelo tent in Arizona this weekend.



     

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    Fred, James,  I think Cervelo's comment about the PD not being aero is specific to the P4 only...certainly not to other set-ups.  I know for me I would not take in enough fluids if it required constantly pulling the bottle out of the aerobar mount, turning my head, etc.   That may be quick, but it's just not the same as barely lowering my head and drinking away.  Hydration is far more imporant.  Re the aeroflow on rear mounts:  that's true, but more true of mounts that go straight out from the saddle.  The Hydrotail was turned down to get it out of the way of the airflow coming off the back.  That said, we are talking noise level here since what matters on a bike is the aerobars and fork.  Everything behind that is more about marketing than reality.   I use a Hydrotail with one position for holding exchange bottles and the other is for a capped bottle that holds my spare tubes and levers and one chainlink.  r/Paul

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    Posted By Paul Hough on 23 Nov 2009 07:42 PM

    Fred, James,  I think Cervelo's comment about the PD not being aero is specific to the P4 only...certainly not to other set-ups.  r/Paul



    Paul, it's not just the P4 but other Cervelos and presumably other tri bikes with aero head tubes.  At Brain Bike 2008, Cevelo talked about their findings form the wind tunnel.  Here's an excerpt from Tom Demerly's post on ST recapping this discussion.  Note that the Visiontech setup he refers to was the first one to my knowledge that put a regular bottle between the aerobars:

    "Some aero drink systems actually make the bike more aerodynamic. There has been discussion of this before on the forum: The horizontal bottle system sold by VisionTech that holds a standard bottle parallel to the ground between the aero extensions can be the most aerodynamic configuration for some riders depending on the angle of their forearms on the aero extensions. The use of airfoil shaped drinking systems in front of the head tube of the bicycle may impove aerodynamics (or at least not hurt them too bad) on some bikes, but with Cervelo's narrow, sculpted front end these systems are best avoided in favor of the Visiontech system (again- if your arms are in a specific orientation). Interestingly enough, one of the primary drawbacks of aero drink systems that use a straw to drink from is... The straw itself, which generates more drag than many of us imagined. Now, here's the catch: This is strictly an assessment of the aerodynamics on the bike but doesn't take into account any time saving that may accrue as a result ofyour body staying more aero while drinking. No, it is not simple and there is no one answer. We did learn the tools today to see what differentiates or indicates which bottle configuration is optimal for what position on a given rider. The dealers who attend Brain Bike go home with this valuable information they can now pass on to customers. This info applies to all bike brands in addition to Cervelo."

    See the 7th post in this thread for the full discussion: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/cgi-bin...ply;so=ASC

    I think it's a better setup for me personally (more aero and just plain simple), but to each their own.   

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