So you’ve decided to buy that sweet carbon triathlon bike you’ve been eyeing for a while. Or, you already have a bike but aren’t comfortable on it. Or, you are comfortable on your bike, but you’re not as fast as you think you could be.
It sounds like you could use a fit on your tri bike. Unfortunately, most professional bike fits cost an arm and a leg, so I’m going to fit you over the internet free of charge. And, as I’m sure you know, you can always substitute the internet for the personal touch of a professional.
To start, I can’t stress enough the importance of your position on your bike. The most important factor in terms of your overall speed on the bike is your position. A good aero position is powerful, comfortable and fast. And it’s relatively simple to get yourself into a good aero position:
- Your seat should be the correct height. For example, one way to determine your seat height is to take your inseam and multiply it by 0.883. Another way is to put your (naked) heel on the pedal in the 6 o’clock position. If your knee locks, your seat is at the correct height. There are others, but these two have the virtue of being simple, easy to measure, and usually pretty accurate.
- The position on which you sit on your saddle should create a 78-81 degree angle from that point to the ground. Tri bikes with seat tube angles of 78 degrees or more usually can take care of this without too much gimmickry. Slightly shallower is okay for some, but the majority of triathletes are most efficient riding with a steep seat tube angle.
- The fore/aft position of your elbow pads should be set so that your shoulders and upper arms form approximately a 90 degree angle. You have some leeway here for comfort. For example, in my aero position, my arms are “stretched out” a bit, creating about a 100 degree angle.
- The width of your elbow pads should be as narrow as is comfortable for the duration of your races. Generally, narrower pads are more aerodynamic, but less comfortable. Find what works for you.
- The height of your aerobars should be low. Generally speaking, you are aiming for a relatively flat back, which is more aerodynamic. HOWEVER, you don’t want to be so low that (a) you can’t hold the position for the duration of your race, and (b) you lose more power from the low position than you save due to aerodynamics. Invest in an adjustable stem and play with your aerobar height until you find a height that is aerodynamic and comfortable enough to hold for the duration of your race. Dan Empfield, who wrote the book on tri bike fit, has a nice formula that you can use to determine your aerobar pad height.
- There are some other minor concerns, such as saddle choice, crank arm length, water bottle choice and placement, and others. Those are topics for other articles.
I raced a half Iron triathlon last weekend, and I was shocked at how many riders (especially women) were not fit well on their bikes. They were upright, stretched out and usually not in their aero positions. I couldn’t imagine riding 10 miles in some of their positions, much less 56!
Don’t let me catch you being one of those riders 
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