Pippo Pozzato took ‘slamming’ to new levels with a massive drop from saddle to ‘bars, a position which some track sprinters would find too extreme for a 10 second effort, never mind the seven hours of the Primavera.
#SPEEKO AERO BARS MANUALS#
The relationship of handlebars to the saddle is an aspect on which there’s no hard and fast rule, despite the training manuals and bike fitters doctrines.
After initial concerns about strength, ‘King carbon’ pushed alloy aside as the number one material for ‘bars – however, you can still race on with bent bars after a crash, difficult to do with half a handlebar dangling by the cables. However, I did like Ritchey’s over-size ‘bars the larger diameter ideal if you have big hands, comfortable and strong – but Ryanair still managed to bend mine. wide ‘bars – I won’t be buying those any time soon – but more on narrow ‘bars later. I read an article the other day discussing the benefits of 34 and even 30 cm. wide ‘to keep your chest open and aid breathing’ has flown straight out the window with riders like Adam Hansen adopting ever-narrower ‘bars in the quest to reduce their aerodynamic signature. The quest to get aero meant that the old concept of wide bars, 42, 44 and even 46 cm. The pros are all skilled bike handlers but not a safe thing to witness from youngsters on a club run, seeking to emulate their idols. This of course lead to riders adopting what Eurosport commentator, Carlton Kirby now nauseatingly refers to as the ‘puppy paws’ position, forearms on the tops, and before Shimano concealed all the control wires, gripping the cable outers.
It’s not often I agree with the UCi and their ever-more Draconian rules but I had to agree with them when they out-lawed these things which looked as if they had fallen off the back of a scaffolder’s truck. Purists like me could just about cope with the tri bar but it lead to an explosion of ever-more hideous contortions of tubes in the name of ‘handlebars,’ with Greg Lemond again at the forefront.Įventually, things settled down albeit we had to endure the ‘Spinacci’ clip on extensions, favoured by the likes of Claudio Chiappucci.
#SPEEKO AERO BARS TRIAL#
His 1987 patent received a huge stamp of approval from Greg Lemond’s now legendary 1989 Tour de France final time trial triumph. ‘Bull horns’ begat the ‘tri bar’ attributed to Boone Lennon whose background was in downhill skiing and well aware of the benefits of having an athlete slip more easily through the air. The search for ‘marginal gains’ is not a new concept.
#SPEEKO AERO BARS PRO#
The East Germans and Cyrille Guimard, manager of the mighty Renault pro team quickly cottoned on to the concept and Bernard Hinault and Laurent Fignon were soon astride Gitane Deltas. I used to wonder what those dudes would have made of our next subject – ‘tri bars.’ Eccentric Swiss genius, Toni Maier of Assos fame sowed the seeds in the mid-70’s with his inverted ‘bars set up, ridden on the track by Swiss ‘chronoman’ and super stylist, Daniel Gisiger. The ‘grey men’ of the RTTC – Road Time Trial Council the governing body in England rushed through legislation to outlaw ‘King’ Alf’s innovation with a regulation stating that, ‘brakes had to be operable from the normal riding position.’ Alf with his brake levers behind the barsĮnglish time trial legend, Alf Engers grasped the importance of aerodynamics before most and placed his brake levers behind the tops of the ‘bars, tucked out of the wind.
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