Comfort Vs. Aero - Which Position Is Best For You?

Published on February 11th 2018

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Why throw effort and energy away when you could get into a more aerodynamic position, and save yourself a few watts. But to do that we often step away from comfort! So, Mark puts this idea to the test, how low should you go? Subscribe to GTN: http://gtn.io/SubscribetoGTN Check out the GTN Shop: http://gtn.io/6Y As we look to improve our performance, naturally we look for easy wins. Ways that we can go faster, for no extra effort. And why shouldn’t you, that’s sensible. Why throw effort and energy away when you could get in to a more aerodynamic position, and save yourself a few watts. But to do that we often step away from comfort. So, do we sometimes go too far, to the point that it affects our performance and power output? We’ve all heard phrases like ‘slam that stem’, and for a while many of us literally did that. I’ll put my hands up and admit to folding myself in half to do that. There is no questioning that aerodynamics plays a huge part in our speed on the bike, especially in non-drafting triathlon. The thought is, if we can reduce our frontal area by getting ourselves as low as possible, then we’ll go faster. Well, it’s not quite as simple as that. Can you actually hold that position for much more than a few minutes, let alone an Ironman? And can you still put out the same power!? So, we are going to try out 3 positions. How much slower is a raised, more comfortable position, if it is at all? Is a super aero position actually that much quicker? Or is it better to find a suitable middle ground? I‘m going to do is ride this at 300W over a flat 4km section of road. I’m going to record my time and speed to see which is faster, and also compare how each run felt. If you enjoyed this video, don't forget to hit the thumbs up button and share it with a friend who loves to slam that stem! I’ll then repeat the test in a super aero position and another somewhere between the two. If you'd like to contribute captions and video info in your language, here's the link 👍 http://gtn.io/6Z Watch more on GTN... 📹 What Is The Optimal Cadence To Ride At To Run Fast Off The Bike? - http://gtn.io/OptimalCadence 📹 Clip On Aerobars Vs. Drops - http://gtn.io/AeroBarsVsDrops