Sunday, January 23, 2011

Radical changes to my Bacchetta Ti Aero

Over the past half year I've made a number of significant changes to my Bacchetta Ti Aero.
  • Swapped out the `gooseneck' riser for a 10.75" straight pipe riser with a 130 mm road bike stem;
  • Swapped out the stock tweener handlebars (18" wide) for a `extra parts' set of Musashi handlebars that have 2.5" longer reach on each side but are 1.5" wider;
  • Drilled an extra hole in the CF hard shell seat and moved it up, closer to the riser, by 1";
  • Reclined the CF hard shell seat as far back as it will go;
  • Sawed off the front 2.25" of the CF hard shell seat;
  • Sawing off the CF hard shell allowed me to further file and `shape' the end of the CF hard shell, making it narrower, more rounded. 
Why?

  • The gooseneck riser was too tall to see past when in a reclined position. It was also too `spongey' when I pulled hard on it when accelerating;
  • The goosneck riser was too close in when steeply reclined resulting in my knees hitting the handlebars. This reduced my power significantly;
  • Adding the 130 mm road bike stem pushed the handlebars out enough so that my knees didn't hit it;
  • When I pushed the handlebars out with that long road stem and reclined the seat as far back as wanted I couldn't reach the handlebars so I installed the longer Musashi handlebars; Pulling the CF hard shell seat further close to the riser allowed me to reduce the leg extension from the seat to the pedals and increase what, for me, is a major source of watt / power generation (I'm fortunate to have peasant farmer knees so I feel no pain or extra stress to the knees in a tightly bent position);
  • The ADEM headrest perfectly suits the radically reclined CF seat, allowing my head to be almost a right angle to the plane of the ground;
  • Sawing off the front of the CF hard shell seat reduced the unnecessary `upcurve' that made my butt feel like it was in a bucket;
  • Narrowing and rounding the end of the CF hard shell seat allows my thighs to fit more comfotably on the seat.

  1. I still have a problem with the riser interfering with my ability to see the road ahead of me.
  2. I still have a problem with feeling like I'm going to crack off the riser when I pull on the handlebars for steep/fast hill climbing and sudden high watt accelerations.
  3. I don't see an advantage to going from a riser to a tiller steering mechanism. Too much of a power / watt trade-off

These changes accomodate the changed goals for my riding from last year to this year. Last year I wanted to `endure, last and finish' long events (RAW, etc). This year the events I have lined up have power and speed, i.e., `racing,' as the goal.

The changed goals have meant that I have radically altered my indoor training program during the off season.

1 comment:

  1. I made some handlebars for a highracer that solves the visability problem while increasing rigidity.
    If you would like pictures and an explanation I can be reached at: seemark2@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete