Time Trial / Time Trialling / TT

NRHR have a road bike category now anyways.

Ah wasn't aware! You can ride to it and home then also, good training.

Yeah, my enthusiasm for TTs has waned a lot since getting into ultras (and the fact that I spent more time on TT bikes than most people spend awake). I got pretty close to 300mi in 2014 and I wanted to keep to races a bit more local this year so I can use my holidays for my Spain exit plans.

All competitors are reminded of CTT regulation 14(h) which states:
“The use of recumbent machines, protective shields or windbreaks is prohibited”.
The Board has been made aware of tribars designed as a mono construction. Any such bars will be classified as a protective shield or windbreak and are deemed “illegal” under Regulation 14(h). Armrests must be separate and not of a mono construction design.
“Mono” tribars should not be used in CTT events.

No Carbon Wasp bars then? A few people are going to be pissed off about that.

They look separate to me.

https://carbonwasp.com/aerbars

They do come as a single armrest, even on those there's a gap between the actual extensions though, I think that's what's really being flagged from the picture they show.

The Board has been made aware of tribars

They have also been made aware of the very serious problems with the intent, text and implementation guidance of Reg14i, but they have decided that burying their collective heads in the sand is the best response.

Maybe they have just been busy getting to grips with "Baby's First CAD" 🙂

They still look separate to me. Are they now going to consider an aerobar bridge as a fairing?

I think that's what's really being flagged from the picture they show.

Nobody knows what's actually being flagged, because the board members are too thick to construct a comprehensible rule.

This seems to be what they are objecting too.

As it happens their CAD drawing isn't too dissimilar to a water bottle mount that I velcro between my bars... does that make me superaero™ now?

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This seems to be what they are objecting to

Although if somebody does actually glue a flat plate across their round sticks, they're welcome to whatever gains they think they've found.

The term "mono" construction could mean almost anything. Corima Manta and first generation Easton Attack TT are both carbon monocoques, and while I imagine they think they're trying to ban the former, they are surely not trying to ban the latter. Trek Speed Concepts come with something explicitly branded as a Mono bar, so a lot of people are going to be pissed off if the extensions must be comprised of two completely separate components. On the other hand, Vic Campanaerts' bars are definitely not a "mono" extension but definitely are a shield or windbreak to anybody who has even a cursory grasp of aerodynamics.

The CTT render even shows clearly separate arm rests, while the text only mentions prohibition on conjoined ones, without having anything to say about how many parts must form the extensions and hand grips.

Once again, the morons at CTT are attempting to speak on a subject which far exceeds their expertise, even generously assuming that somewhere in that cloud of dank piss which passes for the leadership of our sport there is some expertise in something.

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Who makes his bars?

Oh, well said, btw. I find these rules confusing as fuck.

Who makes his bars?

https://speedbar.nl/

It's MORE SAFE!

:)

Has he taped down his ears in that photo?

Radio?

Maybe though. Does make you wonder why he's not using ANY other TT helmet available that cover your ears.

https://twitter.com/vcampenaerts/status/964614722761961472

Looks like it.

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/44th-volta-algarve-2018-stage-3-victor-campenaerts-of-news-photo/919032348

Yeah, so one bit of tape is holding his earpiece in and another is holding his ear down. Maybe he went for a more open helmet for heat dissipation and didn't want to lose EarWatts™

I asked about someone sticking carboard across between the extensions last year as I was sceptical, and I was told it was ok, but it seems they have changed their minds.

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That is definitely a fairing. How is that ok?

My 2020 setup...

Lol... calf setup reminds me of that old @xavierdisley picture with the helmet and calf mods!

reminds me of that old @xavierdisley picture

I'm sure he never tires of being reminded about that 🙂

Definitely ear muffs... definitely not an aero fairing

Aero beer belly?

That is definitely a fairing. How is that ok?

It's OK because the word "fairing" doesn't appear in the regulations. A good job too, otherwise all the rim fairings on Hed Jets, old school Cosmic Carbones and Aerocoach plastic wheels would be banned.

The object itself doesn't shield anything other than another bike part, and since that ship sailed a long time ago, I can't see any objection to it which doesn't also imply an objection to a whole slew of parts which have been used for many years without attracting regulatory comment.