Once you have tested a time trial machine perfectly adjusted to your needs, you get hooked – hooked on speed. On well-known tracks that you normally breeze on a classical road racing bike at 32 to 35 kmph there is all of a sudden the "4" on the speedometer – and a large grin on your face. However, the magic word is "perfectly adjusted". Adjusting a comfortable and aerodynamically favourable posture on the time trial bike is rather difficult. The aero handlebars actually freeze the position. If the seating posture is not perfect, it’s not going well and you feel uneasy.With specific frames it’s true that they are made for specialists, but their demands may differ nevertheless a lot: The requirements for a short prologue trip extending over only a few kilometres, for a long time trial or the cycle track of a long-distance triathlon of 180 kilometres differ clearly. Whereas ironman athletes have to complete their fast ride with a marathon run, road racers can have themselves heaved down by crane from their racing machine directly onto the massage bench. That is to say they can adopt far more radical positions. This confronts bicycle manufacturers with the difficult task of combining two worlds. Radical aero positions are, however, only possible by designing a frame with a low front. The ironman striving for comfort would choose lots of spacers and a steep stem for such kind of frame. This would result in a squishy riding experience, the fast look in stationary would be gone. (...)
