# AR series as a Tri bike?



## sdw5012

Has anyone put aero bars on any of the AR bikes and used it as a tri bike? It looks very similar to the frames on Felt's B series tri bikes. Like most riders, I cannot afford multiple bikes for different riding styles so I'm looking to upgrade to a carbon fiber from my specialized allez sport and this seems like a bike that could be used as a daily rider or for racing. Also, are the AR frames the same from top to bottom?


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## 95zpro

Yes I have put aero bars on my AR5. It does look similar to the B series tri-bikes and the differences in the frames come down to the type of carbon/weave used in the frame construction. I took my bars off and did a 20 mile group ride and then slapped on the aero bars and did a 50 miler the next day. Very versatile bike and many cool features like internal cable routing and nice aero dynamic touches. I love it and get compliments on the looks all of the time!


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## sdw5012

95zpro said:


> Yes I have put aero bars on my AR5. It does look similar to the B series tri-bikes and the differences in the frames come down to the type of carbon/weave used in the frame construction. I took my bars off and did a 20 mile group ride and then slapped on the aero bars and did a 50 miler the next day. Very versatile bike and many cool features like internal cable routing and nice aero dynamic touches. I love it and get compliments on the looks all of the time!



Is the frame the same on all bikes in the AR line or do they differ as you move to more expensive models?


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## theychosenone

The most expensive AR frames (AR0, AR1) use carbon nanotubes & Ultra Hybrid Carbon which is supposedly the stiffest and lightest. 

The other AR frames are just Ultra Hybrid Carbon.

I slapped 3T aerobars on my 2009 AR2 and it works perfectly. The usual advice would be to use 'shorty' aerobars since the AR adopts a road geometry.


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## sdw5012

theychosenone said:


> The most expensive AR frames (AR0, AR1) use carbon nanotubes & Ultra Hybrid Carbon which is supposedly the stiffest and lightest.
> 
> The other AR frames are just Ultra Hybrid Carbon.
> 
> I slapped 3T aerobars on my 2009 AR2 and it works perfectly. The usual advice would be to use 'shorty' aerobars since the AR adopts a road geometry.



Shorty bars? Is that because tri bikes are set up to be forward on the nose more so than your traditional road bike and the shorty bars will keep you back further? That's what it looks like from what I've seen but I'm not too familiar with the differences between the two styles of bikes.


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## theychosenone

Correct, since logically you want to maintain the same reach from saddle to bar end, comparing a dedicated Tri bike to a road bike with aerobars.



sdw5012 said:


> Shorty bars? Is that because tri bikes are set up to be forward on the nose more so than your traditional road bike and the shorty bars will keep you back further? That's what it looks like from what I've seen but I'm not too familiar with the differences between the two styles of bikes.


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## sdw5012

Another item of interest....I see your wheelset is slightly deeper than most stock wheels and I saw guys at the tri this past weekend had similar wheels or the back was completely solid. What is the advantage of having wheels like that? Wouldn't a crosswind get a hold of that and pull you across the road?


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## ewitz

Ideally you would switch out the standard seatpost for one of these to steepen out the effective seattube angle:

http://2009.feltracing.com/09-catal...t-31-carbon-aero-seapost-standard-offset.aspx

If you don't have to adhere to UCI saddle regulations then you want the nose of the saddle more forward to ease the transition from riding to running


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## sdw5012

ewitz said:


> Ideally you would switch out the standard seatpost for one of these to steepen out the effective seattube angle:
> 
> http://2009.feltracing.com/09-catal...t-31-carbon-aero-seapost-standard-offset.aspx
> 
> If you don't have to adhere to UCI saddle regulations then you want the nose of the saddle more forward to ease the transition from riding to running


But would that work properly with the geometry of the AR? Isn't that designed for the tri bikes or is the purpose to make road bike geometry resemble that of a true tri bike?


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## theychosenone

Deeper rims are more aerodynamic and for me its aesthetically more fitting with an aero bike like the AR2. Those solid wheels are disc wheels which are the most aerodynamic, but harder to spin up due to rotational mass (usually). And usually, the more aero wheels are heavier naturally, but then again if you pay more, you can get wheels that are both aero and light. Crosswind effects are a trade off but isn't a big issue if you're a relatively heavier rider like me.



sdw5012 said:


> Another item of interest....I see your wheelset is slightly deeper than most stock wheels and I saw guys at the tri this past weekend had similar wheels or the back was completely solid. What is the advantage of having wheels like that? Wouldn't a crosswind get a hold of that and pull you across the road?


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## Ollie Right

I use my AR3 with Sonic CSX Tri Bars and change the saddle depending on road or aero position.

Works well for me as, but I hanker after Di2... but no 60CM B2/DA available in the UK. I am thinking of buying a 2010 AR1 instead, adding Tri Bars and getting some Di2 shifter extensions so I can shift from the Aero position.


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## sdw5012

Ollie Right said:


> I use my AR3 with Sonic CSX Tri Bars and change the saddle depending on road or aero position.
> 
> Works well for me as, but I hanker after Di2... but no 60CM B2/DA available in the UK. I am thinking of buying a 2010 AR1 instead, adding Tri Bars and getting some Di2 shifter extensions so I can shift from the Aero position.


How are those bars for climbing?


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## Ollie Right

It's all flat where I live/ride and no hills. Obviously you could switch to the road bars for climbing uphills and have access to the gears at the same time.


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## ewitz

sdw5012 said:


> But would that work properly with the geometry of the AR? Isn't that designed for the tri bikes or is the purpose to make road bike geometry resemble that of a true tri bike?


The version linked to is for their carbon aero framed bikes to make the seat tube angle steeper for use in triathlons. It would put the front of the saddle less than 5 cm behind the bottom bracket which is the UCI requirement for TT's and what differentiates purpose built tri bikes.


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## Ollie Right

ewitz - on the Felt site it says that the post is for aluminium frames only.

"Fits Felt aluminum aero frames only"

Does it fit carbon frames even though the website says different?

Thanks


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## theychosenone

Ollie Right said:


> ewitz - on the Felt site it says that the post is for aluminium frames only.
> 
> "Fits Felt aluminum aero frames only"
> 
> Does it fit carbon frames even though the website says different?
> 
> Thanks


I believe the Felt 1.1 seatposts work with the AR bikes, and not the 3.1 shown in the link.


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