Aero Bar Bottle

A while back I mentioned that I was looking into adding a bottle that sits on top of my aero bars. It's a trend that I've started noticing among some of the pro's setups. I have to agree that some of the alternatives out there have left the public wanting. Let's review:

The Profile Design Aero Drink - this invention hit the triathlon world like a storm. It provided a convenient way for the rider to stay hydrated without leaving the aero position. Also, studies were recorded that showed that it was more aerodynamic to have the aero drink on than nothing at all. Supposedly, it broke up the air around the head tube. Finally, it provided an "easy" way to refill the bottle during the ride through the hole in the top. Disadvantages - Annoying as hell. The propensity of the aero drink to lose it's yellow sponge is legendary. It's become almost a game within the race to count the number of sponges on the side of the road during a race. The lost sponge resulted in the rider being deluged with their drink the rest of the ride. Also, unless you used the optional aero drink holder, it was near impossible to keep the bottle straight which helps in producing that aerodynamic effect. These issues have led me to dump the aero drink all together.

The X-Lab Wing - This system which also comes in a more expensive carbon version allows the athlete to place two bottles as well as numerous other bits of gear (tube, air, etc) on the back of their seat. The system puts bottles within easy reach behind the ride which reduces the amount of added wind resistance caused with a bottle on the down tube or seat tube. There is some talk that it creates "dirty air" behind the rider, but I won't get into that. While this system does require the rider to get out of the aero position to reach the bottles, it does make for an easy bottle swap during a race. No need to struggle filling up your aero-drink, just drop a bottle and grab one from the volunteer. Disadvantages - this system launches bottles like it's their job. Slight bumps in the road wreak havoc on these systems. This leads to 1. lose of vital fluids and 2. risk of injury to riders behind you. Sometimes you have find just the right sweet spot for positioning your system which can reduce the number of drops. I have a friend who has loosened his up so that it bounces a little which reduces the shock. I used the X-lab during my IM race this past year and it could have cost me my race if it hadn't been for well spaced aid stations. See the picture below. Notice the odd looking water bottle on my seat tube and only one bottle in my X-lab holder. At this point, I was had lost two bottles. This was not the way I had intended to ride.

So when I saw bottles being attached directly to the aero bars I got a little excited. I doing my research I discovered that the two above-mentioned companies had already developed and were marketing products that allowed you to attach the bottle. Profile's was cheap but looked effective. X-Lab went all out and created an all carbon version. Understandably, it isn't cheap. So what's a spend thrift guy like me to do? Well, I copied the X-Lab version seen below.

I took a hard piece of plastic and a pattern based on a printed picture of X-Lab's version. Drilled the appropriate holes and attached a cage. I used pull ties to attach the holder to my aero bars. They are hidden from the wind and are virtually weightless. I'm not sure how it will hold up to the rigors of the season, but for zero investment I think I have a pretty good alternative. We'll see how it goes. Here are some pics.