That is a really solid position now!! Flat back, high hands, head turtled, good helmet-to-back transition…great job!
Outside of actual aero testing, I don’t know what else you can do to improve it.
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That looks super fast and with your training…the 17 minute barrier will definitely be broken on Sunday. Awesome!! See you there!
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Thanks, I always appreciate the advice and I hope the changes pay off!
@Joe that’s a very optimistic goal. Unfortunately, due to work I might not make it 
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I have tried higher hand positions and was slower both times. One day I will do a proper Chung analysis to compare directly, but it really does not suit me.
I also don’t like the associated narrow elbows I find the bike is far harder to control in cross winds and fast descents. Perhaps I am just an odd shaped wimp 
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Yeah, it is definitely not universal, but seems to be a benefit for most people. I definitely tested slower…to the point that Jim at Ero didn’t even want to bother tweaking the position. We did one run with high hands and he said “don’t even bother…it is clearly slower for you.”
Further to my earlier WIP report: After what feels like an age but was really only a couple of months (Lockdown months are like years) I think it’s basically complete. Road legal at least with working brakes 
Can’t submit it for the GCN bike vault. Tyre logo on the front doesn’t line up with the valve 
I even put a gold chain on for a fist bump… Looking forward to getting it down to the velodrome to see how it handles.
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Is the plan to cut the bottom of the seat post or leave it?
I’ll ask the dealer about a spare. If I can get a reasonably priced spare then I’ll cut it otherwise I’ll leave it uncut to save some resale value. I’m probably being a bit too cautious; I’m on the higher end of seatpost height for the size of frame (slightly long legs, some natural toe dip & larger feet), so cutting it probably wouldn’t exclude anybody except a real physiological outlier (like an actual T-Rex!)
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Those are the challenges with narrow elbows. Well, those plus it’s bloody uncomfortable after awhile. But narrow elbows are fast so…
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@Joe Given I was doing 50m, 100m and 12hr TTs last year, comfort was very important. I only tried narrrow elbows on a sporting 25 and a flat straight 15. Both were miserable.
Perhaps I need more practice or smaller pad increments…
Not always…this is something that is individual and requires testing to be confirm. It is also not nearly as close to being universal as something like a High Hands position, which is an improvement for almost everyone. (Emphasis on “almost”)
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What? Really? How can a wider position with more frontal area be faster than a narrow one?
Consider the ‘V’ shape of wider vs narrow as parallel forearms. The V can act to push air out past the rider’s hips vs narrow allowing the wind straight by the forearms and into the hips. A V can act as a fairing of sorts.
As mentioned, wider tends to give more comfort and control, as well as improved breathing, so I tend towards wider as a general recommendation. Too narrow can also impede head turtle which can be a greater loss than any elbow space gain.
I’m not talking broad shoulder 1 foot spacing, but also not elbows touching narrow. It’s that happy medium where the elbows are inboard of the shoulders, but well short of a super narrow space.
PS, I tested elbow pads spacing as ‘my thing’ in the Spesh wind tunnel, when each got to do one fit based test on ourselves (first trip to BG Fit school). I was no faster with elbow touching vs what I consider “normal” spacing to the V I describe above. I was actually slower, IIRC
The super narrow kills the feel for me to brest and ride safely, and also prevent a decent turtle, and is likely the reason I was equal to or slower with the touching elbows.
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Hard data that wider is better…at least in your case?? I"m gonna have to field test this. Appreciate the comments
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I tested 3 basic widths: Minimum, Middle and Maximum possible pad spacing on the old Shiv Tri. This was 6 years ago (so from bad memory), middle was best, wide was 2nd and narrow was worst. I can’t remember the value deltas, but considering all the factors, the middle was a slam dunk for me, per the Spesh tunnel gurus.
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I think body type has a lot to do with it…IIRC, skinny riders tend to test better with narrower elbows while bigger riders tend to test better with wider ones.
Don’t quote me on that though…I may have pulled that OOMA, but seem to recall something about that on a certain tri forum. But as chad noted above, it is about the whole frontal presentation, not just how narrow your arms are.
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My Argon 18 E117. Waiting to get a more dialled in fit when my LBS opens. Gooch is in dire need of a new saddle
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As a “skinny rider” at 5’ 10" and 145 lbs, I am one definitely of those exceptions, where narrow did not work better.
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I SAID DON’T QUOTE ME ON THAT!!! 
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