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FastTT Bike Accessories - 
Bars 

 FastTT  Bike accessories. 

Ironman triathlon is massively popular worldwide and places extreme physical demands on competitors (2km swim, 180km ride, 42.2km run), with the bike leg the most demanding of the three (duration x effort). Significant time can be made up or lost on this leg, making it the most important discipline to be well prepared for. Almost every Tri bike (including top-end models) are supplied with low-cost traditional extension poles and elbow cups. This traditional ‘cockpit’ solution is neither aerodynamically efficient nor comfortable over the course of a long bike leg i.e. sub-optimal. 

 

FastTT founder and concept designer, Wayne Attwell, is an elite-level masters rider. He was not happy with the range of aero bars available on the market when upgrading his own bike, so in 2022 he set about designing his own aero bar. His initial design set a new standard, resulting in the original bar being rated the best aero bar in the world by Slowtwitch.com, a well-respected authority in the triathlon world. The new 2.0 Tri Bar is a natural evolution of the original bar and takes its design cues from the learnings and insights gained from a large cohort of professional and age group triathletes in 66 countries that have been using the bars.  

 

The FastTT brand has rapidly become synonymous with comfort and speed, and it was critical that the new design support and advance these brand values. The broad design brief was to optimise the new model for speed, comfort and control by allowing the athlete to adopt a more aerodynamic and relaxed position on the bike. Solutions to reduce drag were developed in collaboration between Waynes extensive knowledge of the history of aerodynamics in cycling and Andy’s technical training in fluid mechanics engineering.   In addition to maximising aero-efficiency, the smoother airflow reduces front-end instability and helps to cut through cross-winds more efficiently. In short, the bike is easier to ride and control.

 

As a newly assembled design team, Wayne and Andy faced an age-old issue. How do you translate a brief from a technical expert without CAD design skills to a designer with limited empathy for world of elite cyclists? The solution was a traditional one, cardboard. Wayne cut up one of his Gen 1 bars with a hacksaw , glued it back together with a precise twist, and attached card cut from a shoe box with tape and glue to create a prototype of his ideal form. MWDesign then 3D scanned this and extracted stacked sections from the point cloud to precisely model the surfaces. This method worked so well that only a few 3D printed iterations were required to get to the finished product. Wayne is obsessed with good kit, and was able to draw on well-validated features and construction methods from several composite bicycle parts to minimise changes at DFM. The design was validated with wind tunnel testing and with a fast ride over some particularly bumpy roads south-west of Hamilton. 

 

 

Ergonomics was a key focus for the new bar. It provides the most natural human interface for maximum comfort and riding efficiency, even on 180km Ironman bike legs. Being able to ride more relaxed allows the shoulders and arms to contribute more actively to lactate clearance, as well as helping to reduce fatigue.An innovative removable elbow pad system was developed using heat compression to create the moisture-wicking channels that remove sweat and reduce arm slippage. The pattern is continued on the heat-shrink anti-slip grip that is fitted to the bar end. 

 

Many of the bikes that the bars are fitted to cost upwards of $25,000, so creating an elegant design that compliments these top-end bikes was an important consideration. Careful attention was given to aesthetics, with extensive surfacing in SolidWorks to create the final elegant design. Moulded in 3k weave carbon fibre using a multi-directional layup pattern to achieve appropriate torsional strength and rigidity, the bar has been tested to, and exceeds the internationally recognised ISO-4210 standard for bicycle components. A thin coat of matt or gloss black paint is applied for a high-quality finish, with white logo decals applied to the outer elbow flares for strong brand identity.

 

The 2.0 bar is manufactured in two sizes (medium and large) to match the specific physiques of male and female triathletes. The medium model is proportionally smaller than the large bar, and retains all of the design values, performance and visual cues.  

FastTT and MWDesign are so proud of this product and the fantastic reaction we have received from the cycling world. We continue to strive to excel in the strong tradition of composites and cycling innovation in New Zealand.

Wayne Attwell

Founder - FastTT

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