The Supertuck: Is it really as unsafe as people make it out to be?

[AnkitS]

Want to know everybody else's thoughts.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/23/spor ... -tuck.html
https://youtu.be/xxofqbJ9TX4

[spdntrxi]

annoying flosports video... the guy bugs me...sorry.

as for the position.. on a smooth road.. why the hell not.

[ProN3wbie]

It's fine if you're Pro and paid to race....This past weekend i tried it side by side with someone that was just in a seated aero position and weighs about 20 lbs more. I did go much faster than him but I didn't feel safe....

[TobinHatesYou]

In a race with laps, I'll skip the supertuck the first time around and do some recon...look for bumps, bad pavement, etc. On familiar routes with group rides, I have no issue supertucking or with other people supertucking. It's just another skill to learn or not. I haven't been yelled at or admonished for doing it yet.

[TonyM]

Alone why not. With other riders in a group this is potentially very dangerous (like triathlon bars etc...). It should be banned.

[Jugi]

As long as hands have a grip on the drops, feet are clipped to pedals, body is in line with the bike (not on one side for example) and the rider is looking at what is coming up, it's perfectly safe in my opinion.

But of course it's always dependant on situation - if it doesn't feel natural and comfortable, it's most likely not a good position anyway. For an example I feel very comfortable in a supertuck on my road bike, but wouldn't even think about doing it on my TT bike.

[TobinHatesYou]

Alone why not. With other riders in a group this is potentially very dangerous (like triathlon bars etc...). It should be banned.

When the descent is fast enough to warrant a supertuck, typically the group has pretty decent gaps already. We're mostly just racing to the stop sign, intersection, whatever. I've never felt unsafe doing it. Though yes there are some people who just never get comfortable, Lance being one of them.

[Sinicity]

One question with the Supertuck. Do you basically have 90% of your weight distributed over the fork and frontwheel? that's how it feels like for me which makes me awfully nervous

[eins4eins]

There are so many people racing over here, who can't ride their bike properly in a straight line even without supertucking, it doesn't even make a difference. Supertucking is the smallest risk, with all the stupid things people do.

Whats really annoying me, is that some race officials are currently focussing on people who rest their forearms on the bar close the stem to get low and aero when pushing on the flat. Last week they even called it out before the start, that you'll be punished when caught doing it, because rules say both hands on the bar.

[TobinHatesYou]

One question with the Supertuck. Do you basically have 90% of your weight distributed over the fork and frontwheel? that's how it feels like for me which makes me awfully nervous

No. I cram my ass under the saddle so that it contacts the seatpost. My head is the only thing past the bars. Most of my weight is ahead of the BB, but still behind the front wheel.

[tarmackev]

As long as hands have a grip on the drops, feet are clipped to pedals, body is in line with the bike (not on one side for example) and the rider is looking at what is coming up, it's perfectly safe in my opinion.

But of course it's always dependant on situation - if it doesn't feel natural and comfortable, it's most likely not a good position anyway. For an example I feel very comfortable in a supertuck on my road bike, but wouldn't even think about doing it on my TT bike.

Exactly

[C36]

What a time are we living in...this position exist like forever (remember doing some downhill comparison between this and the “pantani” - all the way behind the saddle- with a friend 20 years ago).
Soon we will limit the downhill speed (well few years ago they cancelled the “Pirelli price” measuring the faster descender at the Giro)...


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

[c60rider]

I've tried it on roads I've known, but they're not particularly smooth here in the uk normally horrid tar/chipped roads. Because of the reduced frontal area there's a noticeable increase in speed but unless you're at the highest level I think the risks outweigh the benefits unless you're lucky to live in areas where the roads are super smooth. Even in the tour there's been groups going downhill, the front two were in the supertuck position, 3rd placed rider on the drops and getting things out of his pocket yet they were all going the same speed. So the 2nd placed rider in the slipstream didn't seem to be benefitting by being supertucked in behind the first place and the 3rd place didn't seem to be losing out sitting in the standard position on the drops. I don't think Thomas should be trying it he falls off enough as it is

[AJS914]

Velonews did a test a while back. The "nibali" tuck was actually the fastest. The supertuck doesn't feel comfortable to me. I don't like my bibs getting hooked under the saddle.

[aeroisnteverything]

Yep - https://www.velonews.com/2018/07/from-t ... ion_473015

I think of those positions, the Sagan one or Nibali postions are the ones I am comfortable in. The Froome/Mohoric tuc feel quite dangerous - with that much weight over the front axle, the bike becomes very twitchy.