American Ironman TJ Tollakson has infused some engineering into his race prep, and it’s proved to be a winning combination. The recent Eagleman 70.3 champion blazed through the bike course in 2:03—and his one-of-a-kind bike set up had something to do with it.

Tollakson races on a 1996 Zipp 2001 frame. His aerobar setup is a Profile Design Cobra base bar with Cobra T2 extensions. The unique aerobar setup rests his arms upwards instead of the traditional outwards placement. He uses athletic cups and soccer shin guards to hold his elbows and forearms. This position balances an aero design with comfort for long Ironman rides. Tollakson uses Maxxis Xenith Equipe Legere tires on his front Zipp Zedtech 808 Firecrest carbon clincher and rear Zipp Zedtech 900 rear clincher disk. He has a SRAM red gruppo and monitors his power output with a SRAM SRM power meter. The bike is equipped with a Fi’zi:k Arione Tri saddle, Look KEO blade carbon pedals, and Profile Design ABS Carbon Aerobrakes brake levers.

When getting to and from races, Tollakson packs his bike in the Rüster Sports Hen House bike case. Tired of paying thousands of dollars in oversized baggage fees each year, Tollakson designed the two-part bag to fit within the 62 linear inch requirement set by major airlines. He now saves around $3000 a year by checking his bag as regular luggage. The Hen House is just another way Tollakson uses innovation to fly—and tri—like a champ.

A Profile Design cockpit.

Yes, his elbows are resting in athletic cups.

A Zipp Zedtech 808 carbon clincher is being used up front.

A SRAM SRM and Look Keo Blade pedals.

The SRAM Red rear derailleur is fixed onto a very unique looking dropout.

A Zedtech 900 clincher disc is in the back.

Written by: Alex Kehr on June 17, 2011.