For a two-month period we had a TriRig Omni in AeroGeek’s HQ to get to know it better and in that time, we found it to be a bike that truly demonstrates what you can do when you completely abandon UCI rules. But this review isn’t for the Omni (that one will be coming later). Instead we will focus on one specific component of the Omni, a product that TriRig told us is the most important product they have ever created – the TriRig Alpha One.

The TriRig Alpha One

TriRig, and their owner Nick set out to create the best aerobar the world has ever seen when they started designing the Alpha One. They did have some experience with aerobars – the Alpha Classic and Alpha X. But the Alpha One was to be something truly new. This was a ground up design that was meant to deliver not just the most adjustable cockpit out there, but one that was so easy to adjust that your fitter could do it without you even getting off the bile.

The Alpha One is defined by its mono post design. The mono post is designed to allow for the easiest and simplest stack adjustment ever found in a TT\Tri cockpit. Featuring 80mm of continuous total rise, the mono post flows through the basebar allowing for the most minute of adjustments. A single 4mm hex bolt (speaking of which, all but one bolt in the Alpha One use a 4mm hex bolt, making for a very small tool kit needed) controls the torque on the mono post, so adjustments can be made simply and quickly. The 80mm of adjustment (plus adjustable stem heights we will cover below) allows a maximum stack of 175mm and a slammed stack of 55mm.

The cockpit features from -10 to + 17.5 degrees of tilt. Tilt adjustment is controlled via two bolts that are accessible regardless of arm cup position. And tilt axis is directly below the arm cups to preserve your stack and reach coordinates. Tilt is available at all stack heights, including fully slammed.

The integrated stem features 4 aero-matched spacers for height options of 10, 20, 30, and 40mm. And is designed around a standard 1-1/8” steerer tube. There is room in the stem to easily run cables and room at the back for cable exit. A universal centerpull cable routing works for bare wire, full housing, or hydraulic line. To hide the inner workings an aero cable cover collects and hides cables once you have finished your routing. Our Alpha One equipped Omni also featured a preproduction Delta front cover which you see in the pics above and below.

The Alpha One features 21 arm cup positions – 7 stance positions (based on 2 mounting positions and 4 holes per cup) and 3 fore-aft, resulting in a total of 21 different options.

The “Dragonfly” integrated BTA adapter features 5 mounting holes, allowing you to mount multiple bottles in multiple positions based on your needs. The aerobars are attached via standard 2 bolt c clamps making for easy adjustments.

Surprisingly, the bar is UCL legal. Because of size and design constraints, the mono post itself is 3:1 ratio. And the base bar was found to be fastest at a 3:1 design as well. Nick told us he tested via CFD much deeper bars, but the 3:1 version was the absolute fastest.

For those that race more than an easy car ride from your house, a benefit of the single mono post design is that it will make travel a breeze. Simply undo one bolt and the whole top of the cockpit can be removed.

The Alpha One is available now for $999 at TriRig.com. You can also bundle it with Omega X brakes and Gamma carbon extensions for an additional price. (And if you keep an eye on TriRig’s Facebook page you may also catch some sales especially if Matt Russell keeps winning!)

Our Thoughts

We have spent many an hour wrenching a cockpit to make the most minute of adjustments. So, we were quite excited when the Omni box showed up because we could finally see just how easy to setup and adjust the Alpha One was going to be – and it did not disappoint! First up was getting the stem and aerospacers situated – these were probably the most complicated part of the install because it’s the one part of the Alpha One that requires further disassembly to remove (you have to remove the bar itself which is multiple screws) if you choose to add or remove spacers later (which is also how every other bar\stem deals with spacers – but the Alpha One makes everything else so easy that we had to call the status quo out). The aereospacers themselves fit extremely snuggly around the fork but were not a challenge to install.  Once the spacers go on, next is the Alpha One itself. For now, we didn’t install the cover on top of the fork as we wanted to ensure we had all the cables properly done.

The monoriser post itself is secured via a single bolt. This both incredibly simplifies the design and fit, and also was a point of serious concern for us if it slipped mid ride. From a fit standpoint it was everything we hoped it would be. When we first set the Omni on the trainer to fit, we just put a hex wrench next to the bike and were able to adjust it ourselves. For those at an actual fit studio this is going to be a breeze and your fitter’s favorite bike. It’s almost like having an adjustable Retul that you can actually ride. Regarding slippage – we never felt any. Our first few rides we were nervous every time we hit a bump. But we never found in our time with the Omni\Alpha One that it did slip.

The dragonfly goes on top of the monopost and handles your tilt as well as holding your arm cups and extensions. Tilt is as easy to access and adjust even when in the pedals (though we would recommend this only for time on the trainer and not on the road at least while pedaling – if you pull over and pull out your multitool you will be all set!)

The arm cups were one of the few disappointments on the Alpha One we reviewed because all the bolt holes were circular versus slotted and didn’t allow you to rotate or move the arm pads. The good news is that in between the time we were sent the Alpha One and now, TriRig has introduced new adjustable ergo cups that solve for this! (Nice job TriRig preempting our feedback!)

The extensions are easily adjusted via two bolts that can be accessed at any time. Unlike most designs you do NOT need to remove the arm pads or cups to adjust the extensions. Simply reach to the side of the dragonfly to loosen the bolts you are set.

Unfortunately, the extensions are also probably one of our only real gripes about the Alpha One. The way the pads and extensions are situated, you will have to cut the back end of the bars to make them fit. They don’t have room to pass underneath the arm cups. It’s not a huge issue in all reality, it’s pretty easy to cut a pair of extensions with a hack saw. And the distance from the extension clamp to the arm pad leaves you with more than enough room to further refine your position. But for a product that begs you to try out lots of positions and equipment, we would have loved to see the few millimeters of clearance needed to not require cutting.

An additional challenge with the Alpha One is that some BTA solutions that require full access to the extensions may not easily fit. We think of products like the Profile Design FC25 which may fall in that list. But products that utilize a traditional cage to hold the BTA (like the XLAB Torpedo Versa) should have no challenges.

Wrapping Up

Simply put – the Alpha One was everything TriRig promised us and more. If we were building a new bike the Alpha One would be on a very…very short list of possible cockpit options. For us who tend to regress in the off season, having a bike that can adjust with us as we get back in shape is huge. Over the past year we have seen monoriser based cockpits show up from multiple companies, and it’s clear the Alpha One is not just one of the best monoriser based cockpits but it is clearly one of the best cockpits we have spent time with in recent memory. TriRig and Nick specifically is very proud of this product and we can see why… and with that we wrap up our time with the TriRig Alpha One. But stay tuned for a full review of the Omni it was attached to. And as always thanks for reading AeroGeeks.com.

[Updated 7/31/19 with some clarifications]