Bento Box in time trials

[jolatechno]

Hi, i just want some clarification as i am looking to buy a new tt / tri bike.

TL,DR: are bento boxes UCI legal for time-trials as long as they fit in the requirements for the rest of the bike ? I suppose they are CTT legal at least ?

So i'm a triathlete and cyclist, and thanks to zwift i'am getting better at time trialing and i want to do some official tt.
One of the bikes i am considering buying is the giant trinity advanced pro. The issue is that it requires a 700 euros kit to make it uci legal and it is probably and pain to swap...
I'm wandering if by just buying the uci legal fork and maybe the basebar (which respect the 3:1 ratio, and which i can find for around 300 euros) and removing the aero bottle at the front i can make it uci leagal (which could also be great as i don't necessarily want to change my position by lowering the basebar.

I tried to find what was wrong if anything with bento boxes in the uci regs (as it was the only thing that would stay on the bike which could be uci illegal).
I didn't find any definitve answer.
I looked at the uci rule book and the bento box of the giant trinity definitely feets in all the frame boxes, so if it is considered a part of the frame it should be legal.
A few minutes ago i fond the article 1.3.024 of the uci regs that bans "protective screens" and gives the exemple of a cover hiding brake cables, which might be considered as the goal of a bento box.

 

[King Boonen]

Bento boxes are not UCI legal, they fall under 1.3.024 (which gives protective screens as an example but applies to anything added to a frame that is designed to reduce air resistance/artificially accelerate propulsion). They're fine for CTT, you can even keep the hydration system fitted if you want.

In real life, chances are you'll be ok with the bento box fitted if you're not competing for prizes. Loads of UCI regs are broken in TTs with people on Tri frames, in CX with people on MTBs or running wider tyres than allowed. You'd probably even get away with the forks and bars if you contacted the organiser, but it'll depend on the commissaires in your area.

Also, some of the older models had faring on the rear brake which was also illegal under UCI rules (just in case you're buying used).

While all watts saved is good I'd also consider if the savings are worth it. It's going back a while now but I seem to remember the differences compared to other, comparably priced bikes (P5, Speed Concept etc.) were very small (like 5W or something) and I have this itch telling me that some bikes performed better at higher yaw angles, but I wouldn't put money on it. If it's going to be a faff, you might just be better off with a bike that's easily convertible (although I don't know how easily the box can be removed and replaced with a cover, or even if it can).