Commuting - wind problem and possible solution?

I have a hybrid with straight handlebars and side pullbars, but this means that usually I am forced to sit more or less upright where i get a lot of wind drag (I call it the 'kite' effect.)!

So I was wondering about going down to my local bike shop and investing in elbow pads and a long front pullbar as used in racing bikes (what is this called?) so that I can get down lower into a more aerodynamic position.

Does anyone else think this would be a good idea, or too wierd on a bike like mine?

cheers

I think you are talking about aero-bars

The advantage is that there is significantly less air resistance

Disadvantages : Due to the extra weight on the axis of rotation of the front wheel, it takes more energy to turn. In addition, since you are in the aero bars it is harder to manouever the bike.

My recommendation is that if you are a relativly open path that does not have a huge amount of manouvering necessary, then go for it. If you are commuting through a city or in traffic, I would probably pass.

I'm thinking of getting some aerobars for my hybrid myself. I tend to ride for hours, and I get tired of being upright all the time. I don't have the money for a road bike (yet), so aerobars will have to do for now. It's really windy here where I am, and I get tired of just jumping into the wind all the time. It would be nice to have.

However, like Spire said, I'd only use them for the open road. If I were riding in the city and I was doing a lot of turning, I'd skip it. However, I also tend to find long stretches of street where you can ride continuously in a straight line too, so I'd use the aerobars then. I could have used aerobars today. I did my 40 miles and half of it was in a straight line going against the wind, and I was feeling a bit tired (windspeed about 15- 20 miles per hour at the time).

Go for it.

I had bar-ends (I think that's what you must mean by "side pullbars") on my old hybrid (a Trek 7300) and they were helpful, but you're right: you're still a sail in the wind.

Aerobars might help, but they may create other issues. Aerobars are designed for use with drop bars, and drop bars on a road bike are usually farther away from the saddle than the bars on a hybrid. Because the geometry is different you may (or may not) have some issues getting a saddle position that's comfortable for both upright and stretched-out riding.

Aerobars are designed for riding in time trials, where you rarely have to use the brakes and there's not much maneuvering required. They are a very bad idea in traffic.

If you find yourself thinking a lot about becoming more aerodynamic, it's probably time to start thinking about a road bike.

RichC

I do not have aero bars, I do have drop bars. Keeping low is the only solution. Sometimes that is not enough.. I can recall on a tour having to crank like hell to stay upright going down a somewhat steep grade the wind was so bad.!! Would have waited for it to let up, but it did not.
Aero bars. Have not tried them. Look too comfortable to me and wonder how responsive you feel in that position.? Been reluctant to try them.. drops, I feel comfortable in however.

Aerobars don't have to be used with the bars in a very low position. It is quite common to see them on MTB bikes used for touring.
You can use a different stem to lower your bars a bit, but you dont have to ride like a time-triallist. If your back is near upright, it would be worth taking it to a 45 degree angle, but not any lower.
If is probably worth trying some aerobars. Make sure the mount is the correct diameter for your bars.
If you look at the geometry of triathalon bikes, where riders use aerobars the whole time, you see that the bars are quite close to the saddle (in some designs, they use smaller sized wheels to close the gap ).
The problems may be one of bike control in traffic, access to the gear and brake levers, and protruding bits in the event of a crash.

Originally posted by Rich Clark
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Aerobars might help, but they may create other issues. Aerobars are designed for use with drop bars, and drop bars on a road bike are usually farther away from the saddle than the bars on a hybrid. Because the geometry is different you may (or may not) have some issues getting a saddle position that's comfortable for both upright and stretched-out riding.

Aerobars are designed for riding in time trials, where you rarely have to use the brakes and there's not much maneuvering required. They are a very bad idea in traffic.

RichC
I agree with the design stuff and manuevering difficulties. how about trying these steps.

try using road handlebars. you will need to get sti shifters that are compatible with your current setup. adjust the stem length/inclination. you can ask your LBS to help you with this.

please make sure that you are comfortable with the fit of the bike, fit is very critical, especially when converting a hybrid into a "semi-roadbike".