Advocacy & Safety - Aero-bars + traffic = bad mix.......

I was riding today to a store in a really heavy traffic and guess what I saw. A guy on a road bike was riding aero-bars. Can you believe such stupidity? Once I saw him I got to the side as close as possible and almost came to a stop in order to let this guy pass. At least he wore a helmet, which wouldn’t help anyways if he had gone down and ended up under a car.

So can anyone tell me what would be so wrong with aero bars in that situation? As someone who doesn't use them myself, I have no idea what you are talking about.

There are threads out there discussing aerobar use. They offer advantages in certain riding conditions. Those conditions are usually involving relatively straight, flat, lightly traveled roads on solo rides. The reason being that aerobars reduce maneuverability and response. Their use is often discouraged in group rides. In professional cycling, they are only allowed in time trials. I see them used in large organized rides such as centuries as they offer alternative positioning that help reduce pressure on the wrists and hands.

I was one of the legion of riders that installed them after Lemonds win in '89. I took them off after 1 year as handling is more difficult.

They have thier advantages, but for me, on my rides, they just weren't worth the cost of loss of quick control.

Chris, when you're down on the aerobars, you don't have access to your brakes, and, unless you have barends, your shifters. Also, because of the line your body makes along the center axis of the bike, you don't have as much maneuverability and the quick steering you would have when you're using the normal handlebar position. On the aerobars you have your arms and hands stretched out in front of you and you're more or less laying over the front of the bike.

As others have said, they're just for cruising type situations where you aren't anticipating having to shift, brake or turn quickly.

I don't know about everyone else, but I never touch the brakes or shifters once I am up to speed (unless the situation requires it of course which is almost never). If I am riding in the correct part of the lane and letting traffic know I am there I use aerobars, have been for 6 months now (everyday, 20 miles a day on my commute) and have found I had more close calls getting used to my third eye mirror than I have using the aero bars. That being said, when the bike lane ends and I am riding "in" the traffic, I do not use them. It doesn't make sense to use them then as I would be constantly in and out of them to brake and shift gears. I also tend to be less agressive than some other riders, if I see a motorist slowing or even looking in a direction other than straight I assume they are turning and slow down and let them do what they are going to do, perhaps this is why I haven't seen why aero-bars are so dangerous in town? I get a 1 to 2 mph boost and that adds up to about 10 minutes by the time I get to work. I for one can't see the problem if a rider is careful and tries to anticipate situations before they get bad. Maybe the traffic in my area is less intense.

Yeah. Like so many things, this is one of those things where the correct answer is "it depends." Aerobat stated it well: you don't have instant access to the brakes or shifters and your center of gravity is shifted towards the front wheel. On my bike, that makes handling a little squirrelly but allows me to maintain a good 2-3 mph boost on the flats.

Personally, I stay off of them in town and, now that my "A" triathlon is over, I took them off the bike.

A friend of mine recently did Paris-Brest-Paris, told me that the organizing club banned dork bars, er, I mean "aero" bars, after the 1995 ride because of people falling asleep while resting on their elbows. It would really be nice to see rides such as Seattle to Portland ban the things. They are way overmarketed to underskilled riders. A good standard for "who should use them" would be to have ten consecutive years of 2500 miles plus to build up bike handling skill. Tourists of limited experience buying them for a "comfort" position would be much better served by a thorough, professional bike fitting.
They're a lousy short-cut or cheap-cut to the right sized, properly fitted bike. One guess is that with the limits on fitting imposed by threadless headsets and other new technologies, many contemporary road bikes are not fittable to many riders who are still buying them!

How much extra speed can you actually pick up with these verses riding in the drops? I must admit that I have been looking hard at them but they get soooooooo much bad press here at BF.

2 or 3 mph without trying any harder. Very scarey to use at first but it gets easier the more youuse them.

Do they get in your way, as far as using your regular drop bars when you need them?

I do lot's of rides on country roads and most have little traffic this may be a plus.

The ones such as the Profile model with spring-loaded armrests (they only stay down when your arms are on them) take up minimal room on the tops of drop bars when not in use. And Stor Mand is right; the additional speed is almost instantaneous and can be habit forming but, please, not in groups or near traffic!

I think I could live with that. It isn't a nono to use them if it's your turn to pull, is it? I usually get low in the drops during my pull especially if the wind is in my face. I know that since I have been learning to spend more time in the drops my speed is steady going up.

The first owner of my PKN-10 had installed aero bars, which I promptly replaced with regular drops, which give me much better control and safety.

I was thinking of adding aero bars to my bike, but after reading your suggestions, plus hearing bad stories, I have decided to stick with my road bars...:) now which carbons to get???:) fsa k wing...mmmmmmm
Ryan

Never mind the carbon bars--if you want an upgrade that you'll feel, build some tubular wheels with light spokes like Sapim Lasers (use cheap hubs, tubulars aren't going to be everyday wheels; 105's are good enough) and put the best tires you can make yourself buy on them. Unlike a carbon handlebar, you will notice the difference in how tubulars make your bike corner, climb, and accellerate.

I can't afford a road bike, so I have a kona fire mountian that I put slicks on and ride on roads. I don't have aerobars, but sometimes I rest my elbows on grips and stretch my arms out. It's tricky getting back up but it is faster.