Road Cycling - aerobar...will it help???

Hi....I ride a 04 specialized allez triple...Up here in great falls, montana we get alot of wind...20-30 mph, gusting to 50 or higher...At times going up hills into a headwind I run out of gears...Im in good shape and have over a 1,000 miles logged this year. The combination of a steep grade and high headwides is kicking my A$$...Do you think aerobars might help a little? Most of my riding is on a 2-lane highway were I don't do a ton of shifting or braking.....your thoughts...thanks.





kern

Hi....I ride a 04 specialized allez triple...Up here in great falls, montana we get alot of wind...20-30 mph, gusting to 50 or higher...At times going up hills into a headwind I run out of gears...Im in good shape and have over a 1,000 miles logged this year. The combination of a steep grade and high headwides is kicking my A$$...Do you think aerobars might help a little? Most of my riding is on a 2-lane highway were I don't do a ton of shifting or braking.....your thoughts...thanks.


I doubt that aerobars will help you on the hills. Climbing in aero position doesn't tend to be very efficient in terms of delivering power to the pedals (notice that none of the pros use TT bikes for uphill TTs.) However, aerobars will definitely help on flatter stretches when you have a headwind.

Thanks rygreen.....one other question. I get terrible numbness in my hands at times...so bad I can't feel my fingers to shift....my bike is properly fitted and I where a specialized gel glove.....I'm thinking that having a different position to put my hands and arms would help...I do move them around on the bars now and the only way to get rid of the numbness is pedal with no hands and "shake" the feeling back into them.(not the safest thing to do on a highway).....thanks.



kern

I have found, (and have heard others express the same) that my pedaling is more efficient/better technique when using the aerobars. Biggest reason being that we are recreational riders and not real good technique wise anyway....I find it much easier to maintain consistent power through the entire stroke. It has been explained to me this is common because the aerobars reduce the unneeded motion in the rest of your body...

Kerny-I can't help but think you are not moving your hands often enough, whenever my hands get numb I realize that I have not moved them lately.

Thanks rygreen.....one other question. I get terrible numbness in my hands at times...so bad I can't feel my fingers to shift....my bike is properly fitted and I where a specialized gel glove.....I'm thinking that having a different position to put my hands and arms would help...I do move them around on the bars now and the only way to get rid of the numbness is pedal with no hands and "shake" the feeling back into them.(not the safest thing to do on a highway).....thanks.



kern


Wow, I get a little soreness but have never had anything like that.

Now as pointed out, the aerobars probably would not help you in climbs because you get the benefit at higher wind resistances usually encountered at speeds over 20 mph. Of course, in a 20 mph headwind, I suppose they would help unless you were going backwards.

However, the interesting thing is that aerobars were not invented for purposes of being aero. The inventor was a rider in Race Across America. His hands went numb. So he rigged up a piece of metal tubing which he clipped to his handlebars so he could put his weight on his elbows and forearms and give his hands a break. It turned out that this position was much more aerodynamic then the standard one. But the real reason was to give the hands a break. You might get a clip on and use that every so often to give your hands a break.

Thanks for the responses.....I think I'm going to pick up some clip on aerobars and give them a try....I"ll let you all know how it works.



kern

Make sure you get the aerobar the allows you to adjust the reach length as well as the pad width, since you're more concerned about comfort than weight.

Thanks rygreen.....one other question. I get terrible numbness in my hands at times...so bad I can't feel my fingers to shift....my bike is properly fitted and I where a specialized gel glove.....I'm thinking that having a different position to put my hands and arms would help...I do move them around on the bars now and the only way to get rid of the numbness is pedal with no hands and "shake" the feeling back into them.(not the safest thing to do on a highway).....thanks.



kern

I had the same problem as you with the finger numbness and I have the specialized allez sport 27. What solved the numbness for me was when i started to lower my handlebars by removing the spacers and also lowered the angle of the sti levers so my wrists are straight.

I also angled my seat up more so i put less pressure on my arms. Now i have zero numbness in my hands and fingers.

Sheldon Brown has some good info on the topic: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/pain.html