George

Now that I have the trekking bars on my bike, which I like very much. I was wondering if any of you use aerobars. I was thinking it would give my wrist and elbows a break once in a while. I read about them on road bikes and racers, but would I benefit from them. Thanks for any replys, George

robtown

I have aerobars on two of my bikes. I use them to take the weight off my hands and give my core a break. They also give me a good stretch. I only ride them on relatively level straight paths because it's hard to control the bike on the aerobars.

CrossChain

I use aero bars on one of my bikes. The answer is yes, if you have the flexibility to "get down" a bit and use them, they are useful for providing a restul, alternative position that takes pressure off hands, wrists, and elbows. They are useful going into the wind...I'm not aero fast, but I do notice an increase in speed into the wind or, an increase in ease into the wind...whatever you make of it. There's a little adaptation period but soon enough you'll be down on the aeros and dodging road debris and going around turns. They do teach you to properly steer with your butt. The more miles you put in with them, the more stable you feel.

Most aero bars are made for road bike handlebars. They often come with shims, but, if you're using mountain bike bars the diameter may be a little off (I'm not familiar with MTB stuff) but you can either make or buy a shim I'm sure. If you get serious about buying, I suggest, to start with, bars that give you more space between your elbows than not. Close set elbows are less stable seeming though more "aero"-- but we're more concerned with comfort. Profile Century bars are comfy & cheapest about $45 to $50 at Nashbar, Performance, etc. Cheaper on ebay if you can find them. Most aeros these days clamp around the sleeve area of your bars so you may have to rig (or buy) a new computer mount.

What you lose is some space on top of your regular bars for your hands. Depending on the width of your handlebars, you'll probably find it a worthwhile trade-off. Profile has some bars where the arms flip up and out of the way, but I disliked them thinking they were ugly-- and my pair rattled.

They're certainly worth considering.

will dehne

I have Aero Bars on all my bikes. I find little advantage (if any) compared to drops. This is the reason why I do not use them on shorter distance rides. Exception to this is if I want to catch up with someone at my top speed.
Going 100 miles against wind, they are a life saver because I can not do that on drops alone. The difference in speed to hands on the hoods is noticeable.
As CC said, Performance with flip up rattle and broke off on me. The other type takes up space which is a nuisance if you want to place hands on top of bars. (life is a compromise)
Summary opinion: I would use them only if you really want to be competitive and/or go long distance.
BTW, be careful. Takes a while for your computer between your ears to adjust to the different balancing required. Do not use them in pace-line or traffic or going very fast down a hill.

lighthorse

George,
I am a believer in aerobars, all four of my bikes have them installed. Maybe I am just lazy and like to lean on something but I think they are great. I agree with crosschain that you lose on hand position on top of the handlebars. You will certainly benefit from aerobars when riding with a headwind component, and on long rides where you just need to lean over and rest your arms.

head_wind

This is exactly right. Without aero bars we are used to steering
with some leverage. When using aero bars we have only balance.

George

Thanks for all the replys, it sounds like I wont need them for the riding I do. I rest my elbows on my grips quite a bit and I thought they may come in handy.

Tom Bombadil

I have no experience whatsoever with them, but I have seen some that have more adjustable rise than others. Like this one from AirStryke:

https://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=10372