kawasakiguy37

I got a real old vintage pair of sark bars (basically real early aero bars) to attach to my lotus excelle (they actually clamp onto the stem, and then the pads/risers or whatever clamp onto the handlebars). Anyone think this is a good idea for touring? Seems like it would give me another comfortable hand position to go to. My only problem is....no brakes. Any way I could throw a cross lever on there for just the rear? I have non aero levers right now, but might be willing to make the upgrade to aero. Still gotta get a brooks too

acantor

I have been touring with aero bars since 1994, so you will only find encouragement from me. As you say, aerobars provide a comfortable riding position. For me, it is the no-grip option that makes the position so comfortable.

It's true that you do not have quick access to the brake levers while riding in the aero position. But aero bars are not for heavy traffic, or any other situation where you might need to brake quickly. They are great on quiet, country roads. I especially like them when climbing hills.

Thasiet

Aerobars are fabulous for touring, or any long distance riding really. It's great to get the weight off the wrists for short periods to let them rest. I strap a fanny bag to mine that has been altered to hold a battery powered mp3 player speaker dock. Out of the way of the aero grips and in perfect listening position.

As for braking, it isn't a big deal being so far from the brakes when you're on the open road. Just don't go into the aerobars when you might anticipate emergency braking (traffic, swervy roads) or when the road surface is rough.

kawasakiguy37

Yea, I think the hassle of adding brakes is more than its worth. They arent that great for twisties anyways, and id probably just end up flipping over my handlebars with a front brake

bobbotron

I ended up taking them off my bike when I was touring, I found it too tippy and I rarely used them. They sure were nice when I used them, but they got the ax in favor of reducing the amount of stuff I was hauling.

tomn

I added these for my Northern Tier tour last year. I heard someone call them "prairie bars" so adopted that term. I cobbled together some risers to get them to a comfortable level. The whole set-up does add 1 1/2 pound, but it did spend a lot of time on them.

Tom

Camel

Off topic, but nice bar tape there Tomn, and also an ingenious use of a zipper pull (? I assume) as your brake holder. Good idea!

kawasakiguy37

Was that bar tape hard to put on?

tomn

Hi Camel & kawasakiguy37,

Thanks. The stitch on elk hide bar tape is from VeloOrange. It took about two hours to put on the first set, and was more nerve wracking than difficult. There are times when you have to cut into it for the brake levers, and to finish the end. The tape feels good too, has just a little squish, and is smooth.

The Brake-Bands come with a Click-Stand. www.Click-Stand.com . Sorry to advertise, but it did seem to fit

Chris_W

I've also used aerobars on my touring bikes for the past 10+ years. The extra, completely different, position improves comfort by a huge amount. If you're riding at touring pace then the aerodynamic advantage is not very much, but if you're riding into a headwind for a significant distance then they are again an extremely useful piece of equipment.

Make sure that you're completely comfortable riding on the aerobars with the bike unloaded before stepping up to using them with a fully loaded bike. However, once you get the hang of it, which shouldn't take very long, you shouldn't find that control is much of a problem.