bjh000

Just how much time could I save by using these in a tri? It's my first season and I've got 3 sprints scheduled this summer and I was trying to figure out if these will really help me that much in a short event. End of summer I plan on doing an olympic distance and then on from there. So I guess my question is should I invest in them now, or wait till I go into longer distance races. Thanks.

Fred Matthews

I'd get them now. You need to begin to get comfortable with the position. How much time difference there is isn't the issue in my opinion but rather learning to ride in the aero position for long periods of time and learning to handle your bike from that position. You might gain some time but if you aren't used to riding in that position then you might also find yourself getting out of the tuck a lot. So go ahead and get them and start training with them. you'll be happy you did.

Just my thought.

Fred

thehammerdog

You can save a TON of time how ever fit is everything..Get comfy the speed will follow.

gazelle5333

personal experience, speed is greatly increased when u get locked in. It took me a while, and I'm still tweaking here and there, but my normal ride is ~20-22 miles. I usually put in a pretty hard effort for the first 9-10 (depends on what route I take) trying to have my average pace above 20 mph on a route that has a ton of rolling hills. Before I added the bars, I was hard pressed to go sub 30 min. and usually came in in about 29-32. After I locked in the position, I did one ride over my spring break where I made it down in 28:16 (9.45 miles, 20.1 avg) and my legs felt fresh when I got off. Prob could have pushed it harder. I also do 1 mile TT's on another street and I went from 2:05ish to 1:50ish for an all out effort.

sirious94

get them now, they do take a week or so to get used to, Also the feeling of being locked in really helps with even the smallest races. the aero advantage is on the order of about 1 minute for the shortest courses up to 20 for longer ones, the mental advantage is at least another 2 minutes on top of that.

Barchettaman

The short answer is, a lot.
+/- 40 watts is the quoted saving.
This is an interesting article:
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/articl...-is-aero-19273

But it´s important to a) train in the aero position, so your neck muscles get used to it, and b) get fitted properly so you can stay in your aero position in comfort. Here´s me:



in relative comfort, at about 26 mph, on my way to a 27´20" 20km.

StanSeven

The benefits of clip-on aero bars vary depending on how they are set up. People often just mount them without much thought. They do make you faster but not as much as they could. A fast and aero position should have you looking like Barchettaman above. You don't get that by simply mounting aero bars to your current setup. Most likely you need to get your hands and arms lower and your seat forward. A foreward leaning seatpost helps in that.

Barchettaman

Note on the photo above, which was taken about half way through that time trial, that I am struggling to hold my head up - early season, and I hadn´t trained enough in the ´forward´aero position. My helmet should have been flatter to my back, and better training would have enabled me to hold that position longer.

900aero

If you want to experience what aero can do, find a nice, long hill and ride down it with one eye on your speedo. Try various riding positions: upright. Semi aero, fully tucked, knees in (if you're coasting very fast) ......There is speed there for free if you want it. Being comfortable is the secret to doing it for very long. Plus, you need to be able to get off the bike and run. Pure TT riders get peeled off the bike and lie down under a tree for a while so they tend to go even more aggressive in their position. Get fit advice from someone who knows bikes and knows triathlons.