Originally Posted by
Dryvlyne
... purchased the
Profile Design T3+ Aero bar.
...I got these because I thought they were a reputable brand and high quality aero bar.
... I'm very annoyed at how much money I've spent on this bar (thinking it was reputable based on my research) and the time I've wasted trying to mount it.
Profile Design is a very good brand, and has been a staple in triathlon circles. There have been many who have had only good to great experiences with their products, as your research has given you.
Today I went to set this up and it's given me absolutely nothing but headaches, but Basically what it comes down to is I can't get these tightened down enough on the handle bar so they don't move. The aero bar comes with these really annoying plastic shims which are supposed to make it fit a 26mm bar, but even though I can get them fairly tight so there's no lateral movement on the handle bar (this is after also wrapping the bar with several passes of electrical tape) then the aero bar wants to pitch up and down if I put weight on them which I'm sure is not right.
Does this aero bar simply not work with my bike? What am I doing wrong here?
I would advise against wrapping the bar underneath the shims with electrical tape. The tape compresses/stretches and the adhesive is not designed for mounting purposes.
Remove the tape, reattach the bar with the shims, torque the bolts down properly. Since your handlebar is aluminum, you can go a bit "tighter" if you want to.
The plastic shims do the job well.
P.S. I've had the T2+ before. Didn't have the problems you are experiencing. And yes, I also had a 26.0 mm bar on it.