Originally Posted by
rapwithtom
I'm in the market for new handlebars, and I'm considering aero road bars. It seems that it's a no brainer since such a significant portion of wind resistance from the bike comes from the bars; the big downside is cost.
Zipp
Enve
I'm curious what y'all think about aero bars, and why they're not more widely used, since most of the advantages of an aero frame can be had by simply using aero bars...
Thoughts?
PS - I get that the most important thing about aero is body position on the bike, and I'm working on that...
3T has some as well. Do aero bars really make as big a difference as an aero frame? Interesting, if true. My main concern with them is they introduce constraints on hand position, which could be a big deal for comfort. These aren't as extreme as the 3T aero bars.
I think the Enve bar is probably the better bet because the design places more emphasis on body position. They've got a steep flare that makes the hoods substantially narrower than the drops. The reasoning appears to be that the most aero position is hands on hoods, forearms flat along ramps, elbows at 90 degrees, and of course narrower = better. But that you want more width in the drops for control. For what it's worth, the 3T Ergonova has a similar flared design, though the flare is shallower. The hoods on that bar are about 2.5 cm narrower than the drops. I switched back to them after riding Rotundos for a couple years precisely because I wanted the aerodynamic benefits of the narrower bar. It can feel at first that you have less leverage when sprinting or attacking, especially if you're on the hoods, but after a while you get used to it and I don't think it has a significant effect on actual sprint power.
But oof, that price tag. If that's an issue, the Ergonova Pro (alloy version) goes down to 38, which would be something like 35.5 at the hoods. That would get you most of the benefits of the Enve bar for less than a quarter of the price. The downside is that they would still be quite narrow in the drops. The 40, which I ride, might be a better choice in that case.