Recently I decided to give time trials a shot, since mass-start races are out of the question for now and I have this aero race bike sitting around with nice high--profile wheels and all. Naturally, aero bars are in order, so I got a set of clip-ons. Now, I've done a couple of events in the Eddy category because I haven't gotten the hang of riding with them yet. Everything is pretty much fine on flat or slight uphill grades, but any time it gets easier to pedal - even
slight descents, fugeddaboudit. Too scary. Turns? Unimaginable.
So, question for those of you who've managed to get comfortable riding with aero bars: did it take long? How many rides/practice sessions do you figure it should take to get the hang of it?
The first time I tried it I only went a mile or so, really slow, before I realized an adjustment was necessary. Adjusted, the transition on and off was MUCH better, but still I only managed about five miles before traffic, rough roads and such scared me away from trying any more. Yesterday I gave it another shot, and like I was saying, uphill segments, where 15 mph or a little less was manageable, it was fine, but I couldn't bring myself to go fast. On the most ideal stretch - a flat straight that's a bit more than a mile long - I don't think I exceeded 18.
The ride ended up being embarrassingly short for such a perfect-weather day (I got little more than 20 miles when most of my regular riding mates did at least four times as much), only because the all the stress/nervousness was so exhausting.
