Originally Posted by
Bob_in_Midland
I've thought of doing this as well, but really wasn't sure that it was something I wanted to do. A few weeks ago, when I was riding the MUT, I was riding right into a headwind. I kept thinking about how nice it would be to get into a set of aero bars to help cut the wind.
Are they hard to get used to? I would think that there would be a balance issue in getting used to them.
I will 1st note, that you need to check the size of your handle bars vs the size of the clamps on the aero bars. I had to shim mine quite a bit. They work fine though.
At first, it was a bit different but I think that would occur even on a road bike. More of your weight is shifted to the front and the bike becomes twitchy so that takes some getting used to.
After several rides, I have found that I was putting more and more time on the aero bars. One a 26 mile ride that I did a few weeks ago (this is my longest ride yet), I probably spent about 20 of those miles in the aero position. Often, I feel stronger in aero position and on this day it was very windy so it was of great benefit. I found found that I can go longer, stay stronger and be more comfortable when using the aero bars.