For those who are considering using aero bars in a century ride...please by very, very careful.

It's considered bad form, and dangerous, to be down on the aero bars when you're near other riders.

You might want to get a Take a Look mirror...with it, you'll rarely be surprised by the sudden appearance of a cyclist, car, etc.

I was fully aware of this, and will comply. I do not want to crash either, and understand that control is very limited when "In the Bars".



I have been using a helmet mirror since I started riding, won't be without one.


Once again thanks to all for the insight and hints.

SteveE: My wife and I started our Saturday ride at Edgewood and Canada (a favorite parking corner for cyclists) and a swarm of tri-athletes in team kits (~20) all with aerobars and some TT bikes congregate at the corner getting ready for an interval. We were on road bikes in AV kits and we started north to warm up into the wind and after reaching 92 planned to head south to Los Altos. For the next 10 minutes, we were passed by one areobar equipped bike after another , all were wearing jerseys without sleeves and no one announced their presence and seemed to enjoy passing us . They followed your rule. I was appreciative of the silence. I remembered our discussion the other day and pondered a way to answer the assault but we were outnumbered, into the wind and not warmed up.

Hah! Up until a few years ago and the Lance inspired surge of cycling interest, it was not so common to see other cycling enthusiasts out on the road in my "hickish" area. To see someone was almost an excuse to slow or even stop and find out who they were. Bay Area riders, being as common as fleas on a trailer dog, do seem to ignore each other....almost like New Yorkers on the sidewalk. Maybe just too many waves to ride a straight line! Anyway, too bad that too many are too kool to socialize. As we've all observed, older riders are more relaxed about the whole thing....fewer hormones perhaps?

After the Saturday B-Ride, I was all set to do a flat ride on Father's Day by heading up from Cupertino through Portola Valley and Woodside. However, the thought of riding up and back on Canada Road with all the folks on aerobars (not to mention kids and rollerbladers) proved too daunting for me, so I climbed Kings Mountain, headed north on Skyline, and descended Hwy 92, before returning via Canada Rd, instead. Not very many bikes tricked out with aerobars up in them thar hills!

I'm following Velodiva's example and announcing who's on what side; Cap'n Chris seems to appreciate it, and it's a not-so-subtle reminder to the passer that they need to announce themselves. So far no one has apologized, in fact, they seem to think that's my job as stoker (wrong forum, I know, but I'm over 50, so WTH).

Last week in our surprisingly fast Thursday club ride we were attempting to paceline; as we were dropping back from the lead position a rogue rider came up between us and the paceline. Not only did he not announce, he bumped into Chris's elbow, causing our tandem to bobble; the stoker became excited (one, because she hates being passed; two, because she didn't see the bump and thought the captain was being flaky. Wrong!). That guy lost style points big-time -- too bad we never saw him again so the stoker could remediate his poor etiquette.

Rudeness chaps me worse than ill-fitting shorts.

You were on a tandem, and you didn't run that MoFo down and chew him out??

Perhaps I have too short a fuse, but I'd turn myself inside out to catch that guy and read him the Riot Act.

Your short fuse is no shorter than my Lycra bike shorts. Although this is billed as a no-drop ride, there are those who use the group to get ahead, and then keep going. This rude fellow was one of those. We never saw his sorry derrière for the rest of the ride, dagnabbit.

I'll recognize his gray goatee anywhere, and if he wears that black jersey with the orange cow head on it (hook 'em Horns!) I'll be sure kick some UT fanny all over the road. Grrrr!

Last winter I was out on a good day and a guy trucking toward me with aero bars on a Mt. Bike!

I'm thinking of putting them on my bike, with all the wind we've been having. Right now I just put my forearms on the Ergon grips , but they are a little close. and to low, but it helps a lot.

Go for it, George! You'll love 'em against the wind! But do get used to them first. A crosswind can be a little destabilizing when you're new to them....

Could have been me. I have a hybrid with 700 x 38 tires and use aerobars. Going on WI R to T against a NW wind for 100 miles, only way to go.

Well got the bars, put them on (no problems) and just did my first short test ride.

Observations:
No problems with:
1. getting into or out of the bars 1 arm at a time.
2. steering around things in the road fairly quickly.
3. changing gears or braking getting right hand out of bars.
4 taking 90 degree turns
I think I have no handling problems due to my 45 years of motorcycle riding experience, and NEVER going down. Sold it before I did!!

Found the armrests to be a great place to rest hands when upright.

Problems with:
1. shoulders/neck muscles feel tight from the extreme "looking up" position. I knew I would have this problem. I am 64 years old.
2. figuring out where to put the adjustments, arm rest back/forward, width, height, and tilt angle. Hope I can help problem 1. doing this properly.
3. Feels like I may have to move the saddle back a little, not sure.

Overall this is gonna be a fun experience for real cheap. These things (Forte T2) were $35 delivered on sale with .25 shipping!!

Hope they help me with my attempt at the Hotter n' Hell 100 mi. coming up in Aug.

Anybody got any setup/adjustment advice?

I got mine put on at the LBS while the bike was on a stationary trainer. While i was cycling, an experienced guy looked at the position and the angles and made adjustments. I would then try out the settings and see how it felt. It took a couple of hours to fine tune.

In general, when mounting aero bars on a road bike, it's necessary to raise the seat a bit (5-10 mm, maybe more, maybe less), and move the seat forward a bit. This will get you a little more over the bars, and might help with the neck pain.