Aero Bars on a Road Bike
 

Anyone have any luck with inexpensive Aero bars put on a road bike. I am thinking about these for another riding position. Anybody have any luck with these?

You didn't like the answers in your first thread? :)

If I were really, really old and my back started to hurt but I wanted to go on long rides, I would get aero bars just like the guys who do the Iron Man triathlon. But I would do it in style and get a bike designed for aero bars. That would be even more fun. Imagine having more than one bike to ride.

I have used clip-on aero bars extensively on assorted road bikes, using them for over a decade when I was doing a lot of team triathlons and would do the swim and bike, or just the bike leg. They can be very helpful when hitting speeds over 18mph or so, or on a route that has tough headwinds for long periods.

I used the Profile AirStrke model that has allows the arm rests to flip up to allow a hand position on the top of the drop bar. These were the only aeo bar I would use as others I tried positioned the elbow pad behind or directly on top of the handlebar which interfered with my knees when doing a standing climb, as well as losing the "on-the-top" hand position. As well, it takes time for the body to adjust to the position and I found I had to ride a lot in this position to develop the muscles that generated power. The best position was when I used a Profile forward seatpost, that moved the seat forward a few inches to replicate the seat tub angle of a dedicated tri bike. That in turn, while comfortable and powerful, can generate it's own issues with too much body weight over the front wheel, causing handling issues, so something you need to be aware of and get used to.

In the past 10 years or so, I have hardly used the bars, especially as I migrated to a new carbon road bike that has a 31.8mm handle bar that is too wide for my old Profile and I have no real need to adapt it. Since the majority of my so-called fast riding has me wheel sucking a group of triathletes, the drop bar suffices. And I stopped racing.

SB

I aint comfortable crouching as low as the 25 year old racers, I had a long commute
affordable housing 12 miles away from college-town based job.

From Friends, I got a Zzipper Thriller road fairing, and a tall short extension Terry Stem,
and a set of 'profile for speed' integrated bullhorn /aerobars. to take weight off my wrists..

Fairing made the low body position un-nessisary.
quieted air passing by my head so I could hear the 'books on tape' cassettes
playing thru the ear-buds, better..

My wife gave me the Profile Design AirStrike bars for Father's Day last year. I put them on the new bike a few weeks ago for the upcoming MS 150, so that I would have another riding position. They are nice to ride in, but they are not quite adjusted correctly and I have a bit of a problem with swaying back and forth when there is a strong cross-wind. I've noticed that other riders that have been using aerobars for a long time don't seem to have that problem. But with more practice, comes better results. With my current bike setup, I find that I am not any more aero on the bars than I am in the drops, but just the idea of being able to rest my arms and my hands on very long rides, makes them worth while. I don't know if I will keep them on the bike after the MS 150 or not; it is going to depend on how they work for me during the ride.

The previous owner of my Peugeot PKN-10 had installed aero bars, which were the first thing I swapped out after I bought it. I tried them briefly and decided I am just too set in my ways, having ridden regular drops since 1962.

I use those Profile Design AirStrike on one bike, they give a nice stretch. In my case I need a clear road with a good shoulder, my line and ability to make any quick moves are pretty poor while on the pads, and of course your hands are nowhere near your brakes.

I use the Cinelli Spinacci bars; not quite full aero bars but UCI legal.
New they cost $99 about 10 years ago; if you're lucky you can pick up a used pair for a couple bucks at a bike swap meet.
I actually cut them down a bit (with a hacksaw) to suit my riding style. It's nice to have a bit stretched out position and don't really do it to be aero.
Pedal on!
Rudy/zonatandem

I have aero bars on all of my drop bar bikes.

+1 on the use and the benefits.

Most of my riding is on flat roads for longer distances. Fighting a headwind is also a normal issue on part of my rides.

I use Stryke Carbon Ironman clip-on aero bars, mounted to FSA Compact drop-style handlebars. The bars were fitted professionally. The fit works better as a road bike, but is also comfortable and moderately aerodynamic while on the aerobars. I like a saddle forward and stretched fit even without the aero bars, so fitting the aerobars was not a big change from my normal road bike fit.

The bars offer two important benefits. They provide a comfortable and aerodynamic position while fighting a headwind or holding a 20+ mph pace as a solo rider. I also find that my hands are resting while I use the aerobars and my upper body is less tense in general.

I never use the bars when with a group or when I need to shift or brake. But when the road is flat and cheating the wind counts, the aerobar position is my favorite.

I'd use clip-on aero bars if I lived in a flat part of the world. But where I live, we all look very suspect at anyone that shows up for a ride with clip-on bars. There's a time and a place for everything.

"inexpensive" you say?
 

I've been using these http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=244418http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=244419http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=244420 since 1999 or so. I've had to make my own post to mount them on the larger diameter bars of the Felt but they work great. As you can see in the pictures they have morphed a bit from factory design to accommodate my personal preferences for arm spread and height. The posts I made from 3/4" square tubing welded to 1.25" conduit split in half then painted and clamped onto the bars using standard hose clamps. The top has a 5/16" x 18 nut welded on the underside before welding it to the end of the square tubing. I later added the PVC extension as the OEM width of the elbow pads was far too narrow for my tastes. The PVC has a length of graphite golf club shaft glued in each end that falls just short of the middle to add strength. It's ugly but very user friendly, very durable and very inexpensive; $29.95 on E-Bay. In the first picture you can also see the original mounting post that works fine on smaller diameter bars but not on those of the Felt road bike.

Thanks for the input...very helpfull

I have a Cervello S5 with 3T Erganova aluminum bars with Profile Design T3 Plus bars, works great for me, more adjustability than most. No issue with placing the aero bar clamps at all, adjusts wide or narrow.

I stuck some on my beater/training/backup bike so I can do an odd TT or Duathlon once in awhile. They are light, mount in seconds and while they are not ideal for true aero positioning, they do help get you down and in a more aero and restful position.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=298210

I use Deda Parabolica Due clip-ons when aerobars are appropriate. Got them from Ribble for ~$60

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/roa...at220000000000

I have problems on road bikes where my hands go numb after 20 or so minutes. I can, however, ride with clip on aero bars very comfortably for much longer. For me, that additional position made a big difference.

Note that you can also clip these puppies onto hybrid bars as well. Might look a little silly, but if it works for you, who cares. :)

Got mine when I wanted to ride with a cast on my left hand.

They're handy for wind, for cold mornings (ducking out of the wind), and for another handlebar position. I can get about 1-2 MPH more speed out of the same effort with them on flat ground.

Update since my last post. I did manage to use the aerobars during last years MS 150 when we encountered some strong headwinds and they worked great. I decided to leave them on the bike for some of the other charity rides we had coming up and now I do almost my entire ride on the aerobars. I find them more comfortable than riding the hoods or the drops and I never have shoulder, arm or hand issues after very long rides. Also, when I'm sprinting, the decreased hip angle forces me to control my breathing better and I don't huff and puff like I do if I'm on the hoods.

Obviously, there are times when I don't use them because of safety reasons, but other than those few times, I now prefer riding on the aerobars than any other position on the handlebar.

Hello CHAUSE1,

Aerobar comfort is a very individual thing. Most people who have responded like them but that doesn't mean that a majority of people who have tried them like them. YMMV.

They definitely provide another riding position. What you also have to consider is that a riding position that you find comfortable may actually be worse aerodynamically. A good aerodynamic position does not necessarily equal comfort. Of course, you may not care about aerodynamics.

To add to the above sentiment, NEVER use aerobars on group rides. It endangers you and, most importantly, it endangers others in your group. You can have aerobars on your bike during our club rides but if you insist on using them during our club rides we will insist that you leave our group.

I think they are legal for local and regional USA Cycling races but I don't think they are UCI legal. Read Section 1.3.022:
http://www.uci.ch/Modules/BUILTIN/ge...34033&LangId=1

The first sentence reads:
"In competitions other than those covered by article 1.3.023, only the traditional type of handlebars
(see diagram «structure 1») may be used."

When you look at the diagram there is no provision for additional handlebar structure. Maybe I'm misinterpreting the rules but that's how it looks to me.

Spinacci UCI legal?
Had been told by local racing official that they were UCI legal and that is what I based my statement on.
However, they may only be USA Cycling legal . . .
I'm 80 years old and like the extra hand positiion Spinaccis afford; have used them in local time trials and Senior Olympics.
Rudy/zonatandem

I think everyone should at all times abide by The Rules. See rule no. 54:

http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/

^^^, and to think that I would ever agree with the Velomanazi Rules. I know a few of the 50+ like riding with aerobars but I never was able to see riding with them myself.

Of course an unstated rule is that any reference to The Rules must be taken with a grain of salt, if not a wink.