shortnsalty

If the position on a race frame is more aggressive and on endurance frame more relaxed..which frame would put you in a better position for resting on aero bar attachment?

LowCel 

A time trial bike?

shortnsalty

Not a time trial bike..just attachment for regular bars..here in florida we have flat straight roads like a1a where you can just grind out miles. I was wondering which frame would offer a more comfortable position (road or endur) for the add ons you can clip to your bars.

FixedDriveJess

Don't put aero bars on anything except a TT bike. Or if you don't have the funds to buy one you can take your most aggressive bike and slam your saddle forward, slam your stem, and then put the aero bars on.

AngrySaki

I would say the more relaxed bike would give the more comfortable position. One way to think about aerobars is that they don't really do anything special, they just move your arms inwards and out of the wind making you more aerodynamic.
So you can think of it as keeping the rest of your body in the exact same position, but you move your arms to become more aerodynamic (and possibly more comfortable).

Keep in mind that depending on the aerobars you get, the pads will be at a different height (some are adjustable) so you might end up in a different position, but in theory, if you get the right aerobars, your body would stay in the same position. If you don't have any, I would recommend buying the most adjustable ones so you can mess around with the placement.

AngrySaki

Aerobars are on useful on bikes other than TT bikes. Lots of people even use them for touring.

FixedDriveJess

Silliness. I hate seeing bikes with bars higher than the saddle that have aero bars. Just so stupid.

Aero bars are called aero bars beause people who want to go fast need them. Not peple who want to ride the whole day. I've used them once when I did a century on my fixed gear. I never needed them.

Carbonfiberboy 

I've ridden many thousands of miles on a race-style road frame while on a set of clip-on aerobars. It works just fine. Not as fast as an all-out TT bike, but more comfortable. You'll love it. To answer your question, IMO a standard road frame will work the best for you because it has a slightly more aggressive position that melds well with clip-ons. If you are already comfortable riding in the drops, you'll be even more so on the clip-ons. Roll your pelvis forward, drop your chest and head. You may need to change saddle type or drop the nose a hair. I've done some very long rides with this set-up on a carbon race bike, comfortable the whole way.

Carbonfiberboy 

Why do you think a tourer would put their bars higher than their saddle? Methinks a bit of elitism here, but then this is the 41. Whatever the height of the bars, running aero bars will make a rider faster on the flat. Faster is stupid?

FixedDriveJess

No eliteism. I just think aerobars belong on aero bikes. If you want you road bike to be faster, drop your stem.

THSdrummer

Being comfortable is just as important as being aero. If you're uncomfortable being aero, your performance will suffer despite aero savings. Just in regards to handlebar height.

I'd say aero bars as well. For the situation you described, aero clip-ons are probably your best bet. If the OP was switching into triathlon/TT races, saving up for a tri/TT bike would serve the most benefit, but it sounds like a desire to be more aero on a long stretch of road.

AngrySaki

I can't think of any way that this isn't elitism. You seem to think you know better than other people and that you know how other people should use their bikes.

People don't use them on touring bikes because they want to go faster, they use them because they want to be comfortable, and possibly go faster.

StanSeven

If you put aero bars on a touring setup, the aero benefits are nil. The plus side is it gives you another position for long rides and perhaps a comfortable relief for your back and arms.. But you are no faster with bars sitting high and the seat in an unaltered position than you are just riding in the drops.

cplager

The statement isn't true. The more you flatten out your torso, the less wind it catches, the more aerodynamic you are. For every clip-on aero bar setup I've ever seen, the rider was flatter/lower with the aerobars than in the drops.

Can you setup two bikes where a person is lower in the drops on one than they would be in the aerobars on another? Sure. But so what.

This I agree strongly with. It made a huge difference for me as far as comfort level goes.

THSdrummer

Not only low-ness, but the elbows would have to be kept near 90* angle while in the drops to simulate aerobars. Hands in the drops but straight arms might have a similar torso to the aerobars, but the arms are positioned to snag massive air at this point.

Not only the flatter/lower, but aerobars should keep the arms closer, providing the wind with one leading edge for the body. Hands in the drops or hoods provide two leading edges, plus the following edge of the rider's torso (at this point not covered by the arms in an aerobar).

In other words, properly setup aerobars on a road bike will provide aero benefit. It is much like comparing the Giro Air Attack with the Giro Selector helmet. The Selector is designed to cut through the air. The Air Attack is as well, but without sacrificing regular helmet ventilation. In the end, you get a more well-rounded helmet, not the most aerodynamic, not the most ventilated, but a solid mix of the two.

Ludkeh

I've got a Specialized Roubaix road bike. I ride alone most of the time and do a few Triathlons a year. I added Profile Design Jammer GT clip on shorty bars to my bike. They're designed for road bikes with slack seat tube positioning, not TT bikes. The bars are extremely adjustable and let me position the arm pads behind the handle bars. This positioning keeps the weight well centered on the bike. It also lets me maintain the 90 degree leg/torso angle, maintaining power.

Most aerobars, have the arm rests positioned directly over the handle bars. With a road bike geometry, this setup puts the rider way to far forward resulting in two things. First very twitch ride since there is to much weight on the front wheel. Secondly the the leg to torso angle is way to extreme, resulting in a significant decrease in power.

Many people recommend a forward seat post and standard TT aerobars. I think that setup gives you a very compromised setup. Poor road bike performance and a aerobar setup that is very uncomfortable along with a position that can't be maintained for long periods of time. That is unless your as flexible as a yoga instructor.

pdedes

for the love of all that is sweet and innocent, don't adopt the praying mantis position

Carbonfiberboy 

I also like the pads aft of the handlebar. Big difference, as you say.

StanSeven

This is from a test done by Tour. The aero bars are true aero bars and not clip-ons. Clip-ons will get very close to the drops (within a few watts) and assuming the OP will be putting out much less than 400w, the differences betwenn clip-ons and drops are negligible.

Carbonfiberboy 

Just getting the arms out of the wind is worth a lot. I've tried it on long even descents in the mountains. At around 40 mph, I'm just a tiny bit faster on clip-ons than deep in the drops with my chin 2" off a slammed stem. I think it's a bigger difference when pedaling. It took me a long time to realize that about descending, because the drops feel faster. YMMV, depending on fit and position.

MegaTom

OK, dude....

shortnsalty

Thx all. Yup just looking for a comfort option. The clip on's were what I was talking about.

cplager

You've provided no evidence that clip-on aerobars are just like the drops. They only thing you've shown is that "proper" aerobars are better than the drops.

As you are in a more streamlined position with clip-on aerobars than the drops (lower as well as elbows in), you'll be more aerodynamic.

StanSeven

Aero bars save 37 watts over drops at 400 watts. That is a fair amount but its at 400 watts, which I'm sure is much more power than the OP is talking about. Aero bars also put the rider in a much lower position - clip on bars are higher and the only advantage is perhaps having elbows in some. Because the rider is bending over about the same (and the saddle or seatpost aren't changed), the back, shoulders, and upper arms haven't changed at all. In other words, the rider just has a different place for arms to rest. That's it.

Just picture a profile of someone in the drops. Now imagine that same person in aerobars mounted on top of the bars. Because their seat position has not changed, there's no difference - there's no difference in streamlining.

cplager

Yes, think about it.

On my road bike, my elbows were further forward when I was on the aerobars than I was when I was in the drop. So even though my seat didn't change relative to my stem, I was lower, my center of mass was further forward, and my elbows were in. This is a more aerodynamic position. There is a difference in streamlining. Go find a pair of clip-on aerobars, put them on your bike, and take some pictures (I don't have the road bike anymore).

How much the improved aerodynamic position (compared to the drops) helps the OP depends on the speed at which he's riding. I found riding into a headwind even at low speeds, being on the bars was significantly less effort than being in the drops (not to mention much more comfortable).

Regardless, the OP has said he was looking for comfort. Since we agreed on this point, maybe it's time to let this go...