Bike Forums - Aerobars

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Quote:

Originally Posted by gauvins (Post 23432063)

djb "you not having much time to ride before your trip" Well -- I leave mid May. So probably enough time for several short rides and a couple of centuries. I have risers and will carry Allen keys, so, not to worry. Only thing might be mounting the bars on top of the headset (i.e. subracting the stem's length in order to bring the elbow angle at the preferred 90%. But the vast majority of touring pictures I saw show aeros mounted on top of the handlebars... anyhow)

hey, do you have an indoor trainer? I have an old one which I keep my old touring bike on which is nice to keep my back flexible for dropbar riding and for when the weather is really bad and I cannot ride.
f you could borrow one, you could have fun trying out different aerobar positions this winter, and perhaps have more time to decide if you really like them and postpone buying new cargo holding methods unless you really need to.

in any case, have fun trying them out when you are able to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gauvins (Post 23432036)

Thanks for the comments and links to pictures. I searched quite extensively for fit principles, but found that the vast majority are aimed at competitive athletes, mostly triathletes and time trialists.

My understanding is that there are 5 adjustments to consider (see diagram below). If you have information on how to adjust settings, I'll read with interest. At the moment I am inclined to use default settings and to keep Allen keys close by.

Height - for touring, the suggestion is to significantly raise the aeros, which should improve comfort
Tilt -- I didn't find much about this. The manufacturer suggests starting level. Then it is like salt: "add to taste"
Length -- nothing here. I assume that it depends on the rider forearm's length, and on how you grab the bar
Slant -- It looks as if several competitive riders prefer a slanted layout (prayer mantis). Others criticize it and suggest a vertical layout.
Pad -- depends on the model. Mostly alignment. "add to taste".

From what I saw, competitive cyclists favor low and level aerobars to reduce their CdA, whereas tourers prefer raised and tilted aerobars, for comfort.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...de915a2c9f.png

Yeah, I thought you would need to see those photos of the Great Divide race bikes, their posture is not anything like time trials or triathlons. Some of them have the pads quite a bit above the saddle height.

My niece borrowed a set of those bars for a triathalon. She had to move her saddle further forward on her road bike to make it work. The only way she got the reach right was to turn her seat post around 180 degrees so that the clamp on the seatpost was moved forward. That is not the way I would want to do it, but for a one time event, I can see doing it that way.

Add a number 6 - how far apart they are from each other. Are you a narrow shoulder person or a wide shoulder person?

But your comment on headset mounting (I assume you mean mounting on the steerer tube or stem cap) indicates you already are thinking about how to adjust reach. This one looks interesting for how to adjust reach. Has the pads quite far aft from the handlebar mounting.
https://bikepacking.com/wp-content/u...ivide-rigs.jpg

I am assuming that this one uses spacers for height.
https://bikepacking.com/wp-content/u...ivide-rigs.jpg

Other than height, you should be able to adapt as you see fit. But, height may mean more or less spacers, so that is one adjustment that involves $ and more parts if you want to raise it with more spacers and possibly longer bolts.

Also, make sure you have the bar diameter right when you order them. And you might need different handlebars to get your fit right for how far apart they are from each other.

Good luck getting this figured out. I would not even try to figure this out myself, I spend maybe one third of the time in the drops, that is good enough for me for getting aero.

Tourist in MSN "Good luck getting this figured out".

I am not particularly worried. I've purchased a pair of risers (7 cm) which should be more than enough. I can't adjust width, so there's that ;) WRT reach (the need to move the saddle forward) -- first indication is that it won't be a problem, but I expect to update at the end of the summer. For the moment, I am optimistic.

Thanks again for the links (BTW, I looks as if the second picture shows a bike using the Fred Bar)

(re photos in linked article above)

Most of the bikes have the aeros low, pads just above the drop bar, for, well, aero.

A couple have the aeros raised a good deal for comfort, usually via risers that fit between the handlebar and the top clamp half of the aero, but that also requires an aero where the bars come from the top clamp half. Not all do.

A couple have the aeros spaced WAY up, further than I thought risers were available, but I see on one that it uses a separate stem on (a tall) steer tube, mounted above the stem holding the handlebar, and that top stem then has a stub middle bar (in place of a handlebar) that the aero clamps too. Good to know, but not possible on my bike with the handlebar clamp welded integral with the long vertical handlepost, so I'll need to use double-clamps to perform the same function, putting a stub bar about 70mm above the handlebar for the aero bar to clamp to.

I put clip on aero bars on my randonneuring bike a couple years ago, for hand relief, and it's a game changer. 6cm riser put body position exactly as in drops. I lose use of flats but not the corners, which is my second favorite position after the aero bars. Hoods for navigating low speed or riding with people, drops for fast technical stuff. My winter rando has no aero bars and I miss them a lot.

The surprising benefit, given my relatively upright position, is speed. Significantly faster. Maybe partially from aero and partially from comfort. I aimed for comfort, and got comfort plus speed.