Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars

Aug 30, 14 19:48

Post #1 of 27 (13061 views)

The new Cervelo bars on the S5 got me thinking again about this topic. For those of us who can't quite shell out for a new bike for a set of bars there seem to be a few options out there. I just now found out about the new-ish 3T Aeronova bars which look really sharp but are super pricey. There is the ever present Zipp VukaSprint as well. Cervelo claimed 4.4 watts for their new OEM bar which isn't that insignificant.

What else is out there? Any good reviews? Any bad reviews? Is there any tunnel data available for any of these bars?

ST, share your knowledge!

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [JesseN] [ In reply to ]

Aug 30, 14 20:40

Post #2 of 27 (13003 views)

I would love to see their data. It looks like they are claiming 4.4 watts at 40kmph versus Zipp's statement that the Vuka Sprint was about 5 watts faster at 30mph. That would put the Cervelo bar a bit faster than the Vuka. I see them as pretty similar and a good aero upgrade.

I bought the Vuka mainly for the aesthetics. I think it looks fantastic on a road bike. Beyond that, the short and shallow bend is really nice if you want low tops and useable drops. The wide tops are great in the climbs. Overall I am very happy with the purchase.

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [JesseN] [ In reply to ]

Aug 30, 14 20:41

Post #3 of 27 (13002 views)

Zipp updated theirs, check out the Zipp SL-70 Aero, I have them on my Venge and love them. Better internal cable routing than the previous version, and the drops flare out a little at the bottom so you dont rub wrists/forearms on the bars in the drops or when sprinting.

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [JesseN] [ In reply to ]

Aug 30, 14 21:01

Post #4 of 27 (12984 views)

An airfoil has over ten times less drag than a cylinder. Here Remember that is for an equal frontal area, these aero bars are much smaller area than the round bars.

Also Bontrager has a carbon and aluminum version available. Specialized has one also.

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [JesseN] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 3:26

Post #5 of 27 (12880 views)

instead of going with an aero top section like the Zipp and new Cervelo bars - I've gone narrow. I'm riding 34cm track bars and love them + I can grip the top section during climbing which is my preferred climbing position.

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [DC Pattie] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 5:49

Post #6 of 27 (12822 views)

34? Wow I thought mine were narrow at 38. I went with bontrager and love them. I've had the old VS and found them harsh and flexy compared to the bonty (the former I didn't notice until switching so it's not like it's all that bad).

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Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [JesseN] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 5:57

Post #7 of 27 (12816 views)

Some bars will cause some riders interference with your forearm when you sprint. So you need to pay attention to the bend/shape of the drops. Test them out first if you can.

invisible aerobars can be tricky if you are sweaty, so if you like to do that, find one maybe with a non gloss finish up top. or add sticky tape

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Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [JesseN] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 6:17

Post #8 of 27 (12787 views)

Is it just me or did Specialized bump the pricing on their Aerofly up? Now $300, thought I recalled $220. It was a real category killer at that price. Anyways great bar, can be bought in a 38cm.

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [Stalkan] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 6:21

Post #9 of 27 (12784 views)

Nice road bike setup!

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Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [JTolandTRI] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 6:32

Post #10 of 27 (12770 views)

Yeah, at $300, I might as well get the new Cervelo bar for the extra couple watts and MUCH greater "bad ass" quotient.

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [jackmott] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 7:50

Post #11 of 27 (12721 views)

Thank you!

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [JesseN] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 8:22

Post #12 of 27 (12700 views)

Keep trolling on Chainlove.com. I picked up a pair of Vuka Sprints this summer for $150. They also have had their new bar up there occasionally for a similar price.

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Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [JesseN] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 9:47

Post #13 of 27 (12642 views)

I have the Specialized Aerofly and I love them. To me the best part of this bar is that the cable routing exits the bar at the inside face of the "wing" next to the stem, so the cables are more out of the wind as compared to the Zipp Vuka Sprint. Cost was $250 when I got mine.

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [denali2001] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 12:59

Post #14 of 27 (12561 views)

Is there an official MSRP on the Cervelo bar?

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [JesseN] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 13:24

Post #15 of 27 (12538 views)

I read $400 somewhere (pretty sure it was on bikerumor.com but might've been elsewhere).

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [chaparral] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 14:01

Post #16 of 27 (12511 views)

chaparral wrote:

An airfoil has over ten times less drag than a cylinder. Here Remember that is for an equal frontal area, these aero bars are much smaller area than the round bars.

Also Bontrager has a carbon and aluminum version available. Specialized has one also.

The Bonty alu bar is the steal of the bunch at a list price of just $100 IIRC

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [JesseN] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 14:56

Post #17 of 27 (12474 views)

Aero bars are super gimmicky as far as "saving watts".... You have to think about where the wind is going to be coming from. If the wind is a direct head wind, yes you will be saving some watts, but I'm sure there are wind angles where the aero handle bars are actually slower. Additionally, they are very mushy... in that they have a lot of give and flex because of the way the carbon layup is done. I personally am not a huge fan.

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [m091554] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 14:58

Post #18 of 27 (12473 views)

m091554 wrote:

Aero bars are super gimmicky as far as "saving watts".... You have to think about where the wind is going to be coming from. If the wind is a direct head wind, yes you will be saving some watts, but I'm sure there are wind angles where the aero handle bars are actually slower. Additionally, they are very mushy... in that they have a lot of give and flex because of the way the carbon layup is done. I personally am not a huge fan.

So much misinformation here...I don't know where to start...

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [Tom A.] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 16:45

Post #19 of 27 (12416 views)

Tom, is there any noted or reliable data quantifying the benefits of any particular bar? The Bonty may be a steal but the $/watt may not be there. Or it may be.

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [Tom A.] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 17:28

Post #20 of 27 (12386 views)

Tom A. wrote:

The Bonty alu bar is the steal of the bunch at a list price of just $100 IIRC

Is the AL bar called the 'Race Lite Aero'? Look nice and the price is right, but they seem a bit portly. Any idea if they are measured c-t-c, or outside-to-outside? Clip-on aerobar compatible?

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Last edited by: DarkSpeedWorks: Aug 31, 14 17:36

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [DarkSpeedWorks] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 17:40

Post #21 of 27 (12372 views)

Yes and center-to-center.

It'd take a lot of incremental weight gain for the 3-5W aero benefit. Far more than the 100g difference (for an equal $$ alloy bar)

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Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [Tom A.] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 17:52

Post #22 of 27 (12363 views)

I used a set of these for about a year before crashing out on them. They seemed nice. I plan to purchase them again unless someone can point to something comparable in the price range.

I did encounter the forearm interference problem others mentioned. But it wasn't too bad.

I did not buy them for the aero benefits, but to see if they felt better in my hands and for some comfort when resting between sets on the trainer in the winter.
Goals accomplished.

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [JesseN] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 18:01

Post #23 of 27 (12348 views)

JesseN wrote:

Tom, is there any noted or reliable data quantifying the benefits of any particular bar? The Bonty may be a steal but the $/watt may not be there. Or it may be.

The "23 seconds per hour" Bonty claims works out to ~5W, which is in line with claims for similar bars. Tour magazine did a test of Vuka Sprint vs. normal Zipp bar (along with various regular bar widths) with a rider in the drops that showed an even larger difference, but the error bars on that measurement seem a bit high.

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [DarkSpeedWorks] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 18:05

Post #24 of 27 (12345 views)

DarkSpeedWorks wrote:

Tom A. wrote:

The Bonty alu bar is the steal of the bunch at a list price of just $100 IIRC

Is the AL bar called the 'Race Lite Aero'? Look nice and the price is right, but they seem a bit portly. Any idea if they are measured c-t-c, or outside-to-outside? Clip-on aerobar compatible?

Portly? They're the same shape as the carbon version shown above...

Oh wait, do you mean heavy? Do I really need to lecture you on weight vs. aero vs. pocketbook ;-)

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Re: Give me the lowdown on aero road/drop bars [DarkSpeedWorks] [ In reply to ]

Aug 31, 14 21:55

Post #25 of 27 (12239 views)

they're about 40-80 grams heavier than most aluminium bar offerings thats REALLY low for that much extra area. you could save that weight by taking a dump before you ride.

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