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Are aero bars on a road bike worth it?
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I use a bottom-of-the-line Bianchi road bike for triathlons and am wondering if it is better to put aero bars on it to cut wind resistance (during races especially) or to leave them off and probably keep from decreasing power by staying in a more proper position.

I often find that if I ride on the bottom bars for extended periods of time I can feel a bit "tight-chested" and don't get quite the oxygen i'm used to. My hips also get pretty stiff after a couple hours.

I imagine there is a balance between wind resistance and efficiency, but is there a rule of thumb?

Bo
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Re: Are aero bars on a road bike worth it? [GoBo] [ In reply to ]
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I ride a lemond road bike, and I would say that I got about 1-1.5 mph faster when I added aero bars. If the roads in my area were better, I could probably spend more time in the bars, and would go even faster.

So I would say that aero bars, if the bike is set up properly, are money well spent.

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Re: Are aero bars on a road bike worth it? [GoBo] [ In reply to ]
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The first thing you should do though is to take your bike to a really good LBS and get a fitting. They'll be able to advise you on the proper positioning when you add aeros as well.

I slapped a set of aeros on my old bike when I first started doing tris without a proper fitting. Problem was that I was stretched way out and lost all of my power. This caused major discomfort as well. I now have the luxury of having both road and tri bikes (both set up perfectly) but I know plenty of tri racers who will wipe their butts with me in a race that ride road bikes with aeros......they have proper setups. Get a fitting! See a FIST certified fit expert. Dan has them listed in many regions on this site.
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Re: Are aero bars on a road bike worth it? [chrismaginn] [ In reply to ]
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Alright... i have trouble asking for directions when i'm driving and it's the same while searching the web for a fitting specialist. I can't seem to find the listings on this site. I did, however, read about 8 more articles on bike fit.
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Re: Are aero bars on a road bike worth it? [GoBo] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah, you've gotta dig around a bit to find the list...here it is:

http://www.slowtwitch.com/.../dealerprofiles.html

Good luck!
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Re: Are aero bars on a road bike worth it? [GoBo] [ In reply to ]
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Gobo,
Yes, you should put aerobars on your road bike but, you just cannot slap a pair of aerobars on without some other changes. You have to shorten your cockpit . You can do this by using Profile Jammer GT bars or some type of fast forward seat post or M2 Power module. Read Dan's article on retro fitting a road bike to tri position. And most importantly support your LBS that has the knowledge to help you. check out the FIST Certified list for the closest FIST certified shop in your area. Good Luck
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Re: Are aero bars on a road bike worth it? [Spokesman] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks. I read that whole article. I understand the geometry needed for the most part. We don't have an LBS that is FIST certified up here in Santa Barbara... and I can't stand one of the better tri stores here in town due to just one overzealous little man that works there. Apparently, they have the best bike guys in town, though. I'll check my favorite LBS for fitting b4 I cruise down south to get fitted.
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YES!!! [GoBo] [ In reply to ]
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However, as many before me have stated, you need to be fit properly for them to be of any benefit. I'm going to buck the trend a bit and not insist that you see a FIST certified bike fitter, but it is essential that you see someone who has a good amount of knowlege in fitting triathlon bikes. John Cobb ain't FIST certified, but I hear he knows a thing or two about bike fit. My fit specialist (as recommended to me by Simple S) is also not FIST certified - but he does know how to get me into a powerful, comfortable position on the bike (even if I did fight him on it a little). FIST certified shops are an excellent start, however at this point in time they're aren't all that many of them. Not all of us can afford to fly to Michigan to have TomD set us up and obsess over our cable routing.

Post where you live, and I'm sure someone here will know of a good fitter near your area.


<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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Re: Are aero bars on a road bike worth it? [GoBo] [ In reply to ]
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It sounds like you need to properly fitted to your road bike. The drops should not make you feel that way.

Shorties are king on a road bike, unless you are using a bike with a top tube shorter than you seem to need. That being said, the cockpit should be shorter.

Comfort in shorties? It can happen, but shorties on a road bike should be basically anohter place to put your hands. The fact that they are on your wrist does not make them all that much comfortable (in my opinion). I am pretty comfortable in my shorties, but these are a very special shortie bar that I have constructed just for me. I will not elaborate any further.

Do not, and I repeat DO NOT put a forward post onto your road bike. It can make a road bike handle pretty scarily. I have done this and it is not pretty. The only thing I would come close to recommending is to use a centre-clamped seat post and reverse it. This puts you moderately forward, but does not compromise handling too badly. One of the things a tri-geometry bike (in my observation) does is distribute your weight correctly in the long aerobars.
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Re: Are aero bars on a road bike worth it? [bunnyman] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
It sounds like you need to properly fitted to your road bike. The drops should not make you feel that way.


I can't really see how being on the drops can't compress your body a little more as the angle of your legs to body decreases. But if that's true and I shouldn't feel any difference, I guess I should go get fitted!

In Reply To:
Shorties are king on a road bike, unless you are using a bike with a top tube shorter than you seem to need. That being said, the cockpit should be shorter.


Sorry, I'm a greenhorn and not sure what a shorty is. I'm assuming it's a type of bar?

Also, I get pretty forward on my road bike when i'm going fast sometimes and can't imagine getting any more so. I often have to lean back and weight the back wheel to stop. I used to lock the back wheel up briefly a lot but am getting better at that now. I pretty much still suck, but my times are getting gradually better every ride.
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Re: Are aero bars on a road bike worth it? [GoBo] [ In reply to ]
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Shorties are exactly what you think: Short aero bars designed for road bikes. Look for Cinelli Spinacci, Profile Jammer, John Cobb's "Big Slam Bar", Bunny's "Special Edition Top-Secret Bar", etc.


<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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Re: Are aero bars on a road bike worth it? [GoBo] [ In reply to ]
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... I wish it was that easy... just slap on a pair of aero-bars and your aerodynamic. Unfortunately, it's not. In fact, you opened up a whole new can of worms. Let's me see... the most common complaints become... lower back problems, hip flexor problems.... so, changes are made to correct those problems... only to have knee problems develop....Blah, blah, blah... I think you get what I'm trying to say.

Look at this ( www.slowtwitch.com ) and look up retro-fitting a road bike for a tri-position. It will be a start... but, not the end. Some advocate what bikesports advocate - big slam. John Cobb has a point. But, so does Slowman (slowtwitch). Also, check out www.bikesportmichigan.com .

Bike fit is a tricky problem that doesn't have simple solutions. The rule of thumb is - there is no generic rule of thumb.

FWIW Joe Moya
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Re: Are aero bars on a road bike worth it? [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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I doubt that my designs will ever make it onto the product shelf of your local LBS. Bici Pidasso doesn't have the money, as Bici PIdasso is a vaporware firm who builds exclusively out of unobtanium. I just have to make sure I ride fast enough so that nobody will be able to snag any of my designs.
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Re: Are aero bars on a road bike worth it? [GoBo] [ In reply to ]
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I have been riding a road bike for the last year (I had an ill-fitting tribike that I sold). At the start of the season, I slapped a pair of shorty aerobars on the bike and tried that. Didn't work for me. I found the bars too uncomfortable. I couldn't stay in them more than 5 minutes at the time. I did all kinds of things to alleviate the problem -- raised/lowered the seat, tinkered with the stem, slid the seat forward and back -- nothing worked. So I finally just took the things off. I decided that I would simply ride a road bike in the road position sans aerobars. I would like to get a steep angled tri bike, and I'm making plans to pick one up in the offseason. But right now, I'm just going with the road position. There's nothing wrong with riding a road bike like this in tri's, especially in shorter ones.

The prevailing rule of thumb is to use shorties on a road bike. However, at your next tri I'm sure that you will notice people who ride a road bike with regular aerobars and do quite nicely. I have a training partner who rides a Klein road bike equipped with a pair of regular Syntace aerobars and he can ride for days in the aero position. He loves that set up. It works for some, for others it doesn't. You'll just have to start tinkering, which usually means buying new gear, which is always fun!

RP
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Re: Are aero bars on a road bike worth it? [rhpreston] [ In reply to ]
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Once again, the info on this forum proves to be invaluable. Thank you.

Here is my game plan:

1.) Get fitted on my road bike by a professional. See if there are any significant changes and ride a bit to get used to it.

2.) Get a pair of shorties and talk to my fitter about the position. Give them a try.

I have a couple short races this month and then my first olympic at the end of next month. That will give me some time next month to try them out and hopefully cut a few minutes off of my ride.
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Re: Are aero bars on a road bike worth it? [GoBo] [ In reply to ]
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My first ever sprint tri was on an old steel 12 sp. with no aero bars, clipped pedals and downtube shifters.

The next year I took the same bike and added shorty aero bars, clipless pedals, a pair of old aero wheels off ebay and moved the shifters by the brakes with a set of brakets from the Kelly Bike Company. Knocked nine minutes off my bike time.

This year I ran the same race on a full blown tri bike with Hed front wheel and rear disc and was only a further four minutes faster, half of which I contribute to training.

You can defiantely upgrade an old bike and be almost as fast as having a brand new super expensive high tech wonder.
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Re: Are aero bars on a road bike worth it? [bunnyman] [ In reply to ]
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One day when I visit the Bunnyman Fit Institute I will also tour the Bunnyman Museum of perfected triathlon/TT gear, not available to mere mortals.

I will then know the true secret to aero vs weight.


<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
Get Fitter!
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