Is the pad rotating around the bar? Or the whole bar rotating (meaning your hand are in a really funky spot)

The whole bar is rotating. Only the right side though, the left side is fine and stays in place.

The pad that's clamped to the bar stays out, it's just the extension that rotates and brings the pad away.

I had the same problem with the extensions slipping in the felt clamps. First I tried using some carbon paste, that helped a little but it would still slip. Ended up placing a small strip of duct tape slightly narrower than the clamp around the extension. So far it’s held tight.

1. Make sure you have the correct length bolts that aren't bottoming out.
2. If you have the correct length bolts, grease them so they'll torque down properly.

---

Jim Manton / ERO Sports

Ok I know the bolt lengths are correct. I will try the grease. And see how that holds up. Grease not loctite right?

Yes, grease. I think the problem is, the bolts used on these aero bars have changed in the past few years. They're not as stout as the originals from previous years and tend to twist under torque keeping them from tightening sufficiently to hold the extensions in place. The issue is exacerbated by how easily it is to round out the bolt heads.

---

Jim Manton / ERO Sports

I will. I just dont understand why one side is slipping and one side is sticking!? And the fact I've had this setup for well over a year with no issues until now...

I have the felt bayonet basebar and extensions, and thought I could just swap over the extensions from my bayonet 3, but they were too loose.

Put back in the ones that came with it, torqued them to spec, still slipped.

Turns out I've gotta hand tighten them til they stop moving, making it a pain to adjust, and more likely to strip bolts.

Next time I'd add a touch of tape around the bar in the clamping surface to avoid this.

So it seems like the tape strategy has worked for multiple people..

It's odd, but I have the exact same problem. Only on the right side. Not the left. Why would there be a difference between the two?

I don't have any idea why it happened. Nothing slipped all last year

Bringing back an old thread, as I have tried some of the fixes mentioned and am still having he same problem.
Aluminum Bayonet 3, version 3 clamp (version 1 snapped last year). I have it torqued well past spec and the right one is still slipping. Tape under the clamp. Bolts are correct. All the washers are in. I haven't tried grease the bolts yet, as I forgot about that suggestion from Jim. I have had the threads on the "8" shaped threaded nut that is under the clamp strip a couple of times due to how tight I am torquing the bolts...
Any updates on fixes/ideas?

I got new aerobars haha

Great solution! I am getting close to that myself.
What are you riding and what did you get? I see TriRig has a sale on the Alpha x...

---

"I keep hoping for you to use your superior intellect to be less insufferable. Sadly, you continue to disappoint." - gofigure

I got zipp vuka aerobars. So far superior and no slipping!

Use some carbon paste (even though these are Al). Let it set for 24hrs after clamping before riding. My Vuka Aluminas kept slipping until I did this.

---

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

I had the same trouble with my Felt V3 bars. I did all the suggestions (greasing bolts, friction paste, etc.) and even had a good mechanic take a shot at this and the arm cup would still rotate unless the pavement was ultra smooth. All it would take is some constant vibration or a hard bump in the road and it would slip. Finally it stopped, but by this point I was so frustrated that I just wanted to replace it all. IMO - it is a bad design. The Alpha One that I have now is totally different so the arm cups are on a rigid base and are set. The only thing that I was nervous about was mono post slipping, but all of it is rock solid.

Anyway, glad you got some new bars now and hopefully are done with this issue.
Perhaps Felt should go back to the drawing board on the design.

Only comment/ observation - greasing the threads will make stripping the nuts even more likely.
When a bolt is torqued, its to get the right tensile load ('end load') in the bolt. Torque (twisting) to a defined vslue is just a means to an end. Grease the threads... less friction in the threads = more end load in the bolt for a given torque.
Great in that it clamps the bar better as a result of more tensile load in the bolt. But also more load trying the shear the threads out of the nut.
(One failing by manufacturers is they often don't specify what condition the bolt should be in vs the specified torque. Clean and dry ? Just as-is from the box ? Greased ? Oiled ? Or something else ? Each gives a different end load for the same torque).

There is a black 'bow-tie' washer thing that goes in the clamp. If the bow-tie is positioned incorrectly, the clamping force will not be sufficient to hold the extension. The bow-tie has a lip. That lip must to face up in order to have the clamp apply enough force to hold the extension. This would explain why some have one side holding but the other side not holding - bow-tie in the wrong position on one side.

---

Tommy Johnson
Sport Speed Lab
FIST fitter / Retul fitter
USA Triathlon Coach

If that bow-tie suggestion doesn't work what worked for me with the Bayonet Aluminum aero bar slippage (I have a 2012 Felt B12) was to put a metal shim in there. Originally the bike had some thing metal (I think it was brass??) shims on the aerobars but they binded up and tore apart when I bought the bike (clear out model from my LBS). Removed them because it made adjusting them impossible. Well, that created slippage when hitting a big bump and such. Put a metal shim back in there using an pop can (or soda depending on what region you are in) and that worked wonders. Or if you prefer a beer can would suffice too. Plastic won't always work because it is too maeleable compared to metal (or at least that is my opinion).

Did you replicate the shape of the "bowtie" or just use a small enough shim to not interfere with the path of the bolts?

---

"I keep hoping for you to use your superior intellect to be less insufferable. Sadly, you continue to disappoint." - gofigure

Your reply caught my eye since just a few days ago I sheered the seat post clamping wedge bolt for my Slice, and I wonder whether torqing while dryer would created higer sheer forces than if threads were lubed?

I didn't used to have good quality (read any) bike grease and have improvised with other lubricants (flame away), but this wedge assembly has been dropped each time the bike was packed for flying, where I'd wipe it to get crud off and so I was essentially using it un-to-poorly greased. It's also scratched, I assume from the carbon paste that I didn't realize should not touch it. Is scratching the problem there, or does that product lead to bolt / thread corrosion?

So I've wiped the front of the seat post trying to clear paste from that area and greased the new wedge faces and bolt with HPG-1. BUT I've also come to fear my torque wrench is out of whack, possibly torquing higher than set. Any ideas on how I can check the calibration of my wrench?

Thanks in advance!

---

To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

Disclaimer my bars are the aluminum older bayonet like this (bottom one is more like how mine were when I bought it):



The aerobars do not interfere whatsoever with the bolts in any way. The are just to the outside of the each aerobar. I used an aluminum can because it is easy to get. If I had to do it all over again I'd use a proper shim that is a bit thinner because the bar is extremely hard to adjust/move around now. But it is where I want it and that is all that counts now for me.

I am unaware of this "bowtie" thing that others have mentioned since I don't have the newer style Bayonet 3 or newer bars where the aerobar holders and armpad rests are all tied together.