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Clip-on aero bars
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I am interested in putting aero bars on my road bike (2003 Lemond Zurich, 57cm). The purpose of the aero bars is only to increase my comfort on long rides, or at least that is what I am hoping. Since I have never used them I don't know if this is idea is completely ridiculous. I am hoping to get opinions on whether putting clip on bars on my Zurich for everyday riding is a good or bad idea. Are they more comfortable, or do they only make you more aero? Is there a lot of changes to be made in the bike setup? Any help would be appreciated.
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Re: Clip-on aero bars [Mr Nick] [ In reply to ]
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Mr. Nick, first let me qualify what I'm about to say by saying I do not work at a bike shop but have been fitted by some very good people over the years and MAY have picked some of it up. I recently added aero bars to a road bike in an experiment with John Cobbs "slam" position and so far it is going well. My main recommendation would be to get bars that are designed specifically for road bikes. There are several out there but some that I looked at were the Oval Slam Bar (the ones I purchased), the Profile Design Jammer GT and the Profile Design Jammer ST. These bars are shorter and are meant to be used with a typical road bike geometry with out too much adjusting. 1 key to being comfortable on your bike with the new bars is to NOT get TOO stretched out and long in the back by having the bars too far forward. You must maintain your "angles" (legs to torso, torso to arms, elbows however will/should be bent more) that you have on the road bike with the new set-up or your will hate the new position. Another key is maintain the for-aft balance on the bike that you currently have or your handling will suffer and you will find yourself fighting to keep on a straight line. Just one more recommendation; train with the aero bars. I know it sounds basic but your body has to get used to the new position because in and of itself it is NOT necessarily more comfortable for long trips. However, on long trips it does give you another position to change into. Oh, and one other thing, make sure to tip the nose of the seat down a couple of degrees from where it is currently (however, never go nose down). This will allow you to assume the flatter position the aero bars put you in more naturally. Sorry so long and I hope this helps. Good luck.
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Re: Clip-on aero bars [Mr Nick] [ In reply to ]
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Eagan hits the nail on the head. One comment I would add, though, is that all the bars mentioned are very short bars. If you are a rider with relatively short forearms this shouldn't be a problem. However, I'm 6'0" and I tried a pair of the Jammer GT's on my 58cm Trek OCLV and they were very uncomfortable because the armrest hit me in the middle of the forearm and all my weight cantilevered off of that. If you have long forearms you can get a decent fit by going with a size small or medium Syntace C2, and maybe shortening the stem a little. This will move the pads back somewhat and maybe be more comfortable. Just my $0.02-worth.
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