Just got done installing the Aeria Stem and Bottle on my bike, few thoughts:

1. I didn't realise that you really need to have your steerer cut all the way down in order for the system to be as sleek as possible. It works fine without doing this, but the rubber fairings will work better against just the frame vs. spacer stack and frame. This is also due to the caveat of only being able to run spacers below the stem not above- as the topcap design will not allow for this.
2. It is heavy, but I'm pretty sure the aero benefits will outweigh this weight penalty. The new frontal profile of my bike is much improved, with the added benfit that I no longer have to worry about where my BTA bottle will go when adjusting extension angle and spacing.
3. I now need to get myself a bar end di2 charging port, as accessing the junction box in order to charge the di2 is not possible without removing the stem faceplate and handlebars. This is probably not something you want to be doing too often, as the position and placement of the stem bolts makes it quite a tricky task.

Few photos below to show the difference, and hopefully highlight some of the things I've mentioned above. Looking forward to testing the bottle out when full, and making sure it stays put over bumpy terrain/speedbumps before I take it racing. I've also made a video of the install process and end result for anyone who might be interested in seeing a bit more of how the system goes together: https://www.youtube.com/...g3lFp2Mpd-eOZ4AaABAg

Have you considered dropping the stem/baseboard to as low as possible and stacking the tt extensions? That would make the whole system look a lot neater and get the aeria hydration closer to your front wheel

You can use spacers above the stem as well. The included top cap definitely looks cleaner but there's no reason you can just use a standard one. And I'd definitely 2nd the notion of cutting the steerer tube a bit and using spacers under the armpads. Always cleaner and almost always faster.

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Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
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Thanks for this info- totally didn't realise you could do that- I'd imagined a lip on the stem, which when I looked again wasn't actually there!
I've got this setup running now, seemed to be comfy enough when I was doing power profiling in poisition on Monday night, but need to validate it out on the road with a bit of aero testing. Bit of a funky angle on the risers, but I could get some armrest shims and different extensions if needs be- would probably be just for aesthetics. Will also wait until I've done all of that until pulling the trigger on cutting the steerer. Not something that's easily undone!

Does anyone think the weight penalty of the stem literally "outweighs" the benefits of aero for this system on a very hilly course? My Felt is already a heavy TT bike as is. I am thinking of switching out my stem for a lighter one on Ironman St George and using another bta hydration.

I’m not a weight weenie at all, but that stem is a brick. Nice, but very heavy. If you are going to use the PD front hydration option, it may be worth it. Otherwise, I think you can find other lighter aero options.

Especially with the Aeria front hydration, I think the 1/Seventeen stem makes way more sense. More sizes, reasonable weight, and the hydration nose covers up the stem anyway. You lose the cable routing (and the brake cable stop, if you need it for a TriRig Omega for example) but my hot take is that I don't see much value in routing cables through the stem. With the nose cone in front, I don't see any benefit from the cable stop, either.

The Aeria Ultimate Stem makes a bit of sense on its own (although it feels like the most marginal of marginal gains), but the extra weight for an expensive, aerodynamic piece you cover up just seems like 100% downside.

Thanks,ya I'm using the hydration system for a flat course but for one with a lot of climbing I think I'll switch out the stem.

I installed the Aeria and the normal stem/face plate on my 2019 P3. It works great and the stem barely sees the wind so not sure I would buy the heavier one. What I really like is how quiet the system is, meaning it does not rattle at all. I had to lock tight the bolts on the under stem holder as they rattled loose over time, but overall its great.

Looking at my model for the old Trans Vorarlberg Tri course (in Austria) which was ~2300m of climbing in 93km (I was unfit, heavy and suffered significantly at that event) - 300g weight saving from AU100 to the 1/Seventeen would gain you 13s.

Certainly, my intent in making the HSF faceplate was to drop a heap of weight with likely no aero penalty given the bottle hides everything. But if you already have an AU100 there isn't a huge advantage in changing it out.

Hi

I've put the maximum stack with the provided spacers of the aeria ultimate (around 8cm total with the bridge)

I would like to add some more stack (around 3cm more)

Does anyone know how I could go about and do that? Could I just buy some more spacers and fit screws to the height?

I'm afraid the AU bar hasn't been tested with a riser height of over 80mm so I have to advise against trying that.
All PD bars get tested with the longest extensions and the tallest intended riser stack, but not with aftermarket parts or unintended setups (extra risers or reversed extensions as an example)

Sorry to revive an old thread.

But does anybody have recommendations for replacement tube or bite valve for the aeria hydration? The stock bite valve doesn't allow much fluid flow. Thanks!

You have to bite it just right. There is a new version valve in the works, don't have an ETA though it's going to be at least 6mths as the prototype is only on the way to me now.

Just remove it. You can get tons of flow with it gone.

Was looking at getting the PD aeria for my P2 and figured I'd just go with the ultimate stem

Is there a benefit of the ultimate stem over the 1/seventeen stem? The weight is a drawback, so whats the positive?

Anyone else running this on a P2? (imagine its pretty close to same fit as your P3?)

I used the 1/17th stem and would recommend. Its lighter and cheaper. When I look at the whole package put together the advantages of the big heavy stem and the aero-ness is not worth it. Happy to send your photos, just DM and can text you them. I really like the bottle for IM and 70.3. It works and does not make any rattling noise like pretty much every other system I have used.

Question. Are their any videos out there for running the front brake cable through a cable stop and a noodle?

I am running Aeria stem v2 and the Aeria Ultimate basebar. Here's the issue I am having.

The brake cable housing does not attach snugly to the noodle. And the noodle itself does not attach tightly to the cable stop the screws into the bottom of the stem. So what ends up happening is the noodle needs to be tucked into the stem to make room for cable housing and to make sure that it does not pop out of cable stop. If I cut down the cable housing short enough for the noodle not to be compressed, it tends to slide back into the hole in the base bar that it is routed through.

Anyone has a video or a set of pics out there, showing how to do this in a less convoluted way?

Thanks!

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

Hi, does anyone know if there are any angled spacers available for the Aeria Ultimate?

The current maximum tilt is 15 degrees up but I would like to add another 10-15 degrees to that. An angled spacer would solve the issue. I only use 15mm of spacers.

There is a tilt booster in the works, but it may not help you much because of the other parts required adding stack.
I also don't have an ETA

Do you have a problem once the brake is wired up?
I've always found that it's finicky to route but all stays in place once the brake is set up

I have not been able to wire it up. Problem I am having is that the noodle seems to be a tad too long - if i make the cable housing sticking out of the basebar long enough it pushes the noodle back into the stem. Is there a way to secure the housing to the noodle? It seems like I need to use the brake cable to make it all stay in place. It seems that the noodle is way too long. I can't imagine how it would be work with a shorter stem.

It really should not need to be this finicky. Does PD have clear instructions on how to put it all together?

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

No, because the AU stem was released before I started writing the instruction sheets. I did take pics of the process but that never made it through to being published.
How I do it is to cut the outer to a length that gets the noodle in the right place, then thread the inner through the outer and noodle. Then it's easy into the stop.
To get the length right - no brake lever - put the noodle in and cut the cable at the lever end, then push the lever body on.

Thanks for the very quick reply and "tilt booster" sounds great! Would be interested to hear to development for this part, even though it might not be 100% ideal for my setup because of the added stack.

I finally got it cabled today. What a pain in the ass.

Here are the RIGHT steps, assuming that the rear brake and any electronic cables have already been routed through the center hole of the basebar:

1. Get the right brake housing through the basebar and out of the hole in the center of the basebar. Leave about 5 inches of the housing sticking out of the hole.
2. Cut the housing at the brake end so that the lever is able to contact it, fit the brake and drive the cable through until it comes out of the end that's gone through the center hole of the basebar.
3. Pull the brake cable back into the housing about half way in and cut the housing down so that about 1.5 inches are sticking out of the center hole. Don't let the housing slip back into the center hole! Drive the brake cable out again while holding the "business" end of the housing.
4. Get the noodle and run the brake cable through it until it comes out. Push the noodle through the center bottom hole through the stem so that the cable is out all the way and the noodle is barely poking through the hole.
5. Get the bolt used to hold the noodle, drive the brake cable through it and screw in the bolt while it contacts the outer end of the noodle. Don't screw it in too far or the noodle will bend and start blocking the exit hole of the stem.
6. Drive the rest of the cables through the stem and attach the base bar to the stem. The noodle should be contacting the housing tightly now. Screw on the stem plate and torque everything to the specs.
7. Attach the stem to the fork and finish cabling.

For $1600 Profile Design could have been assed to provide coherent instructions. Just sayin'.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment