Just wondering about something, especially with a pro fit coming up. When adjusting the aero bar drop, which is more desired… Lower/Raise the aero bars along with the base bar by lowering or raising on steerer tube (more or less spacers). Or, if possible, remove all spacers and raise the bars using aero bar risers?
My preference: raise the aerobar via aerobar spacers
keeps the base bar low so if you’re on the brakes you’re still in a decent positionaerobar spacers are typically more aero than 1 1/8" round spacers
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My preference: raise the aerobar via aerobar spacers
keeps the base bar low so if you’re on the brakes you’re still in a decent positionaerobar spacers are typically more aero than 1 1/8" round spacers
True, but there are two of them, so it’s probably close to a wash. Your first point is good however.
My preference is aero shaped pad risers over steertube spacers. If you do a search, you’ll see the same response many times over, including thought from Dan & Jordan.
My preference is aero shaped pad risers over steertube spacers. If you do a search, you’ll see the same response many times over, including thought from Dan & Jordan.
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Still agree with you overall, but certain bars also offer aero shaped stem spacers. If the choice is between an aero stem spacer, or aero pad spacers, I’m not sure if it’d be a wash aerodynamically. Might then come down to bar height preference as it pertains to braking and out climbing on the base bar.
interesting, have never seen those. I’ve seen airfoil shaped topcaps, or one-piece bar/stems (3T), but never an aero steer spacer.
i wonder if the angle of the airfoil takes into account the angle of steertube. either way, whatever makes your fit work best is best 
it’s probably close to a wash. Your first point is good however.
nope. two airfoil spacers are much less drag than 1 round steerer tube spacer.
inasmuch as there is “much” drag in either case at all, and there isn’t.
And then there is the aesthetic quality. One looks bad ass. One looks ass.
The spacers I posted above are for a Ventus, I’m not sure if they’d actually be compatible or work with other bars, but you’d think a steertube is a steertube. Agree with the point about the angle though, so again pad spacers are the better call.
it’s probably close to a wash. Your first point is good however.
nope. two airfoil spacers are much less drag than 1 round steerer tube spacer.
inasmuch as there is “much” drag in either case at all, and there isn’t.
You’re absolutely right. I forgot that the drag coefficient of a cylinder is an order of magnitude greater than a typical airfoil. I should be ashamed seeing as I just graduated in physics and my thesis involved testing cylinders in a mini wind tunnel! I blame my post-tempo sun-addled calorie-depleted electrolyte-imbalanced brain.
Great, and ran out an bought a bunch of spacers based on you post…
Sorry! Don’t lose sleep over it. As jackmott pointed out, this is a minute source of drag. And the headset spacers are a lot cheaper.
remember, before the last racer went off in 1989, a low basebar WAS the time trial position:
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