Looking to upgrade from my stock aerobars (Vision clip ons) to an integrated aerobar system & looking for suggestions (or links to reviews). I was too slow to get the Ventus offers on Bonktown, which look great. But maybe that’s a good thing, since I’ll be racing IMWI which has plenty of climbing & the base bar handles on those look pretty tiny. Zipp Vukas look great but expensive. Any thoughts on Hed, Profile Design, Easton, other 3T, etc? Budget is around $700.
I bought the Zipp Vukka Bull/bar extensions this May and have been really happy with them. They’re not the most adjustable bars out there, but very comfortable once they’re dialed in. I saw the 3T Ventus today but just couldn’t justify them when I’m so happy with my Zipp.
I love my Easton Attacks - they are not adjustable at all - but Very light! I am quite comfy on them too.
is an integrated bar an upgrade once your arms are on it? do you run any kind of bottle up there?
the vision bars are great assuming you have the UCI illegal ones. im not sure you can upgrade =)
to be fair you will lose a little bit of frontal area from not having clip on hardware with some of the integrate solutions, so they should be a little better. but first you need to try them to see if they get you in your position or not. I couldn’t quite make the vision integrated bars work for me 
Looking to upgrade from my stock aerobars (Vision clip ons) to an integrated aerobar system & looking for suggestions (or links to reviews). I was too slow to get the Ventus offers on Bonktown, which look great. But maybe that’s a good thing, since I’ll be racing IMWI which has plenty of climbing & the base bar handles on those look pretty tiny. Zipp Vukas look great but expensive. Any thoughts on Hed, Profile Design, Easton, other 3T, etc? Budget is around $700.
Just keep checking on Bonktown for the 3T Ventus LTD to pop up again. There were 40 or so left so it will be back. Face it, TT bikes don’t climb well anyway and $500 for that cockpit is an insane deal. DO IT. (Unless your position is the exact opposite of aggressive.)
TT bikes don’t climb well anyway
if they don’t something is wrong.
sit up, push pedals. the bike under you isn’t going to matter unless its 25lbs or flexes so much the wheel starts rubbing the frame.
Just keep checking on Bonktown for the 3T Ventus LTD to pop up again. There were 40 or so left so it will be back. Face it, TT bikes don’t climb well anyway and $500 for that cockpit is an insane deal. DO IT. (Unless your position is the exact opposite of aggressive.)
I’d thought the 3T Ventus actually added stack, at least in the 6 degree version. On my current setup (QR Seduza w/stock bars), I’m as low as I can get (no spacers, stem flipped over), so I would like something that can preserve that, if not allow lower. Probably need to measure to be sure…
What bike is it going on? The Ventus would need to be modified for some bikes. Do you have any spacers to help with any stack difference? Do you have any risers under the cups today?
It’s for my QR Seduza. (It’s a lot of bar for that frame…) Right now I’ve got all spacers on top of my stem (i.e. not using them) & the stem flipped to angle down. No risers either. I’ll probably have to measure angles & stack & reach for my current to see if it would work for me.
It’s interesting that you’re upgrading a QR Seduza, and proposing going from the Visions to an integrated. Why? Because I switched bikes last year from a QR Seduza with Visions to a Blue Triad SL with Easton Attack TT integrated. And I’m not happy with it.
Observations: I’m 6’2" with decent shoulder breadth, and the Visions are WAAAAYYYY more comfortable than the Eastons. The Visions are admittedly wider overall (handle-to-handle), but depending on whether you’re trying to set up for short and fast, or long and paced, the Visions are very much more the long-course solution, IMO. I raced 2 half-irons this year with the Eastons, and the pads are way too close together for my shoulders; I ended up getting stiff after 2 hours, and found myself sitting up a few times to shake out the arms. Thankfully, I usually did it on the climbs, so I wasn’t excessively killing off speed.
I’m presently in the hunt for a better, more comfortable overall solution, and I’m leaning towards a Cobra base and T2+ clip-ons; they have base bar width options that allow wider spacing for the pads than the typical 42cm overall width integrated bar systems. I return to full-IM in 2012, and there’s no way I think I could handle the weeks of hundred-mile rides, and the race day pain of the squished-together pad position of the typical 42cm width bars out there. YMMV, but my shoulders don’t like it.
Short version is: money is not a big deal for me, and I’m still probably going to end up with a set of clip-ons, because of the comfort factor.
I’ve ridden the Visions for about 2 years, and they do suit me OK, but over time I’ve gotten more comfortable in a lower aero position. To be as low as I’d like but still keep my forearms straight I now have to have the base bar angled downward. This doesn’t seem like the best solution. So I’m looking for a more aero (and frankly, better looking…) option. I guess different extensions with less kick up at the end would help, but as long as I’m doing that why not go for a new cockpit?h
If they fit you, add the Überhund Blitz to your list. They offer very little adjustability , but are very light weight and stiff - and can be set with a fairly low stack, which was important for me back then.
Their website ( www.uberhunddesigns.com ) is giving me a “temporarily closed for maintenance” message, but you can find them at Excel Sports or All3Sports , for instance.
The deals on Bonktown are designed to add a bit of urgency. The fact of the matter is that they have a bunch of leftover stock and they want rid of it. Using a tracker you can look at previous deals and still get them. If you click through one of the deal websites the discount is applied in basket.
Try this site:
http://www.sacalerts.com/history.php
You will likely need to select the Bonktown tab and then page back through some of the deals to find the Ventus.
Same applies for all deals across all of those discount sites.
Enjoy
Figure out what fits you and get the lightest. I don’t understand why people want adjustable bars because they add weight. I think this is one of the most expensive aftermarket items and is worth the least for speed. So focus on comfort, usefulness, and weight. The bars that expose ends on the rider side can house saltstick dispensers, for example.
I think this is one of the most expensive aftermarket items and is worth the least for speed.
Youd be thinking wrong.
dropped hands probably aren’t very aero. Seems that most of the more aero riders (Levi, Wiggins, Millar, DZ, Martin…) tend to use a slightly rasised hand position. I went with raised hands and really narrow bar setup and it is noticably faster than my old flat setup. I couldn’t get this position with the most of the current integrated bars, so I think adjustability is one of the most important aspects of a bar setup. If I had the cash, the HED would be my choice.
I would recommend checking out the article on adjusting and fitting aero bars on TriRig.com. The best article I have ever read on the topic
You’d be a sucker.
Figure out what fits you and get the lightest.
if you understand that you need to “figure out what fits you,” then…
I don’t understand why people want adjustable bars because they add weight.
why not?
if the aero bar isn’t adjustable, it obviously leaves you with limited fitting options. what if there isn’t an integrated aero bar that fits you and works with your position on your current bike? unless you’re going to choose the bar first and the bike based on that, adjustable bars make a lot of sense for a lot of people. if everything else is equal, sure, lighter is better, but weight is less important than aero anyway. and getting the right position is WAY more important than bar aerodynamics or weight.
How about the pro missile flat bars? I found a pair this past winter for $500 on ebay (virtually new). That’s about half price.
Like you, I was looking for something super low profile. This was the lowest I could find. You can get different extensions for them.
What is the general opinion on PRO? I never see them mentioned with any significance or frequency. PRO Missle Evo look super. Are they priced out of the realm, or is the quality/fit not there?