now i have ironman profile stryke clip on bars with my road bike. these are supposed to give me about 1 mph improvement; however, these things are lethal and could double as a weapon if necessary (obviously this is a positive, so long as they are a weapon to enemies, not to myself on an accidental basis). however, my old skool roady tendencies are struggling with the change. i don’t know, something about wobbling at 22 mph is not my idea of fun; road rash…was never a fan of it.
the bottom line is that i’m “this close” to taking them off. after all i crashed enough on my rollers from riding them backwards, and i really miss sitting up with my chest as a giant sail to make me slower (just kidding). so, i keep telling myself “patience” and to give it a real chance.
FWIW, this past week or 2 i finally swam in a wetsuit. so, “old cats” really can learn new tricks…
Do you have a trainer you could practice on (not rollers). It might help you get a feel for the position without worrying about balance. As a warning, though. I think it’s a bit harder to stay aero on a trainer compared to the road. I can stay aero on the road for hours, but I have to shift around on the trainer.
Did you get fit with the bars? You might need to adjust your fit to make it more comfy in the new position. Might even need a new saddle. I think the cutout is much more crucial when aero than when sitting up.
hi Jodi, thanks!
yes, i was professionally fit by Bob at Wheelie Fun. he is really terrific!
it’s probably just a matter of committing to doing it–maybe a mind thing. if that doesn’t work, maybe go back for tweaks. me so stubborn.
i will try the trainer thing, see what that does.
They do feel more stable once you’ve been on them a bit. FWIW, I’ve got wide shoulders, and had my pads too close at 1st- made my back and shoulders hurt, plus didn’t feel stable. Bumped the pads out approx 2 cm each, world of difference. Go on a ride where your main goal is to fiddle with your position- take allen keys, and make small adjustments. Ride at least 10 solid miles (good pace, aero, not putzing around w/ hands on the hoods) to get a feel for each adjustment. 2 of these got me to a good position when I 1st clipped on the bars. And remember- stretch a lot- flexibility will help bigtime.
It gets better pretty quickly, I have that model bars. You should have a pretty light grip with your hands (Sometimes I just rest my palms on the ends)…your weight should be supported by your elbows.
It is a bit of a gordian knot in that you have to relax to be for the handling to improve, but you need the handling to improve so you can relax…
