O.k. semi rant here…
First of all, I have a set of modified Carbon Strykes that I really like! (modfified for road set up) I bought a new bike this year, and I have a oversized (31.8mm) handlebars (old bars were 26)… Now I have to pay for a 50 dollar upgrade to have my clamps changed! For that price, I might as well just call up Tom D and order some vision tech clip ons!!!
end of rant…
O.k. I feel better. I’m the typical triathlete that blew their budget 10 fold and whines about any extra unforseen costs… It did raise an eyebrow how much a silly little clamp costs though 
Yes, aerobars are incredibly overpriced. I’m told Profile really backs there products, and at the price you pay for there stuff, they’d better.
the aerobars are cheap, about $15. The rest is for distribution, advertising, liability insurance, etc.
I’m willing to bet you could buy aerobars for a lot less if you really wanted. The catch is you’d probably have to buy several million of them to get the “economy of scale” working! It’s the same problem any small production, specialty item has to deal with.
Greg.
I could see your point if we were talking about a very, very, specialized type of aerobar that had a very limited market appeal. However, come on… We’re talking Profile here. They are arguably one of the premier makers of aerobars and have deep seeded roots in the industry. They’re not exactly your mom and pop drill shop with little jane working the phones.
And part of me is very impressed that they are able to pull off margins like that. I’m the sucker that’s going to pay top dollar:-)
yeah, $550 for the new carbon S-bends, ouch! However, I do own a set.
Dave in VA