I am a roadie, but does odd sprint tri here and there to keep life interesting. I’ve never used aero bars of any kind, but have been thinking about getting a set of clip-ons to my road bike (Cervelo S3) to try out for my next sprint tri. I have a few questions:
Does the clip-on aero bar help vis-a-vis riding in the drops for a flat course?
What are the things I have to watch out for when selecting clip-on bars (I am using regular 38.2mm handlebar which is also compatible with clip-on bars) in terms of adjustability, weight, etc.?
I am running mechanical on the road bike, so I would assume that for shifting and braking, I would have to use the road shifters and brakes, and there is no control on the clip-on bars?
When I put on clip-on bars, do I need to adjust my saddle position, e.g. moving it forward or anything?
I have a Giant Propel Advanced SL with Profile T1+ bars and really enjoy having them. Being 66 tomorrow with a right shoulder that requires replacement and a left wrist also, the aero bars help make my rides more enjoyable. Got out at 0118 this morning for 141 miles to celebrate my birthday with a ride that was 2 x my age 66 plus a bit extra for good measure.
They allowed me to ride 2014 IMFL without stopping. Riding Six Gap last year, 103 miles with 11,000+ feet of climbing they were great for flat sections, rollers and even climbing Hogpen Gap. I passed a bunch of roadies while on the aero bars. Used them on the less intense down hills also.
I leave my saddle in the road position because that’s the way I like it. Have no problem with my Ultegra mechanical system.
Aerobars are significantly faster than the drops >1kph.
Since you’ll only ride/race in the aero position occasionally, leave your saddle alone (you will probably find yourself gravitating toward the nose…that’s normal).
+1 on the Profile T-series clipons. They are super-adjustable which is key since you will be dialing in your position.
It will definitely make you more aero. Being in the drops leaves your upper body open. One thing to note that I noticed when I had them on my road bike is when you are down in them it will impacts how the bike handles. The geometry of road bikes are not designed to have the rider in that position. So moving your center of gravity forward over the front wheel could make the bike pretty unstable. All depends on the bike, the rider, and the bars. Something to be aware of though.
yea i would love to install an aero bar on my zipp sl70 aero handlebar for my TMR02, but that’s not possible.
Profile Design use to make a stem mounted aerobar which would be awesome to use, but they don’t make them anymore.
Profile Design
Lightning Stryke Race Stem Mount Aero Bar
+1 on the Profile T-series clipons. They are super-adjustable which is key since you will be dialing in your position…
^^^^^This^^^^^. I’ve got these and like them.
So does anyone else make an aero bar that clips onto the stem? I did see Oval had one but it looks like they stopped making also.
Right now I’m running a set of 26.0 drop bars and will be using a set of old Vision clip on bars. They are pretty low stack and should work well on my S1.
