Hi everyone,
I’m training for my first IM (next year) and was wondering how important it is to train/race with aero bars on my road bike?
Thank you in advance for your expertise and advice!
Short answer, do you “need” them? no. BUT aero bars and getting into a more aero position will make a noticeable difference. Especially on long course races.
Nope, but you will be much faster if you decide to add them.
Heck, you could do an IM on a beach cruiser if you are so inclined. Aerobars are the single biggest speed gain you can get in an IM (probably ~15min.). Additionally, on them you support your weight via your skeletal system vs. having to use your arm muscles.
Also, putting clipon aerobars on your road bike doesn’t preclude using the the drop bars when you want to. Def get a pair. I’d recommend the Profile Sonic/Ergo due to the adjustability (since you need to figure out your fit when riding them).
I’ve been running aero bars on my road bikes for the last 4-5 years. I do it mainly to reduce energy use and fatigue on long rides. But especially in tri events because after the swim, my arms are pretty much spent.
Nope, but you will be much faster if you decide to add them.
Much faster is subjective…
Nope, but you will be much faster if you decide to add them.
Much faster is subjective…
How is the comment helpful at all? It lends itself to have people believe that it’s minimal enough to not be worth it.
Almost like when people talk about changing an older triathlon frame for a newer one, yeah, that could be subjective.
This one isn’t really up for debate as the piles of minutes saved aero-wise, and the skeletal/muscular rest for your body on aero bars possibility to improve your run…there is no debate. It is “much” faster.
Hi everyone,
I’m training for my first IM (next year) and was wondering how important it is to train/race with aero bars on my road bike?
Thank you in advance for your expertise and advice!
Two items here:
Race with them; you will be faster.
Train with them; as long as you are comfortable and can put out power in the aero position for long periods then it doesn’t make much difference which bike you use in training.
Just to further pile on, an IM all in is like $1,000. A cheap pair of used clipons from ebay is like $50. There is zero reason not to use them.
Nope, but you will be much faster if you decide to add them.
Much faster is subjective…
How is the comment helpful at all? It lends itself to have people believe that it’s minimal enough to not be worth it.
Almost like when people talk about changing an older triathlon frame for a newer one, yeah, that could be subjective.
This one isn’t really up for debate as the piles of minutes saved aero-wise, and the skeletal/muscular rest for your body on aero bars possibility to improve your run…there is no debate. It is “much” faster.I think I have to agree with LastLap on this one. “Much faster” is pretty vague. And maybe much faster from a cumulative standpoint. In an Ironman, I would say sure simply because of the time involved. In a sprint, maybe not so much. It’s not like the OP is going to pick up 5mph on his pace just by bolting on a pair of aero bars. Probably a lot closer to 1mph. Going from a 17mph pace to an 18mph pace in a sprint is barely noticeable. In an Ironman, ya, you’ll see that.
I’m not saying this to deter the OP. I run aero bars on all my bikes. But I don’t believe in overselling anything either. Just setting reasonable expectations.
And let’s not forget, there are downsides as well. There is less fine control with aero bars so on twisty routes, they’re all but useless. And they position your hands further away from the brakes, slowing reaction time. Going up steeper inclines, how much are you really using them? Just like anything, there is a time and a place.
As some have pointed out, you can ride 180km without aerobars.
Lets face it, no one in the Tour uses them except in time trials.
Why in the TT? Well because anyone who doesn’t will lose time to those who do use them.
So there’s a clue.
Second is comfort.
It’s your first IM and you have given no idea of your bike experience, but as you have asked a basic question the assumption would be that you have very little. To ride on the hoods with no other options for probably 6 hours or more could mean a lower performance as there is a good chance the pain will get to you. And a painful ride means a very painful marathon run after.
If you have a good position on the aerobars it’s actually way more comfortable than riding the hoods and takes less effort for the same speed. Don’t overdo the aero (really narrow position). You are new to TT bars and many people have stability issues, mostly because they don’t practice sufficiently. But if you make it easier your run will also benefit.
So (1) it’s faster (2) It offers more position choices on a long day. (3) It benefits the run.
The bars also offer a useful place to put stuff (food, drinks etc)
One caveat, you will have to have a seat position that works for the aero position. It’s not that hard, but a little experimentation and research goes a long way in making your IM long event a success.
As some have pointed out, you can ride 180km without aerobars.
Lets face it, no one in the Tour uses them except in time trials.
Why in the TT? Well because anyone who doesn’t will lose time to those who do use them.
So there’s a clue.
Second is comfort.
It’s your first IM and you have given no idea of your bike experience, but as you have asked a basic question the assumption would be that you have very little. To ride on the hoods with no other options for probably 6 hours or more could mean a lower performance as there is a good chance the pain will get to you. And a painful ride means a very painful marathon run after.
If you have a good position on the aerobars it’s actually way more comfortable than riding the hoods and takes less effort for the same speed. Don’t overdo the aero (really narrow position). You are new to TT bars and many people have stability issues, mostly because they don’t practice sufficiently. But if you make it easier your run will also benefit.
So (1) it’s faster (2) It offers more position choices on a long day. (3) It benefits the run.
The bars also offer a useful place to put stuff (food, drinks etc)
One caveat, you will have to have a seat position that works for the aero position. It’s not that hard, but a little experimentation and research goes a long way in making your IM long event a success.
I agree with pretty much everything said here. The only point I would challenge is maybe the comfort thing. As stated, you really do need to practice with them. Not just for the control, but also for comfort. I can’t imagine just a few short training rides translating into an Ironman. It will take time to acclimate to the aero position. On a long ride, you’re going to transfer a lot of that stress from the arms into the back and neck. I’ve been running aero bars on all my bikes for several years now and even so, after 25-30 miles, I start to get tightness in my lower spine. I’m sure that being older and having some osteoarthritis plays a part in that though.
Nope, but you will be much faster if you decide to add them.
Much faster is subjective…
How is the comment helpful at all? It lends itself to have people believe that it’s minimal enough to not be worth it.
Almost like when people talk about changing an older triathlon frame for a newer one, yeah, that could be subjective.
This one isn’t really up for debate as the piles of minutes saved aero-wise, and the skeletal/muscular rest for your body on aero bars possibility to improve your run…there is no debate. It is “much” faster.I think I have to agree with LastLap on this one. “Much faster” is pretty vague. And maybe much faster from a cumulative standpoint. In an Ironman, I would say sure simply because of the time involved. In a sprint, maybe not so much. It’s not like the OP is going to pick up 5mph on his pace just by bolting on a pair of aero bars. Probably a lot closer to 1mph. Going from a 17mph pace to an 18mph pace in a sprint is barely noticeable. In an Ironman, ya, you’ll see that.
I’m not saying this to deter the OP. I run aero bars on all my bikes. But I don’t believe in overselling anything either. Just setting reasonable expectations.
And let’s not forget, there are downsides as well. There is less fine control with aero bars so on twisty routes, they’re all but useless. And they position your hands further away from the brakes, slowing reaction time. Going up steeper inclines, how much are you really using them? Just like anything, there is a time and a place.Yes my statement of “much faster” is vague. It’s because I have not put OP on a pair of aero bars to calculate the difference. It’s likely to be a full MPH faster. What is the amount of training and work it takes to ride that much faster without adding aero bars? MUCH training is my answer 
Nope, but you will be much faster if you decide to add them.
Much faster is subjective…
How is the comment helpful at all? It lends itself to have people believe that it’s minimal enough to not be worth it.
Almost like when people talk about changing an older triathlon frame for a newer one, yeah, that could be subjective.
This one isn’t really up for debate as the piles of minutes saved aero-wise, and the skeletal/muscular rest for your body on aero bars possibility to improve your run…there is no debate. It is “much” faster.
No, as I said it’s subjective. Sure for someone wanting to go sub 12 hours every minute counts, but for someone who perhaps just wants to finish or will be finishing in 13+hours does 12 mins faster on the bike really matter, is it really that much faster…
I’d argue not. When the majority of participants goal is to just finish and become an ‘ironman’ there is far far far to much focus placed in this BS need for TT bikes/aero bars, of which the majority end up riding on the base bars/hoods anyway…
Grow the sport and remind people road bikes are absolutely fine, much more comfortable and fark all slower.
And that’s why I said it was vague. You tell the OP “much faster” and he may be thinking he’s going to go from a 17mph pace to a 21mph pace. His expectation of “much faster” and the reality of “much faster” might be two completely different things.
But I agree with you that ~1mph is more reasonable. And like I said, that 1mph may not really be that noticeable on a sprint, but it will certainly add up in a full IM.
There’s easy resources to put real numbers to this. Let’s say OP is doing 150w and pulling cda from internet averages.
Brake hoods ~0.32 = 19mph = 5.9h
Drops ~0.30 = 19.5mph = 5.75h
Aerobars ~0.25 = 20.5mph = 5.46h
So 15-30 minutes saved, realistically a bit less due to turns and stuff. Whether you consider that “much faster” is somewhat immaterial.
Short answer, do you “need” them? no. BUT aero bars and getting into a more aero position will make a noticeable difference. Especially on long course races.
Why “especially on long course� I’d think the opposite where you might win or lose by seconds in short course.
Hi everyone,
I’m training for my first IM (next year) and was wondering how important it is to train/race with aero bars on my road bike?
Thank you in advance for your expertise and advice!
Extremely important.
All the friction from your tires, chain, bearings,etc., is arithmetic. You go twice as fast, friction from those items doubles.
Air friction is geometric. You go twice as fast, it increases by a factor of FOUR!!
Besides being in good physical condition, nothing is more important than how you sit on the bike, some tight wrinkle free clothing, and a silly looking helmet.
The only exception to this would be if this IM is extremely hilly.
@hangingon - the IM i am racing in is Lake Placid which is quite hilly. Can you please elaborate on your advice?
@hangingon - the IM i am racing in is Lake Placid which is quite hilly. Can you please elaborate on your advice?
You are typically slower on hill thus aero has a reduced impact. That being said it’s all marginal. How much cycling have you done, what do you plan on doing the bike in? Juts doesn’t fall under the illusion that a TT bike with a disc and deep front wheel is all of a sudden save you 30 mins etc…
Also, at slower speeds (typical of a first timer) aero is even less important as drag reduces dramatically as you reduce speed.