the first Hed Aerobar has arrived. It is quite impressive. After working with it for a short time we discovered you can use Profile and Syntace forward sections with the Hed Aerobar: We cut the front aerbar sections from a pair of C-2s and finished it off nicely and it slid right in. Why? If you absolutely married to the “feel” of the Syntcae C-2 grip area you don’t hve to give it up. With a pipe cutter, a file and some patience and care you have an awesome combo. However, there is realitstacally no reason for this (it was just an interesting observation). As a stock unit the Hed Aerobars are super nice. They’re expensive. They’re worth it based on our minimal 30 minute exposure. We have not ridden them, we have not completely installed them. We have only assembled them and read the instructions and then played around with them and other aerobars. The next pair goes on my new Yaqui Carbo. More then…
they shipped mine last friday, my new bike is being built up with them:
03 Santa Cruz Roadster (white), Easton ec90 fork, king headset, BP aero post, Corima disc, HED3 front - both tubulars, Tufo S3 22mm lites tubulars, Easton EC carbon stem, Zipp cage, HED aerobars, Specialized BG Sworks ti saddle, DA cranks TT rings 54/42 and everything else Dura Ace., 17 lbs.
After looking at the Hed site today looking for a trispoke axle, i looked at the new Hed bars,they look a lot like a set-up i made eight years ago,wonder if i should sue(just kidding) Randall
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mine ought to be here today or tomorrow. they’ll go on my yaqui carbo as well, so there’ll be two in the universe.
i want to ask tom about how expensive they really are, tho. yeah, they’re not cheap, but what are they? under $500, right? (or maybe i’m wrong). when you consider the price of sub-assemblies–base bar, clip-ons, and (very high caliber) brake levers, what would all this cost otherwise? what would C2 clips, stratos, and space controls cost? probably $250? anyone?
so, really, it’s just a $200 or $250 up-charge on what it would cost for fairly simple stuff, unless i’ve got it figured wrong. compare that to $600 or $700 for a deda and you still have to buy $50 or $70 brake levers for an apples-to-apples comparison.
Considering there are brake levers and even inner cables they do represent a good value. Also, as viewed from the front, these things nearly disappear. They have got to be pretty aero. As we continue to work with them I am more and more impressed with the wise design and nice workmanship. I’m pretty sure this is the new standard, the new state of the art.
Tom,
How would you rate the HED’s compared to the Oval’s? Are they worth the extra $200, or no? (I already have a set of space controls in my parts bin, so the cost of brake levers is a non-issue). Also, I’m curious about the internal brake cable routing, has that been well integrated into the bar or will it be a pain in the a$$.
So many decisions to make. My Klein comes in soon, so do I go with a clip on or a fancy integrated setup? (Talking to myself again) I really like the Visions, since there’s virtually nothing to come loose, and you say I can get them in 1 1/8" but I’m not crazy about the drop to the horns. The Oval’s are also interesting, and have a computer mount integrated into the bar. The HED, well, style points matter, so I hope it looks better in person than in the photos.
J.
Well, I can’t tell you anything about the Ovals. I’ve never seen them. I can speak knowledgably about Vision Tech as I’ve installed about 10 of them. They are very, very good. I agree about the base bar, cowhorn hand position. If Vision Tech made a version with flat wing base bars (no drop) that would be a winner. As it is, these Hed bars are amazing based on my very superficial, under 3 hour examination of them. The jury is still out… But these Heds are really nice.
I just spoke with Anne and Steve Hed. We bought 6 more sets of their aerobars for the store.
I have never seen these aerobars except in pictures. My reaction from the pictures is that the flat grips would be fine for a flat course, but the idea of going down a steep hill on them was not appealing. I really like the turn up at the ends of the handles in the Syntace bars for example, and those upturns are there for a reason. I think I use the upward turn to help keep me back in the saddle when going downhill. I would be afraid that hitting a bump while descending at high speeds might cause the rider’s grip to slip right off the ends of the handles. Then again, this Florida boy is no authority on descending.
Now that you have played with them, is there any validity to this concern?
I hve to tell you, based on chatting with Anne and Steve Hed for about 30 minutes and getting some historical background on these aerobars they are optimized for the “Real World” Lance Armstrong had substantial input into their design, and wanted an aerobar that provided EXCELLENT climbing and descending capability. I have not ridden these bars yet- I’ve had them four hours- but I THINK they will be the best one piece bars on rolling, technical course and equally at home on a flat course. I am looking to use these at Ironman Wisconsin, famous for it’s windy, hilly bike course. I’ll have a better and more complete opinion when I ride them. I am relating impression now. But my impression was strong enough to buy another $3000 worth of these aerobars for our customers, and another set for myself.
Tom, thanks for the input. The test for me is whether I can go down the Keene hill at IM Lake Placid on them. Of course that makes the not necessarily valid assumption I can go down that hill on any bicycle at all, but that is another matter. Short, rolling hills don’t bother me like long, steep, curving hills. I am sure Lance could go down without any handle bars at all.
Anyway, please report back once you are on the road. I am sure a lot of us would be interested. I have to admit I find that product to be very attractive at first glance.
Sorry to get “personal” here, but if you can time it to have a set laying around when my Saber gets in…well, you know. These were my first choice but some guy in the back of your shop that looked like an ex-Marine said “We may not see those for a while.” 
I’m a good tester for this since I don’t like to descend much. I’m scared. I’d rather climb anyday. Then again, there are no hills around here except an 8 switchback climb a block from the store called a parking garage…
You got it. I am impressed we got these, I’m very pleased with Steve and Anne. Those guys always come through. I think you’ll like these…
Tom,
You’ve previously stated that you didn’t prefer adjustable bars (too much weight/parts to break). How many nuts/bots/etc. are included in the Hed Aerobars? How do they compare to the Syntace Base/C2 combo?
Do they come in varying widths?
Where are the Elbow pads in relation to the C2s? How large are the pad surface areas compared to the C2s?
Hay Mat what do us ex Marines look like? Tall and strong handsome as a set of Hed bars I know it’s the hair thing
Thanks Dirt
PS Sounds like a nice Bike you are getting.
It will all be in the review…
Something like that. That, and they have this ability to summon the fire in the belly seemingly at will. Two guys during college got actually me into triathlon - one is an ex-Marine (tank commander) and the other is an ex-Ranger, both on the GI Bill at the time. Those guys could go out any given morning, sometimes after being up partying until 2am, and bang out 5 and change miles for an hour straight while I was puking my guts up in the rear. It still amazes me to this day - a constitution like I’ve never seen.
they are much more adjustable than the C2,s
The arm rests lay flat on the aluminum clamps, lower than I’ve ever seen before, the brake levers are short and there are actually handle instead of bar ends. Its very nice, internal brake cable routing, I got mine today, very flat and aero.
Tom,
Before or after field testing these new bars, what would your comparison to the Profile Carbon X aero bars be? Any experience with the Profile’s?
Daniel