I have to admit, I am surprised by the results of the aerobar poll. I would have guessed that far fewer people kept their original bars. My biggest knock on many “stock” bikes is the bars they use. You get some bikes with high end components and lower end bars. In addition, bars are, IMO, second only to the saddle in terms of personal preference.
So, my follow-up questions would be, if you kept your bars:
Is this b/c you were able to select the bars to be installed?
Is this b/c the stock bars were the ones you originally wanted?
Is this b/c you have no experience with any other type of bars?
Is this b/c changing the bars would have been too much of a hassle?
your questions center around, “why did you keep your bars stock?” likewise, i’d like to hear “why did you you change?”
in my case, i don’t ever think of aerobars as a part to be paired with a bike, anymore than i think a saddle, or pedals, ought to be paired with a bike. there are two reasons to change aerobars: first, it’s a contact point, like a saddle, and, represents a necessary point of comfort. it would be freak luck if the stock aerobars that came on a bike were coincidentally the aerobars on which i found the most comfort.
second, the aerobar is responsible for a pair of fit coordinates. it has its own geometry, and, aerobars + frames represent geometric constructs.
so, there are two reasons to change aerobars, and that makes, or ought to make, aerobars highly portable.
I got just a frameset, so I was able to build mine up to my specs, in my case a Vuka Aero. My previous bike, I kept stock, because I just didn’t know better/see the difference, boy was I wrong…
I like the Vision alloy bars that came with my P2C. I’ve never ridden anything else so I don’t know if the swankier looking bars out there would be a better fit. Lighter I’m sure, but apparently that doesn’t matter much.
I ride a Trek TTX and for the first two years I used the stock Bontrager set up. They were very nice and very comfortable but as I started to settle into my position I realized I need a lower profile bar. I ended up with the 3T Mistral and really like it so far.
Went with HED over the standard Vision on both of my Cervelos because I wanted something more aero and for vanity (I happen to like the look of them!).
So, my follow-up questions would be, if you kept your bars:
Is this b/c you were able to select the bars to be installed?
Is this b/c the stock bars were the ones you originally wanted?
Is this b/c you have no experience with any other type of bars?
Is this b/c changing the bars would have been too much of a hassle?
Is this b/c of the expense of replacing the bars?
Just curious.
In general, I agree with Slowman’s response. As for the questions above, all of my answers are “No” for the bike just purchased, a lightly used stock P2C. Even if I had bought it new, I would have done what I’m doing now – replacing the Vision stuff with Syntace. I’ve used the Syntace C2 bars since 1996 and am really comfortable with them. They are sturdy in appearance and function without bearing a significant weight penalty. I hated the stock Visions from the moment they touched my forearms – everything felt cheap and flimsy and built for a child (I’m 6’, 175 lbs). That said, I tend to keep all of my previously used sports equipment as long as it’s still functional – I seem to like the nostalgic “piece of history” aspect of looking at it 20 years later. So the Visions will stay in the basement along with many other rejects from the past if for no other reason that I can drag them out during a gathering of old tri dogs 20 years from now and laugh at the POS things they used to hang on bikes.
I’ve used quite a few of the lower and mid price point bars, and ridden on some higher end stuff that I’ve got to “borrow.”
For me, It’s a Vision Aluminum Base with Profile Design Carbon Stryke ski bends. Vision’s base bar is (supposedly) aero, the crab claws work great with it (If you can stand them… I love them) but their aerobars leave a lot to be desired in adjustments. Profiles however are great… so many different positions with them, and they mount below the base bar. I’ve always felt more stable on Ski bends, so that’s whey I gave them the nod over the T2’s.
The Oval A701 I had was another adjustable, comfy bar setup.
I’d like to give some of the higher end stuff a go as well… Devox, 3T’s, Vuka’s, and the Attacks all look nice.
I’ve tried out some very nice aerobars that would fit me nicely but I won’t pay the same cost as my bike for a pair of aerobars. That’s insane. $600 for aerobars is way way way too much.