Hello. I am new to the sport and just purchased a Cannondale R800 and set it up with a set of carbon stryke aerobars. I have them mounted correctly however, when I need to climb, the pads are completely in the way. I figured I could purchase the new armrests that flip up and out of the way that profile design makes, however, my road bars are 31.8 and the new pads will only fit 26.0! Anyone have any suggestions on a good set of TT bars? I originally kept the road bars on as a suggestion from my LBS as they said it was much easier to climb. I live in Guam and most of my track here is littered with big hills. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also, I purchsed the bike to set it up as a tri bike so keeping the road bars on will not make or break the deal. Just looking for something fairly reasonable. Thanks.
I found the flip-up armrests on my old profiles were not terribly stable, so it might be a benefit that they don’t fit.
I have tried four types of aerobars on my road bike - Profile Airstrike, Syntace C2, Vision Tech smalls with the mini pad, and the Profile Jammer GT. So far, the Jammers were the best for climbing, and the Syntace were the best for aero riding, but I suspect the best solution for me is the Profile Jammer GT base (which is great for climbing because you still have the top of the bars position and they will not hit your knees when standing) combined with some Hed aluminum S bends.
If this were my only bike, I would stick with the drops - they are nice for descending - better than TT style bars IMO.
I have sytace c2’s on my road bike. i have never had any issues with climbing. they are great for TT, and they are very sturdy in the aero position. a good bike shop should let you try out the different clip-ons before you purchase. make sure you test out how they work both in and out of the saddle and in and out of the aero position.
You can buy Profile flip-ups designed for oversized (31.8) bars. I recently bought a set of them online, I assume most places will do mail order to Guam. I use them with the Carbon Strykes, which I’ve shortened, and they are great.