I have been lurking for a couple of years and notice a ton of threads about aero wheels, aero brakes and “super bikes”… How come aerobars aren’t often discussed/debated?
Is there already a consensus on the best ones that I have missed?
Do get me wrong, I do see info about aerobars here and there in threads, but it’s typically an after thought.
You have a point.
Adjustability seems like it would be a huge factor as well, or at least some process of finding the right bar for “you” similar to finding a helmet.
http://www.tririg.com/articles.php?id=2014_08_TriRig_Alpha_Wind_Tunnel_White_Paper
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Agu_Y5SLfSFKdElaYW5MbEpxSHhHSGtHaDhhdVdPSlE#gid=0
Take your pick
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There’s a lot of fast aerobars. Just like many superbikes, they lack adjustability in terms of extension tilt, have too much stack, limited stem lengths, and cost an arm and a leg.
http://i59.tinypic.com/15pfuyw.png
The big take away from the data is that if you pick a decent base bar and add clip ons to it, you’ll be with a few watts of the most expensive set ups. Applying the the data from the graph, if I used the Felt Bayonet 3 bar and clip ons with my position I’d be 0.7s/km faster than if I were to use the 3T Ventus despite the Ventus being more aero by itself.
Hmm, I feel like this comes up quite a lot.
There are a few bars that are known to be really really good:
3T Ventus
Zipp VukaStealth
USE R1/Tula
TriRig Alpha with the TriRig stem
Shimano PRO with their stem
3T Aduro (you can hack this onto other bikes than the p5)
Getting a slick cockpit on a bike is a big part of the equation. It can turn a P2 into 99% of a P5
TriRig’s white paper has some good data on some of the popular bars:
http://www.tririg.com/articles.php?id=2014_08_TriRig_Alpha_Wind_Tunnel_White_Paper
I guess I have been missing it. I’ll have to study up.
Thx everyone!
In terms of the actual aerobar used, the consequences on aerodynamics are fairly minimal. Rider comfort and rules (e.g. if you’re under UCI rules) come first.
Base bars do have a large impact on aerodynamics. The only wind tunnel test/white paper I’m aware of is this one by tri rig: http://www.tririg.com/articles.php?id=2014_08_TriRig_Alpha_Wind_Tunnel_White_Paper
As you can see, you can lose a significant amount of drag by going from “meh” such as the Zipp Vuka Alumina to best of breed based bars… all of which are “close enough”.