Just mounted them-
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Cool. Didn’t know they were called R-bends.
When I look at that shot, I can’t help but think that you will be as upright as if you were on a beach cruiser when you use the base bar. I don’t get why base bars aren’t much much lower at the grips (meaning that the elbow pads would need to be higher to keep you in the same position when aero).
That’s why I shimmed my Hed’s pads up another 2cm and then dropped the base bar by the amount. That way I’m not radically upright when – for whatever reason – I’m not down aero.
I saw a pair the other day. Seems like the bend is too close to the arm pad and there’s no way to adjust it, fore or aft.
Not so hot on the R-bends (seems like a shallower S-bend to me, maybe some one is trying to patent the name?). And I echo that thought about the flat base bar – What’s up with that?
But those Blackwell brake levers… Very nice…
The “R” bend is actually very comfortable- several hand positions available.
V-tech’s flat base bar is OEM on many many bikes now- plus many athletes
are using the flat base bar training and racing. Below is taken right from slowtwitch’s site-
"…What has evolved as a very suitable alternative bar is the “flat” pursuit bar. By “flat” I mean that the pursuit bar has little or no drop in elevation as it leaves the stem. Pursuit bars used to have an elevation drop, but this was in the old pre-aero-bar days, when the pursuit bar position was the aero position. Now it’s the position you’re only in for climbing out of the saddle, or for braking and cornering.
…for most triathletes, your pursuit position will probably be more comfortable
and utilitarian if it approximates your road bike’s “hoods” position. In this case, when you’re out of the saddle climbing on your tri bike your pursuit position will feel like your hoods, which is where you probably like to climb on your road bike. In fact, no less than Lance Armstrong gave instructions to Steve Hed this past year, when the two were corresponding on aero bar design, to make the aero bars such that when Lance was out of the saddle in the pursuit position, that it would exactly match his hoods position."
the only time I use the base bars is stoping, starting, turning and some climbing
where I dont climb in the aero position, why do I need a drop to my base bar?
Here are other pics of people using flat base bars, with some success:
4th in Vuelta opening TT
Lance
Bjorn
and Bjorn
Well, see here’s the thing. Those Hed “hoods” are NOWHERE NEAR the road bike hood position. OK, that is unless you ride your tri bike w/ an extremely long stem. And that puts the elbos pads under the middle of your forearm (unless you have waaaay short arms). If use the “right” stem for tri/aero position, then the Hed hoods are about 2-3cm too short of a reach.
Anyway, I’m not suggesting you’d use that position all that much. Just for a break, some climbing, turning, any speedy descent, etc. But that adds up to ptobably 10-30%, depending on the course.
Anyone have a price on them (+/-)? Haven’t seen them available yet. Thx.
Good lord, Bjorn’s position looks odd! Just really uncomfortable. How can he hold his head up that high for 5+ hours???
edit: for touchy feeliness
R&A has them carbon and aluminum- about the same price as the standard Vtech clipons
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Bjorn doesnt lower his bars just to be low, nor is he uncomfortable in this position, but exactly the opposite, he is VERY comfortable. He has been putting in some nice miles on 9W and 17 and 17M in NY & NJ getting ready for IM Wisco, climbing the roads in Harriman seldom coming out of the aero position.
Bjorn is a big guy, 6’2"- to hide his body from the wind, he needs to go low, it is more of function then form. He spends a lot of time like this, and for him riding this way is just as comfortable as a newbie with his/her bars high. His run isnt being affected either by his low position and he has been running well off of the bike lately too. We just finished up some testing on him (Vo2, AT etc) and all that I will post is - impressive, very impressive.
Here are some more pics from the past 2 weeks.
Last time I checked the search function worked perfectly fine on this forum. This issue has been beaten to death in a number of threads here and pretty much all that can be said has been said. No need to drag it up again.
Regarding your comments, how stupid do you think I am?
Stupid enough to run and bike with some silly hose attached to your face. I mean really, that can’t be helpful… 
Are you riding LG helmets now? Looks like a new lid in those pics…
PS: DO NOT ever get the idea to go swimming in the lakes at Harriman where it says “NO SWIMMING.” I did that a couple times to pratice swim->bike transition. Last time, I got a ticket. The cop said it would be $25… A week later, the notice comes from the town clerk – $115… I should have just stayed in the water…
I realize this has been discussed before. This is an open forum, and I was just voicing my opinion. To me, the position looks outrageous. You obviously disagree (otherwise you wouldn’t ride like you do). I become suspect of people’s positions at the extremes of the fit spectrum. There are obviously special cases, but I find them rare. A couple cases of the top of my head:
- Custom titanium road bike in my shop- very far set back post, saddle pushed all the way back (the guy looked very stretched out but claimed comfort… he also didn’t ride longer than 1.5 hrs at a time). If the bike is custom, why would you need all those extreme measures to get the saddle far back enough? It should have a slacker seat tube angle and longer top tube.
- Triathlete on road bike with clip-ons. “Normal” length head tube. 4 cm of spacers. +17 degree stem. Profile Aerolite aerobars with spacers under pads. All in all, the aerobar pads are 2 cm higher than the saddle.
Your position obviously works for you; I simply can’t fathom how, and have come up with my own theories to explain it.
Nope still using my Bell helmet, just borrowing the LG for a little while.
I actually don’t mind discussing this but using the words dumb, ridiculous and outrageous in the first few sentences and then going on about how I don’t have a clue about what I’m doing etc. doesn’t really add anything to the subject. Do you address customers in your store this way also?
Not trying to contradict you, but the guy in the pic is not a triathlete. And form the pics of Bjorn in this thread, it’s clear that he has some drop to his base bar (though not extreme).