aerobars vs. drops for tt

No empirical evidence, but the aerobars will be better. Period. And if you end up going clip-on, go lower to eliminate the height penalty.

However. However. 1) take your cages off, you don't need 'em. 2) not that you asked, but get an aero helmet, tis much bigger benefit than the bars, and 3) just ride. The bars themselves matter, but not that much, just like aero wheels. Completely overhyped. If your engine is good, you're fine.

tri42 - 2008-08-11 9:53 PM

rowdypaint - 2008-08-11 9:36 PM Are you riding *in* the speedway?  Like where the cars go?  That sounds cool.  I used to live about 1/2 mile from that track about 11 years ago.  No answer to your question though.  Carry on.

Yep, on the NASCAR track... well, the flat part... not quite enough centrifugal force to stay on the banking yet ... Rick, thanks for the info. Hey, how can I lower the PD jammers ?

Get a negative rise stem. Everything goes down, including the bars. But it could throw your position all out of whack. Caveat emptor on this one....

I've seen stats suggesting that aerobars can be as much as 1.5mph to 2mph faster.

I originally thought that seemed unrealistic, but that was pretty close to what I found in my 10k TT.  I had been doing them with aero bars on my tri bike, but just took my road bike out last week and did it with drop bars.  I was at least 45 seconds slower. And this was a rolling course, not a flat one, so the aero advantage was only for part of it.

This was the case despite the fact that my aero position is "higher' than my position in the drops on my road bike. I set up the tri bike to conform to UCI rules, so couldn't move the seat up and forward.  My TT position, as a result, is far from what you would call "aggressive." 

Just wanted to make a slight correction to the apparent knock at aero wheels above. When people say that a TT helmet is the best bang for your buck in terms of speed increase, that's only because a TT helmet costs probably less than $200 whereas aero wheels may have an extra zero on that number. But if I'm not mistaken, the time benefits of aero wheels are greater than an aero helmet... although if you're gonna get the wheels, why not drop an extra few cents (comparatively) on the helmet too.

Good luck in your race - it sounds pretty cool!

Good points! This website has some numbers for for 20mph at a 40k distance. Remember always believe everything you read on the internet

To the OP how long is the TT?

If your going to make any physical changes with lowering the bar height you really should have a fitting done to make sure your geometry to the bike is correct.  It's been stated that an improper fit can make you slower because your not in the optimal position to make maximum sustainable power, that's what a TT is all about.  Especially true on a road bike frame geometry.

Oh dump any excess weight on the bike before wondering about water bottle aero affect. 

"2) not that you asked, but get an aero helmet, tis much bigger benefit than the bars"

Uh, no, don't think so. Position first and foremost.

The position that gives you the most power and aerodynamics is the best.  This may be in the drops, this may be in the aero bars.  But unless you have been set up in each of those positions by someone who knows what they are doing and has ways of measuring the results everything else is just speculation ......

And to clarify an aero helmet is one of the best bang-for-your-buck additions.  There is too little info. to give credible differences in time gains for each aero addition and each riders position.

All the aero goodies are designed to clean up the air resistance.  But they don't mean sh-t if you can't hold your position and make power in it.