Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike
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Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller | Reply |
2014-03-06 5:48 PM |
5 | Subject: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike Only 4 weeks to IM 70.3 Galveston. Flat course needs a good tuck, and want some feedback on adding aero bars at this stage. All comments welcome! |
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2014-03-06 5:55 PM in reply to: trevord |
Elite 7783 PEI, Canada | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike It's a little late in the game. Have you used aerobars before? |
2014-03-06 5:59 PM in reply to: trevord |
Master 2759 Los Angeles, CA | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike 4 weeks away which includes tapering down... Kinda late IMO. Installing aero bars would mean changing your position a bit forward on the bike and fine tuning it for your race and also getting used to the position. |
2014-03-06 6:48 PM in reply to: trevord |
Master 6834 Englewood, Florida | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike There are a few questions that you might want to ask yourself:
It all comes down to pros and cons for you. Risk/reward. That's my feedback. But if you're asking would I do it, the answer is a solid "no". |
2014-03-06 7:19 PM in reply to: cdban66 |
471 | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike i first used aero bars 3 weeks out from my second 70.3. My first 70.3 was done without them. Didn't take me long to adjust to using them and found myself to be significantly quicker. However as I hadn't really used them for extended period of time, after 15kms or so by back became very stiff and sore. I managed to hang on for the entire race on the aero bars and actually my back started easing up around the 80km mark.I'd suggest getting some, don't spend a fortune, if you find them uncomfortable, just switch to the drops. |
2014-03-06 9:33 PM in reply to: trevord |
Master 1858 Salt Lake City | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike 4 weeks out is too late in the game to make a change that significant. I'd stick with the bike you've got and worry about aero bars after the race. Then you'll be good and ready to PR with them on the next 70.3. |
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2014-03-07 1:15 AM in reply to: trevord |
Champion 7036 Sarasota, FL | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike If it were a shorter race like a sprint, then I'd say go for it. But with all you've got invested in training for a 70.3 I wouldn't risk it. Mark |
2014-03-07 5:55 AM in reply to: trevord |
Pro 5892 , New Hampshire | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike Another vote for no. Too late to get truly comfortable. If you add aero bars to the road bike in the future, get a pair of ITU style (aka shortie) aero bars, like the VisionTech Mini's. They're designed to be used on a road bike while maintaining the road position (you don't want to mock with that). |
2014-03-07 6:38 AM in reply to: audiojan |
Expert 1644 Oklahoma | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike Originally posted by audiojan Another vote for no. Too late to get truly comfortable. If you add aero bars to the road bike in the future, get a pair of ITU style (aka shortie) aero bars, like the VisionTech Mini's. They're designed to be used on a road bike while maintaining the road position (you don't want to mock with that). ^^^ this^^^ |
2014-03-07 6:54 AM in reply to: trevord |
Extreme Veteran 890 Sterling | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike Four weeks is four weeks. If you want get them. Depends on how young you are and how easily you can adjust to them. Will they make you get a faster bike split? You bet. Could they throw your' run down the drain? You bet! If it were me I would throw them on and get a few rides in with them and see how it affects your' back and calves. You can always throw them on there and alternate riding the drops for a while and then riding the aero bars for a while. If you are going to do it then you should throw them on there right now. Other people's points are valid I think as well on here about not getting them. It's your' choice though and I think we have all given you enough info on weather or not to pull the trigger. |
2014-03-07 7:43 AM in reply to: trevord |
553 St Catharines, Ontario | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike I am going to buck the trend and go with yes. In that if you add them what do you really lose? You can still ride with your hands on the corners, on the hoods and on the drops. So unless you loved riding for a long time with your hands on the middle of the bar you lose nothing. However what you do gain is a 4th position to stretch out in for a bit. |
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2014-03-07 8:46 AM in reply to: badmo77a |
Champion 7036 Sarasota, FL | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike Originally posted by badmo77a I am going to buck the trend and go with yes. In that if you add them what do you really lose? You can still ride with your hands on the corners, on the hoods and on the drops. So unless you loved riding for a long time with your hands on the middle of the bar you lose nothing. However what you do gain is a 4th position to stretch out in for a bit. The problem I would see is that if you make any other adjustments (say to the seat position), to accomodate the clip-ons then you may have screwed up the base set-up also. I use clip-ons with drop bars on my bike and love the ability to ride in multiple positions. But it took several sessions with my fitter to arrive at a "compromise" set-up that lets me ride comfortably on both my hoods and aerobars. A lot of that involved trying the set-up for 50-100 miles out on the road and then coming back for fine-tuning. My concern for the OP would be getting 20-30 miles into the race and then having problems. Most folks can suffer through a sprint or Oly with a bad set-up, but it becomes more of an issue with longer races. Mark |
2014-03-07 10:11 AM in reply to: RedCorvette |
Veteran 501 Seattle, Washington | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike Meh, how about use them next time. You don't need them for this race if you have never used them before. |
2014-03-07 10:12 AM in reply to: RedCorvette |
Expert 3126 Boise, ID | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike
Go for it if you want, but if you do, DO NOT change anything else about your bike fit. No seat adjustments, etc. What you are likely to find is that your lower back will be uncomfortable with aero bars on a road bike. You will have a bit of a weight penalty with the bars but shouldn't affect much. If you decide to use them in the race don't commit to them for the full race. You don't want a sore lower back when it comes time for the HM. |
2014-03-07 4:38 PM in reply to: Aarondb4 |
Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike Agree that if all you're going to do is slap the aero bars on, then go for it. Even if you only use them for 10-20 minutes, you'll still be faster. I'm one of those people that would never adjust a road bike (adjusting seat post, stem, etc.) fit to accomodate aero bars as the primary position. If you really want a bike that's made to stay down on the aero bars 90% of the time...get a tri/tt specific bike. Of course...that's just my opinion, and I know it doesn't apply to everyone. |
2014-03-07 4:49 PM in reply to: Jason N |
Champion 9407 Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike I would (and have) done it but I'm confident in my bike handling skills and also rode often after adding them. I would say if you've ridden with aerobars before or you are an experienced cyclist, then give them a try and if you don't like them or are having trouble adjusting, then take them off. I wouldn't touch anything else on your fit - add the bars, adjust them so they work with your road position so it's an additional position as opposed to adjusting your position so they're the only position. IME, it is rarely a good idea to try to make a road bike into a tribike by dramatically changing your fit. Shane |
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2014-03-08 6:42 AM in reply to: RedCorvette |
Pro 5892 , New Hampshire | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike Originally posted by RedCorvette The problem I would see is that if you make any other adjustments (say to the seat position), to accomodate the clip-ons then you may have screwed up the base set-up also. I use clip-ons with drop bars on my bike and love the ability to ride in multiple positions. But it took several sessions with my fitter to arrive at a "compromise" set-up that lets me ride comfortably on both my hoods and aerobars. That's not the way to add aero bars to a road bike… Leave the position alone and adjust the aero bars to you, not you to the aero bars. If it can be helped at all, compromises are not going to be good... |
2014-03-08 9:33 AM in reply to: audiojan |
Champion 7036 Sarasota, FL | Subject: RE: Aero bars or No aero bars on road bike Originally posted by audiojan Originally posted by RedCorvette The problem I would see is that if you make any other adjustments (say to the seat position), to accomodate the clip-ons then you may have screwed up the base set-up also. That's not the way to add aero bars to a road bike… Leave the position alone and adjust the aero bars to you, not you to the aero bars. If it can be helped at all, compromises are not going to be good... I use clip-ons with drop bars on my bike and love the ability to ride in multiple positions. But it took several sessions with my fitter to arrive at a "compromise" set-up that lets me ride comfortably on both my hoods and aerobars. I think you're making some erroneous assumptions. The fact of the matter is that we actually swapped aerobars to a more adjustable model of PD clip-ons to help me get to a better fit solution with my long torso and short arms. Due to my physique I'm limited to a fairly upright position on the aerobars anyway, so it wasn't a quantum leap between my hood and aerobar positions. We also tried some different stems but at the end of the day only ended up making some small changes in my seat position. Again, due to my physique my fit is closer to an ITU set-up than something you would see on a true tri bike. It works well for me, so well that it's one of the reasons I've held off on buying a true tri bike. Mark |
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