How do you bike straight and steady in the aero bars?

How? You RIDE LOTS! Practice makes perfect.

Time in the saddle. You will get used to it. I am very clutzy and I've managed pretty good.

Also, don't use the death grip the aerobars. You are wasting too much energy.

I started off this way, and honestly it just took time. I was terrified that I could never reach for nutrition without wobbling all over the place, or falling over.  However, the more I rode, the more stable I became.  I threw some trainer sessions in there too so I could just practice riding in that position and reaching for nutrition when I knew I wouldn't fall, but in the same manner as I would outdoors.  It just takes practice, practice, and more practice, and you will get there.  Be careful gripping the aero bars tightly though.  Last year, when I started riding longer and getting in aero more, I consistently had shoulder/neck pain.  One of my BT friends commented that maybe I was gripping the aerobars too much, and sure enough, when I learned to relax my hands there the neck pain went away.

Just keep riding! You will get there!

Thanks a lot for the response everyone. I guess the magic bullet is time in the saddle. Looking back, I guess I am more stable than I was, so hopefully I will just continue to improve.

Edited by neuronet 2009-07-14 11:17 AM

The same way you get to Carnegie Hall.  Practice.


Like the other responders said, it just takes time.  The handling is going to be very different with your arms closer and lower, and the bike will respond to every twitch.  But if you remember when you first learned to ride a bike, you probably also wove around and didn't go straight.  But with time, you could hold a line. Same idea.

not to be a broken record, but I agree...time in the saddle...i went from being terrified of being in aero at all...to being wobbly...to being pretty steady just by forcing myself to get out there and spend time ridig i aero.

I agree with the others -- try to relax.

Being in earo is more twitchy than sitting up AND tri bikes are a bit more twitchy than road bikes...  It has to do with the head tube angle, weight over the front wheel, narrower arm/hand position on the handle bars.

Like everyone else said, it just take practice and getting used to.  Trust me, I almost killed myself once when I started to a high speed wobble in Aero and over corrected and almost crashed into a traffic lane...

I find that if you relax and don't try to 'steer' it works better than trying to force it in one direction or the other.  That results in over steer and a lot of wobbling when you correct, then correct again, and again....

Great bike! I was riding the same one until it got trashed over the weekend. I agree with the others above but you might also want to take a look at your aero bar setup. IMHO I found a little slope up on the elbow pads made me a lot more stable, reduced the death grip, and helped me relax and ride straighter.

Art

It is important to keep your upper body relaxed. That will make your ride steadier. Also focusing a good set distance ahead will help you maintain a better line as you adapt to riding the tri bike. Congrats on the new ride. Sorry I did not get to meet you at the Triangle Tri.

Doug

Edited by DougRob 2009-07-14 11:33 AM

Good point about looking forward.  Just like any biking, if you stare right in front of you or your front hub, you will wobble a bit more than if you are looking 25-50 yards ahead.

That has helped both my tri bike riding and my MTN bike riding.

I also put a vote for checking the fit.

I tested quite a few tri bikes...on some I was comfortable in aero immediately.  In a few, I wobbled all over the place.  I chalked it up to just that type of tri bike not being "for me" but looking back now I think it was a fit issue.  If you're CG is off you'll feel unstable.  Because other than on those few bikes I've never felt the least bit wobbly in aero...even from Day 1.

Thanks for the suggestion, though I hate to be a noob. What is 'CG'? [Edit: I just got it, it means center of gravity. duh]

I will check out the fit. I'm very comfortable in the bike, I really love that aspect, but this wobbliness I hope I learn to be steady. I'm sure it hurts my bike time.

Edited by neuronet 2009-07-14 2:01 PM

"CG" stands for Center of Gravity. This is part of getting the fit right.

Proper practice on the TT bike will speed your improvement. 
1. Minimize upper body movements.  Each 1in movement in the aerobars is like 6-8in move in the drops (or horns).  Practice transitioning from the aero tuck to hands laterally on the bars so that you stay smooth during the turns and climbs.
2.  Use smooth circular pedal strokes.  Stomping out an angry cadence upsets your balance. 
3.  Relax.  Gripping the bars really tight is a false sense of security. Tension exaggerates small movements into bigger jerky ones. 

Congrats on that P2!!!!

If you really want to focus on riding straight, try spending some time on rollers when you have to be inside. Don't try to start out in the aero bars though. For me at least, it took a while to ease into the aero bars.

One more thing to bear in mind: Regardless of whether the bike is a road bike or a tri bike, the closer the wheels are to one another (Shorter the wheel base) the harder the bike is to handle. Tri bike tend to have shorter wheel bases. The best way to get comfortable with this is to ride the bike a lot. That is also how you get better at controlling your CG.

Being able to control your center of gravity without thinking about is also a key to good skating. I have coached adult beginner ice hockey. In the beginning everyone wants to know the "secrets" of hockey. I tell them go to public skating 3-5 times/week for an hour a time and skate. You need to feel comfortabel out there without having to think about it. That holds true for biking too.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.