AERO BARS - YAY OR NAY?

DW01

hey guys, was debating buying some aero bars for my bike to get a better position and therefore better time. But is it alright to put them on a standard road bike (wilier evasion)???

whats the thoughts on the aero bars?

the ones i was looking at were these. theyre profile design aero bars.



pro's, con's, opinions etc.

dennisn

Are you planning on time trailing?

DW01

no just to gain better average speed.. obviously with training aswell. I just wanted to know what peoples opinions and experiences of them are on standard road bikes and any good not too expensive models there are.

dennisn

DW01 wrote:

no just to gain better average speed.. obviously with training aswell. I just wanted to know what peoples opinions and experiences of them are on standard road bikes and any good not too expensive models there are.

Not sure why you would want to ride around with aero bars if you're not planning on time trialing. Not the best of ideas if you plan doing group rides either. Dangerous in a pack of people. Hard to control the bike if going really fast downhill. They are only good
for time trialing. Get a regular set of bars. You'll be able to sit up a bit and see what's going on around you. Very important in traffic and or group rides / races.

gkerr4

Mmm yes - Love 'em

make you fat though

oh, hang on...

gnashers

you need to be quite supple as the lower position can pull on your hamstrings.
I found they felt quite unsafe, yeah you get used to them but as others have said, unless you time trial.....

Airwave

There's realy only one way to find out,Try them that way you'll know wheather you like em or not.If you don't at least you'll stop wondering if you might.Set up properly for your own body they can be surpisingly comfortable for long rides-obviously you don't use them when group riding.Over 30mph downhill it's a good idea to go to hoods or drops.Don't let anyone tell you what you can&cannot with YOUR bike.After all your riding it not them.Just use a bit of common sense as to when&where you use them.

antfly

Nay, nay and thrice nay!

cougie

I had aero bars on my bike when they first came out - i loved them. They gave me an extra 2mph on the flat for the same effort. Onlu thing is that the pads took up bar space, and as they say - they arent good for group riding. They can be very comfy if set up properly, and once you are confident - you can ride them all over the place.

Havent had them on for years though - most of my rides are with mates, or very hilly or both.

Entirely up to you though.

AidanR

Better average speed for what? It can be tempting to always push for the fastest possible speed, but why? If you're racing then fair enough, but aero bars won't make you fitter and as stated before it is more difficult to control the bike and you don't have instant access to the brakes. An extra 5 minutes on a solo training ride is no bad thing - you'll actually be fitter because of it.

But if you do put them on, perhaps it'd be best to put clip-ons on your existing drop bars so you can try them out before swapping out your whole cockpit. It's also worth noting that TT bikes have shorter top tubes and steeper seat tube angles to maintain a comfortable and powerful position on the bike. You could imitate this by reversing a layback seat post (depending on the amount of adjustment in the saddle clamp) or use one of these: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Unbr ... r-1307.htm

Anonymous

I love minty aeros, they are one of the obstacles to losing weight as they are cheap in the vending machine at work.

Grazy81

Like aidan said i would just go for clip ons if you really must get them but the general thought on here is not to bother, but if your like me and get something in your head and it just wont go away just go for the cheaper clip ons

CiB

I had some on my bike for commuting (21 miles, virtually no traffic, treat it as a TT most days) until recently and loved them. They do what you want them to do - top speed increases by a chunk and I found I was usually able to push a higher gear on the same bits of road. I really enjoyed the riding position too. I took them off a couple of months ago when I was doing a 100 miler to N Wales as I knew I wouldn't want them for that, and they haven't gone back on since. Part of it is the bars are much less cluttered without them, the computer can fit where it's meant to be, and tbh my strength & fitness has improved so that I can achieve the same & better results without the aerobars. The joke at the time was that I was quicker with them, then quicker without so I just need to keep putting them on and taking them off.

It really is a personal choice. I had no bother riding them in traffic either. You just adapt, and read the road, ride acc to the conditions.

sherer

agree about the clips on, it is the easiest option and means you can just take them off when you want to do longer riders with a group. They are difficult to get used to and are only best for time trialing.

DOn't get hung up on riding the same route every day and trying to beat your best time. That lead to overtraining and putting in too much effort instead of a steady training plan

CiB

sherer wrote:

They are difficult to get used to and are only best for time trialing.

Can't agree with that. They're easy to use. They're fun to use on the open road too. That's what it's about isn't it, enjoying being on the bike?

Mister W

If you're just riding for pleasure and to keep fit then there doesn't seem to be much point in using them. They get you into a more aerodynamic position so you can go faster for the same effort but that doesn't make you fitter, just faster. You have to ride with your head down and you miss the scenery so it's less enjoyable and they aren't as safe as using the normal bars (that's not to say they aren't safe enough, just not as safe).

However, if you are riding for speed (time trials, triathlons or the daily sprint to work) then they're a great idea. They're about the cheapest way of improving your speed without getting fitter and stronger.

freehub

I found them abit meh and seen proberbly no speed increase, ok might have seen about 0.5mph for me.

Airwave

I must say i do 1 or 2 TTs a week so i leave my clipons on all through the summer.I find it takes a few weeks for your hamstrings to get used to the lower position.But i do 80mile training rides with them&maby spend 60miles on them.Tend to find i push harder when i'm on them.But i suppose if i did'nt do TTs then would i have them on-i don't know.I take them off in the winter.I tend to ride slower&take in the scenery more then anyhoo.At the end of the day how you choose to ride your bike is up to you-i think.Allthough reading the posts you may get a comet trail of cyclist shaking their heads & tuting at you for being the antichrist

love2ride

I have them on my bike but thats because i time trial 2or3 times a week. They seem a bit wobbly at first but after a while theyre fine. They are quite quick and I can get more power in my aero position. You can have them on your bike but I wouldn't use them when in a group. Generally don't use them when drafting unless your in a race and you don't get too close.