Originally Posted by
Morelock
The best argument for the 500m in drops is that a lot of people are going to spend roughly the first lap out of the saddle anyways. At that point you need to do those calculations above ^ for ~250 instead of 500m, and also work out how much power difference there is in your first lap/start. (Analytical Cyclist's has some models that take into account peak watts if anyone has interest in it - of course field testing is best n-1) 250m is still a long way, and most people "should" be able to git gud at starting on pursuit bars if they work at it. (unlike myself... who is terrible at it. I'm terrible at it on drops too though!)
This is key to my argument.
Also, standing starts are key any event 1KM or less. Guess which bars lead to better standing starts?
Yes, aerobars are idea at speed. But, what about everything that happens before the rider gets to cruising speed?
Comfort in aerobars is key.
I watched Steve Hill (2x US Elite Kilo champ, multiple US. masters Kilo and sprint champ, multiple masters world 750M and sprint champ) train at DLV several days/week before he retired. Most of the time he was behind a motorbike.
99% of the time in aerobars.. I'd only see drop bars when he'd very occasionally drop into a 5 or 10 lap scratch on race night to
finish up his workout that he started at 3PM.