Originally Posted by
taras0000
It would be interesting to figure out where that "sweet spot" for neutral handling is with aerobars. We have the usual guidelines like "elbows under the ears"... but what about the weight distribution? Where should the pads be in relation to the axle/steering column? My guess would be somewhere in between, but does anyone know this for sure? I haven't had aerobars on my bike for almost 15 years now, so I can't recall exactly how it related, nor do I have them around to check.
Somewhere in-between I think; at least that's my preference. Too far back and steeling feels very twitchy. In my first ever road TT I just put some clip-ons on my road bike without making any other adjustments, and the pads were barely in front of the heat tube. Steering feel was awful.
Too far forward also doesn't feel stable because weight balance is too far forward. On my TT bike the front of the pads are just about even with the front axle. The pads are fairly long, but even so they're a bit farther forward than I'd like, descending speeds can get pretty scary (and I'm not talking major mountain descents, but at 35-40mph).