McBTC

If you like your saddle you can't keep your saddle… when you go to clip-ons. You'll need a saddle that provides support in whatever manner you've become accustomed – when slanted a bit downwards – because, you also need a saddle that allows you to slide forward and enables you to position your weight in a more forward position on the saddle when riding on the bars.

kingston 

@OldTryGuy, I think you are in a different league than the rest of us. Aero bars make a lot sense to me if you're going RAAM qualifier pace because you're out in front of everyone else and going fast, but a lot of the people I see with aero bars on brevets are obviously new riders plodding along at low double-digit mph (which there's nothing wrong with by the way). I think it's a mistake to recommend aero-bars to everyone because 1) the aero-advantage isn't as great at low speeds and more importantly 2) new riders and generally don't have great bike control yet and should figure that out before they strap on a set of aero bars and ride around other people

ksryder

Nope. Didn't touch my saddle, it's fine.

If I spent all my time on the aerobars, maybe.

McBTC

Headwinds will provide an 'aero-advantage' even to a slower rider but you're right about the use of aerobars when riding with other riders: you cannot tailgate. Another consideration is the helmet choice-- you need to have one you can move back on your forehead so it doesn't block your view in a more head-down position-- otherwise, looking up the road ahead can be a real, pain in the neck.

kingston 

I've seen more than one who cannot hold a straight line.

Carbonfiberboy 

The thing to do is to practice on them every time you go out solo, staying down for about 1/2 hour at a time, trying to ride the fog line. It's all about pedaling smoothly. Yeah, don't think you're going to put these puppies on for one special ride and have great success. They take practice. Also move off them for sharp corners, anything funny looking ahead, traffic, etc.

I also don't do anything with my saddle, position, etc. You're no lower on the 'bars than in the drops. It's the same position. You just go faster and are resting on your bones, not being held up by muscles.

OldTryGuy

Never changed my saddle or position of saddle when I rode the 112 mile Ironman rides with the 2nd one being non-stop. Plenty of times I shift ALL THE WAY BACK to use muscles differently especially when climbing.

Even at low speeds the comfort provided by aero bars makes them practical, especially when their use can prolong the time on the bike thereby increasing the distance bicycled.

Tailgating IS POSSIBLE when experienced and riding with a great bunch of people who know each other and the roads being ridden.

I've seen riders unable to keep a straight line even with upright bars and also drop bars holding anywhere on the bars.

My helmets ALL HAVE VISORS and I wear glasses, without issues.

3.5 weeks until my attempt at Bike Sebring 12/24 Hour RAAM 400 Mile Qualifier.

Carbonfiberboy 

You go, guy!

OldTryGuy

Will be giving it my all.

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Happy Feet

I can pretty well ride all day but have something called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome which causes hand numbness similar to carpal tunnel. If something were to limit my distance it would probably be that. I switch hand positions up as it is but aeros give the opportunity to take complete pressure off the hands. I no more need to change the seat position than I do when going from hoods to drops.

McBTC

Adjusting body position when using aerobars is pretty well known--e.g., Selene Yeager writes in Bicycling, as follows:

"The biggest mistake people make is setting up their aero bars without adjusting their bike fit," says Dan Smith, of LifeSport Coaching in Victoria, British Columbia. "That alone can make you unsteady and uncomfortable."

"Here's what he recommends..."

Carbonfiberboy 

OTOH, there's nothing like 20 years of first-hand experience with them. Let us know when you have that. Adjusting bike fit for brevet riding would be, shall I say, stupid. Because you're only on them maybe 10%-20% of the time, maybe even less, depending on the severity of the course. So you're going to ruin your fit for 10%? OTOH, if you're TTing, you might adjust. But that's not what we're discussing here.

Actually, I don't bother adjusting even for TT because I know I'll be out of the Classic class and racing with the TT bikes with disc wheels, so I don't really care about a few seconds. I do take off everything including cages. Really fun.

Remember that changing fit, and one of the reasons for changing fit, is to stimulate and use different muscles in different ranges of motion. So if you're going to do that, you have to train in the new position a lot, and possibly for a couple of years, looking at pros who changed their riding emphasis. Hence I didn't change even for a once or twice a year TT but one might change at least a few months before a 12 or 24 hour TT. Of course if one were serious about such things, one would have a TT bike and train on it year 'round.

Some of the rest of the advice is good. The aero advice is not good. The whole idea is to get your arms out of the wind and reduce their frontal area. Also 12.5 is way too slow to get off them. When you're down, you're giving up watts for aero advantage. The break point comes more like at 16-18, unless there's a headwind.

I have ski-bend bars, but don't use the front part. It's more aero and I can pull harder with flat hands because leverage is better. That's why modern bars are almost all flat. One adusts fit so that upper arms are at 90° to torso and forearms are level. One can play with distance between elbows. My pads are on 9" centers. Forearm angle with respect to centerline will be determined by your bars and your pad adjustment.

Since one is not using muscles, only bones and connective tissue to hold position, one doesn't keep one's shoulders in the normal road position at all. Rather one relaxes and drops one's torso down between the shoulders, and then also drops one's head down as far as is comfortable. The idea is to be relaxed and low.

Though these are TT bikes, this is what it looks like. Note that you can't get low if you're fat, elbows go in front of knees.

unterhausen

I'm a little more powerful in the drops, is a typical aero bar position any lower than that?

Happy Feet

I think the disconnect may be how long one intends to use the aeros overall. I suspect the article quoted above was for tri riders who intend to primarily use aeros - that would then make sense to adjust bike fit for that position. However, I suspect most people doing long distance rides intend aeros for relief or to avoid wind and spend most of the time somewhere on the dropbars.

Carbonfiberboy 

IME, no. However there are many drops positions. None of them are faster even though lower. That said, one can apply a lot of power when on the 'bars, prying against them.

Google images for "RAAM aero bars". Many of them will be on clip-ons. This is typical:

McBTC

Not necessarily... the aero bar advantage is based on the principle that you gain more by having a less wide profile -- funneling wind away from your stomach -- as opposed to merely having a lower profile to increase aerodynamics (as you're getting by riding in the drops).

If you put clip-ons on a road bike, you're probably not interested in permanently positioning your body a couple of inches forward to accommodate having the pads just in front of your elbows. Otherwise, you might be considering a Triathlon bike which will have that position baked into the geo.

Still, you'll want to be able to move forward on the saddle a few inches (instead of permanently sliding the saddle forward) which is why the saddle you have now may not be what you will end up with. The saddle I have, for example, supports by body weight on the back of the saddle as is customary on road bike saddles but with the nose pointed slightly downward (not up) to facilitate sliding forward on the saddle when on the aerobars. Additionally, the nose of the saddle is more comfortable to ride on that a traditional nose-up road bike saddle is designed to be.

unterhausen

there was one ride this year where I really wished I was more aero. Relentless headwind for 60 miles.

83cannondale

I've been using the vintage Cinelli version of these for a few years and they seem ok for wind and for extra hand positions - I have a front bag that mounts under them. I'm able to get super low in ( relative ) comfort for long slogs into the wind.

Zirbelaci reinvents the Spinaci clip-on aero handlebar | road.cc.

I tape (ugly) foam to the flats and am able to rest my forearms there holding onto the bars.

Have completed super rando series 2017 plus added rides with this - seems to work ok. I wouldn't mind trying other aero bars though.

83cannondale