Flounce

Yes. Standard road bike fit, i.e. with hands on the hoods. Added aero bars and adjusted accordingly, i.e. to allow an alternative hand position that gives my arms and core muscles a much-welcomed break. It is NOT in the triathalon aero position, which is an entirely different bike fit in regards to saddle position (fore) and aero bar position (lower).

Carbonfiberboy 

As a long-term user, I agree with all this. I use my 'bars when I'm on the flat and either solo or on the front, or on an easy solo descent. On the usual brevet, group ride, or event around here, I don't think that's ever more than 20%, usually much less. My usual road bike position works fine. In the midwest or Florida that might be different.

Abe_Froman

Yea, on my longer rides around Chicago.. (40-60 miles for me...nothing compared to most of the people here ), I'll have maybe a couple hundred feet climbing total. There is no such thing as a hill (excluding 1 or 2 highway overpasses), and certainly nothing that would qualify as a descent of any kind. Again...excluding a few hundred feet of highway overpass lol.

Consequently, I've been seriously considering putting aero bars on my steel touring bike.

OldTryGuy

154 miles today. Total gain 157' only because I went over some "Humpbacks" over canals in Rotonda West. Down in aero position today.....70+%.

texaspandj

I'm not a long distance cyclist. But this is my setup. It's comfortable and cool. The original scott dh aero bars.
Here's a post from a different thread:

"I have three Ironman that I have set up as tri bikes they use the original scott dh aero bars. When they first came out even the triathlon pros didn't want to use them. But a couple of second tier pros did and went on a one or two month unbeaten streak. So naturally the other pros soon followed and then finally us age groupers. We saw the pros using them and bam, we had to have them. I grew up on them so to speak so they're totally comfortable for me. They look funny at first,then they look beautiful in their ingenuity. The most successful triathlete to use them was Mike Pigg. He would sit at the nose tip of the saddle and hammer like no one else on the planet. He used regular italian geometry bikes, but in a way invented tri geometry. I'll explain the best I can. If you're riding your regular road bike. If you were to put your elbows on the top bar of you handlebars, you body will be way too far forward. Well that's exactly what the aero bars would do, so you move your butt forward to compensate. So triathletes started moving their saddles forward, when that wasn't enough they reversed their seatpost. That's when they invented forward seatpost. They discovered a few added benefits to the forward position along the way : 1. It simulated running more so therefore when they got off the bike they were able to transition to the running motion quicker. 2. It made you use your quads more, and thereby create much more power.
Everyone knows the benefits to being more aero but some things that triathletes discovered that made these better than riding the drops or using bull horn handlebars : 1. Putting your elbows closer together, created a wedge that really helped you slice thru the wind. 2. Being stretched out in the prone position (basically lying down) allowed you to rest somewhat and work at a lower heartrate. Which in turn kept you fresher for the run.3. Your arms being stretched out allowed your lungs to expand more easily than being in the drops.
Although I moved my saddle forward, Personally I never used a forward seatpost. I like the different positions I can use by not being too far forward. I can ride the tops,I can ride the drops,and I can ride the hoods, and when I really want to go, I scoot a little more forward in the saddle. They're my favorite and the original."
This is what I'm talking about.

Steamer

Context does matter.

texaspandj

In that case the longest I've ridden with aero bars is 112 miles, Immediatley followed by a 26.2 mile run. The longest on road bars 150 miles.

Pete Penseyres set a RAAM record in 86 with something very similar to aero bars.

83cannondale

I mounted some vintage Cinelli spinachi bars on my 83cannondale rando bike. Used thick foam pipe insulation as padding on hb top flats. Works well for me. Forearms go on pads, hands on the bars. Can even hang a small hb bag underneath.
Done few 200ks, couple each 300k, 400k. Plus a 550k. Aero very important going into wind, for change of position, etc. Tubular foam pipe insulation on top flats instead of typical aero pads is nice because can rest hands there for padded riding. Not able to do that with regular aero pads.

Can add a 600k to that - at about 250 miles I had a crash and sprained wrist. Resting forearm on foam pad, holding opposite side spinachi got me through the lase 125 miles.

Happy Feet

Thanks for posting that pic. At first I was like what? but then I saw how the hand positions are created out of one piece instead of adding drops, aeros etc...

mklieman

I just finished a 3-month 5200+ mile ride across the country (west to east). Riding a Surly Disk Trucker with drop bars. Started out with about 50lbs of gear which slowly decreased to 40lbs over the course of the ride. I added aero bars around mile 3000 when I got into Kansas due to increasing neck pain and repetitive stress issues with my right hand. I can't imagine going back. I likely spent 50-75% of my time in the aero bars after getting them... both on sealed road and gravel. I got them primarily for comfort (I did not have a particularly aggressive position), but nonetheless my speed definitely increased a couple of mph and I was able to do longer days much more comfortably -- I averaged 70+ per day before the aero bars and 80+ after (lots of factors going into that, but the aero bars were clearly an enabler).

I would encourage anyone touring or doing long endurance rides to try them out.

OldTryGuy

Just revisited this thread and wanted to say -----

AWESOME RIDE mklieman

Saw my post from almost 1 year ago ---- ----- and realized that last Thursday -- August 9th a little less than a year later I upped the mileage to 201.18, only this time it was a total solo ride. Loving those aero bars even more.