Why aren't aero-bars standard?
08-13-12, 10:31 AM
#51
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Wow. I can defitelely see it is still a very debateable subject. A rider I know who used to ride with provincial teams before is adamant about the standrd road bike set up as well and we often have these same discussions.
For me I did a 50km ride yesterday. I tired standard road riding but I ended up with a headache and sore shoulders but I was ok on the bars. I think in my case I realized I got the aero bars more for my physical back and shoulder limitations. Strong legs but weak back and shoulders.
I did hear though that a lot of tri riders prefer the road bike with aero bars, or a time trial bike, as was mentioned before on the thread because the relaxed seat post angle is better in providing leg power for hills.
For me I did a 50km ride yesterday. I tired standard road riding but I ended up with a headache and sore shoulders but I was ok on the bars. I think in my case I realized I got the aero bars more for my physical back and shoulder limitations. Strong legs but weak back and shoulders.
I did hear though that a lot of tri riders prefer the road bike with aero bars, or a time trial bike, as was mentioned before on the thread because the relaxed seat post angle is better in providing leg power for hills.
08-13-12, 10:35 AM
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That's because all the really fast NorCal guys were racing Dunnigan Hills, without aerobars.
08-13-12, 10:39 AM
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08-13-12, 11:11 AM
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Hence the personal preference part. If you find them more comfortable, great. It's certainly impossible to argue what someone else finds comfortable for them.
I would say though the riding in the drops for 3 hours straight isn't the comparison. If you need to be going fast enough for 3 hours in the drops, you'd want aerobars for the aerodynamics anyway. Most people not riding with aerobars are using a mixture of hand positions, not just always in the drops.
I would say though the riding in the drops for 3 hours straight isn't the comparison. If you need to be going fast enough for 3 hours in the drops, you'd want aerobars for the aerodynamics anyway. Most people not riding with aerobars are using a mixture of hand positions, not just always in the drops.
Well, if you're comparing hoods (not drops) to aerobars, it's not really a fair comparison. You can be even more comfortable with the aerobars if you ride not in aero position, but in full upright position with hands (not forearms) on the pads, which is actually the position I use on all steep climbs since the aero position is not as great for climbing, and that position is as upright as the most comfort-positioned leisure bike (my back is dead straight upright).
I guess the point I'm making is that it's not really fair to compare positions for comfort if one of them is markedly slower in terms of speed, as you could make any setup more comfortable by taking out that aggressive back position. It's just semantics though - sounds like you too would actually prefer aerobars for a 3 hour solo TT type effort for comfort and speed reasons.
08-13-12, 11:12 AM
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Wow. I can defitelely see it is still a very debateable subject. A rider I know who used to ride with provincial teams before is adamant about the standrd road bike set up as well and we often have these same discussions.
For me I did a 50km ride yesterday. I tired standard road riding but I ended up with a headache and sore shoulders but I was ok on the bars. I think in my case I realized I got the aero bars more for my physical back and shoulder limitations. Strong legs but weak back and shoulders.
I did hear though that a lot of tri riders prefer the road bike with aero bars, or a time trial bike, as was mentioned before on the thread because the relaxed seat post angle is better in providing leg power for hills.
For me I did a 50km ride yesterday. I tired standard road riding but I ended up with a headache and sore shoulders but I was ok on the bars. I think in my case I realized I got the aero bars more for my physical back and shoulder limitations. Strong legs but weak back and shoulders.
I did hear though that a lot of tri riders prefer the road bike with aero bars, or a time trial bike, as was mentioned before on the thread because the relaxed seat post angle is better in providing leg power for hills.
08-13-12, 11:21 AM
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Well, if you're comparing hoods (not drops) to aerobars, it's not really a fair comparison. You can be even more comfortable with the aerobars if you ride not in aero position, but in full upright position with hands (not forearms) on the pads, which is actually the position I use on all steep climbs since the aero position is not as great for climbing, and that position is as upright as the most comfort-positioned leisure bike (my back is dead straight upright).
I guess the point I'm making is that it's not really fair to compare positions for comfort if one of them is markedly slower in terms of speed, as you could make any setup more comfortable by taking out that aggressive back position. It's just semantics though - sounds like you too would actually prefer aerobars for a 3 hour solo TT type effort for comfort and speed reasons.
I guess the point I'm making is that it's not really fair to compare positions for comfort if one of them is markedly slower in terms of speed, as you could make any setup more comfortable by taking out that aggressive back position. It's just semantics though - sounds like you too would actually prefer aerobars for a 3 hour solo TT type effort for comfort and speed reasons.
08-13-12, 12:04 PM
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Wow. I can defitelely see it is still a very debateable subject. A rider I know who used to ride with provincial teams before is adamant about the standrd road bike set up as well and we often have these same discussions.
For me I did a 50km ride yesterday. I tired standard road riding but I ended up with a headache and sore shoulders but I was ok on the bars. I think in my case I realized I got the aero bars more for my physical back and shoulder limitations. Strong legs but weak back and shoulders.
I did hear though that a lot of tri riders prefer the road bike with aero bars, or a time trial bike, as was mentioned before on the thread because the relaxed seat post angle is better in providing leg power for hills.
For me I did a 50km ride yesterday. I tired standard road riding but I ended up with a headache and sore shoulders but I was ok on the bars. I think in my case I realized I got the aero bars more for my physical back and shoulder limitations. Strong legs but weak back and shoulders.
I did hear though that a lot of tri riders prefer the road bike with aero bars, or a time trial bike, as was mentioned before on the thread because the relaxed seat post angle is better in providing leg power for hills.
08-13-12, 05:32 PM
#59
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My summary of this debate:
1) Aerobars are absolutely necessary to be competitive in TT's and Tri's.
2)Aerobars are a terrible idea in group rides.
3) It's harder to control a bike riding in the aerobars, due to weight distribution, lack of access to the brakes, and lack of the ability to exercise fine control. Thus they're a bad idea in traffic.
4) Visibility of your surroundings is worse in the aerobars, another reason not to use them in traffic.
5) Properly set up to be aero, they're not very comfortable, for the majority of people. The people who say that they find aerobars to be comfortable, either have a lousy aero position, are more flexible than average,or are masochists.
6) I'm willing to bet that the number of people using aerobars with a setup at least as aero as riding in the drops, that regularly ride in the aerobars, and that actually find that position comfortable is a small percentage of the people who own aerobars.
7) Most people who aren't training for tri's or tt's that have aerobars rarely use them in my observation, which makes you wonder how they can be so confortable and such a speed advantage, yet never get used.
8) A certain percentage of cyclists, mostly people doing long solo rides like aerobars, and if they work for them, good for them.
Beyond not using in a group ride, whether you want to use aerobars is a personal preference. However, the fact that they're not standard equipment, and that most road cyclists, not training for timed events, don't use them, would indicate that on balance for most people, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.
I have aerobars on my road bike, for the sole purpose of trying a couple of triathlons.
I found them to be a great advantage in my first foray, and if I do a few more, then I'll ditch these and buy a tri-bike.
They're a great was to see if a triathlon style riding is the right thing for a person.
I only use them well away from other cyclists, on straight roads with light, if any traffic.
Once I'm done with this season's last tri, they're coming off. I'm actually looking forward to it.
I am, without doubt, faster & more comfortable on the straights with these.
But handling is twitchy, and they're not for group riding.
08-13-12, 06:27 PM
#60
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LOL Einstein where do you think I live (hint check sig). The reason triguys suck so bad on the bike is because the majority never do intervals and can't handle a bike because of the aero bars. Over and unders are the key to building speed not hunched over all day in a power compromised position.
08-13-12, 07:33 PM
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https://ironmanuschampionship.com/fil...tion_20121.pdf
that is a lot less than 6000ft and none of the hills are over 1000ft of elevation.
i thought the original argument was about road bike with aero bars and not tt bikes which are a completly different animal.
Last edited by roca rule; 08-13-12 at 07:39 PM.
08-13-12, 08:01 PM
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are you talking about this one
https://ironmanuschampionship.com/fil...tion_20121.pdf
that is a lot less than 6000ft and none of the hills are over 1000ft of elevation.
i thought the original argument was about road bike with aero bars and not tt bikes which are a completly different animal.
https://ironmanuschampionship.com/fil...tion_20121.pdf
that is a lot less than 6000ft and none of the hills are over 1000ft of elevation.
i thought the original argument was about road bike with aero bars and not tt bikes which are a completly different animal.
As for the elevation profile, peoples garmin units seem to report it as 6000+ft. Map my ride reports it as 3800. Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle.
08-13-12, 10:49 PM
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LOL Einstein where do you think I live (hint check sig). The reason triguys suck so bad on the bike is because the majority never do intervals and can't handle a bike because of the aero bars. Over and unders are the key to building speed not hunched over all day in a power compromised position.
Now if we're talking about swimming, yes, triathletes SUCK compared to 'real' swimmers. It's not even close for the average triathlete versus the average pure swimmer,. A pack of good junior high school girls from the swimming team would land in the top 20% of the most competitive AG in the swim leg of the triathlon.
You just need to see the faster triguys, not just your casual observations of all the average joes whom you pass easily on the roads. ANd they're out there - you just probably aren't fast enough to catch them on the road so you get your impression of triathletes only from the ones you can pass. A lot of the real fast guys ride road bikes most of the time, anyway. I only bust my TT bike out about 5 weeks or so from race day - I ride my road bike almost exclusively the rest of the time, since I can jump in and out of groups without problem with it.
08-13-12, 11:57 PM
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Is the aerodynamic advantage great enough for them to be worthwhile to use for people who are not riding competitively, but are riding on long, straight, flat trails?
08-14-12, 12:38 AM
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Hi everyone. I am a new cyclist from Victoria BC. I rode mountain bikes for a year but now I am enjoying my Felt road bike.
When I got the bike I got aero bars installed on it as well. They are very comfortable and easy to use. I like to cross train between standard and 'time trial' positioning.
However, I am in an unresolved debate with my fellow road riders as to why aero-bar use is not common and standard practice. I don't pack ride. I always ride alone. But I am the only person it seems who rides alone who uses these extra tools.
What is the reason for this?
Forgive me, I am still new to this sport.
Thanks
When I got the bike I got aero bars installed on it as well. They are very comfortable and easy to use. I like to cross train between standard and 'time trial' positioning.
However, I am in an unresolved debate with my fellow road riders as to why aero-bar use is not common and standard practice. I don't pack ride. I always ride alone. But I am the only person it seems who rides alone who uses these extra tools.
What is the reason for this?
Forgive me, I am still new to this sport.
Thanks
Also, it is hard to properly adjust a drop bar road bike so that both the normal road bar positions and the aero bar position is in the right spot. Either the traditional road bar positions are too low and the saddle too far forward in order to accomodate the aerobars, or the aerobars are too high for good aerodynamics.
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Last edited by Brian Ratliff; 08-14-12 at 12:43 AM.
08-14-12, 01:55 AM
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Are we spreading this again? It comes up in every single aerobar thread, and its just wrong. I can sit in my aerobars all day if I want, and it's 0.7-0.8mph faster at the same watts AND more comfortable than a sharply bent elbow drop bar position.
Of course a 20km TT position will be even more aggressive, more aero, and uncomfortable, but that's one extreme. Dial it back a bit and you get a comfortable endurance position that is faster than the drops.
Of course a 20km TT position will be even more aggressive, more aero, and uncomfortable, but that's one extreme. Dial it back a bit and you get a comfortable endurance position that is faster than the drops.
Aerobars are a perfect example of this.
There are thousands of triathletes in clubs, myself included, who weekly do grouprides while partially using aerobars.
I don't have exact statistics about those rides ... but I doubt they constantly fall down and hurt eachother.
08-14-12, 02:02 AM
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Aerobars, for me as a quadrupel back and neck herniated patient, are simply my only option to ride longer than an hour or so.
I find them to be the most comfortable bike handlebar system ever ... especially the bent type.
Do I tell you that your drop handlebar is silly? No I don't ... although I believe that, for me, a drop handlebar is really uncomfortable.
08-14-12, 02:05 AM
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LOL Einstein where do you think I live (hint check sig). The reason triguys suck so bad on the bike is because the majority never do intervals and can't handle a bike because of the aero bars. Over and unders are the key to building speed not hunched over all day in a power compromised position.
If not ... your comment is irrelevant at best.
08-14-12, 05:36 AM
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08-14-12, 06:44 AM
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I have thought that the main aerobar speed benefit comes from tucking your elbows in, so your front section is smaller.
As far as I know, aerodynamic improvement trumps a percent or two in weight savings every time, when you get up to road speeds. In a sport where you spend several hundred dollars to get a bit thicker rims for improved aerodynamics, aerobars seem to give pretty good bang for your buck
As far as I know, aerodynamic improvement trumps a percent or two in weight savings every time, when you get up to road speeds. In a sport where you spend several hundred dollars to get a bit thicker rims for improved aerodynamics, aerobars seem to give pretty good bang for your buck
Last edited by proileri; 08-14-12 at 06:53 AM.