aero-bars..

erics <eric@no_spamthe-stannards.co.uk_thanks> wrote:

: Firstly it seems there are two options, clip on aero bars,
: or integrated aero-bars to replace the drops (not sure
: what they are correctly called!). The first option is
: easier as they can just be fixed onto the exisiting drops
: and the brakes and gear levers can be left as they are.
: How ineffective does it make them if the gears are not
: within fingertip reach? (I guess that depends on the
: course and the necessity to use them often I guess)

Strictly depends on the course. On a hilly SPOCO course,
it can be better to have clipon bars with the gears in the
normal place since you will often want to change gear
while climbing.

On a flat course, you won't be changing gear that
often anyway 🙂

The main issue with clipons is that you will usually have to
lower the bars to get a decently low position. This can be
anything from easy to impossible depending.

: The second option would involve a lot more as the brakes
: and gear levers would also have to be replaced I guess. Is
: the long term benefit worth the extra hasstle and expense?

Also makes the bike useless for anything except TT'ing so
you'll need another bike to do most of your riding on. This
may be a good or a bad thing depending.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune clune.orgclune.orgOpen ↗ "Technolibertarians make a
philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook

erics said:

looking for some advice and recommendations on aero bars
for a new comer to time trialling... The second option
would involve a lot more as the brakes and gear levers
would also have to be replaced I guess. Is the long term
benefit worth the extra hasstle and expense? Any
recommendations?

Get the bolt on version first(£30ish), if you get on well
with them, then buy a set of 'proper'(£100+) aero bars. I've
had both, and finally went back to the bolt on ones, as the
'full' aero bars were just too low for me, making the bike
pretty useless apart from TTs. Changing gears/braking isnt a
problem, its just like when you are holding the top/centre
of drop bars, and you have to move your hands to brake, the
movement becomes second nature, so isnt a problem. Alan.

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erics said:

looking for some advice and recommendations on aero bars
for a new comer to time trialling...

I'd get the clip-ons unless you have a dedicated bike.
They're not great for control at speeds below 15mph (e.g.
when turning), or for climbing.

I've just ordered some cheap Profile ones, which are OK. At
the moment I'm under 30 mins on a standard bike (on the
Nomad last week because it was raining!) and aiming for
better than 27'10" this year, cos that's what I could do 12
years ago when I last rode competitively. The bars are
probably worth 1-2 minutes in a "10" once you're used to
them - about the same as a tight jersey.