aero bars... who wins?

[Billx]

I bought a new bike recently and have had so much fun riding it sans aero bars. Now that my first
race is two weeks away I moved my previous bike's bars to my new stalion because like it or not the
bars increase my times by over 1 mph. Personally I don't think anyone wins other than the aero bar
manufacturers and would gladly compete in an aerobar free race if such a construct existed.

 

[Zac Nesper]

I know I win when I'm more comfortable over the course of an IM or 1/2 IM. It's not just speed, it's
comfort. Can you imagine trying to ride for 5+ hours in the drops?

"BillX" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I bought a new bike recently and have had so much fun riding it sans aero bars. Now that my first
> race is two weeks away I moved my previous bike's bars to my new stalion because like it or not
> the bars increase my times
by
> over 1 mph. Personally I don't think anyone wins other than the aero bar manufacturers and would
> gladly compete in an aerobar free race if such a construct existed.

 

[Mark Hickey]

"Zac Nesper" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I know I win when I'm more comfortable over the course of an IM or 1/2 IM. It's not just speed,
>it's comfort. Can you imagine trying to ride for 5+ hours in the drops?

Heh heh heh. That's called "cycling". You should try it some time. ;-)

I too agree that I'd rather do a long, hard ride with aerobars to lay down on (with or without the
aero advantage). I have raced courses that it would have been nice to have been able to ride a
conventional road bike (lots of climbing, lots of corners), rather than being forced into using
aerobars so as not to lose too much time on the flats.

Oh, and I recently found another use for aerobars:

http://www.habcycles.com/bikecrash.html

My aerobar / bar end shifter left a NICE long scratch down the side of the truck that took me out.
It paid for it dearly though (though that was the only obvious damage to the bike - my helmet
OTOH....).

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame

 

[James Hawkins]

"Zac Nesper" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...

> It's not just speed, it's comfort. Can you imagine trying to ride for 5+ hours in the drops?

You're obviously not following the Giro! These guys do roughly that 21 days in a row (give or take 2
rest days and 2 shorter TTs). The there's the TDF coming up...

 

[Zac Nesper]

Been watching the Giro almost every night...difference is that they can rest on the hoods when not
taking a pull...took my aerobars off last week so I could pretend to be a cyclist again, and have
been missing them sorely.

Zac

"James Hawkins" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> "Zac Nesper" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> > It's not just speed, it's comfort. Can you imagine trying to ride for
5+
> > hours in the drops?
>
> You're obviously not following the Giro! These guys do roughly that 21
days
> in a row (give or take 2 rest days and 2 shorter TTs). The there's the
TDF
> coming up...

 

[Tom Henderson]

Mark Hickey <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

> http://www.habcycles.com/bikecrash.html

Ouch! Glad you made it through with survivable injuries. Was the driver at least apologetic?

 

[Mark Hickey]

Tom Henderson <[email protected]> wrote:

>Mark Hickey <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
>> http://www.habcycles.com/bikecrash.html
>
>Ouch! Glad you made it through with survivable injuries. Was the driver at least apologetic?

I think so... I was a little out of it at the time (didn't really realize HOW much until later). For
example, I had no idea I had fallen on my arm., and couldn't remember my address or the name of the
road I was on (a road which I've ridden probably 500 times).

Even stranger, when they asked me my age, I gave them my racing age instead of my actual age. Hmmmm.

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame