Mounting Aerobars on Bike



C

Cam Wilson

Guest
a friend just loaned me some aerobars to install on my bike and to try out for a while. the
installation is simple enough, but unfortunately the aeros do not tighten snugly onto the flats
on my existing handlebars. my handlebars are of a smaller diameter than what was intended for
these aeros, and the aeros are quite loose. i have attempted some taping jobs to build up the
diameter of the flats but the aeros still slide around a bit - not side to side, but forwards and
backwards slightly.

how would some of you seasoned pros and/or bike experts do this?

thanks for any input,

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.
 
You might do better mentioning aerobar and bike model/brand. I've not seen any clip on bars that
wouldn't fit most bikes... not to say they don't exist.

"Cam Wilson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> a friend just loaned me some aerobars to install on my bike and to try out for a while. the
> installation is simple enough, but unfortunately the aeros do not tighten snugly onto the flats on
> my existing handlebars. my handlebars are of a smaller diameter than what was intended for these
> aeros, and the aeros are quite loose. i have attempted some taping jobs to build up the diameter
> of the flats but the aeros still slide around a bit - not side to side, but forwards and backwards
> slightly.
>
> how would some of you seasoned pros and/or bike experts do this?
>
> thanks for any input,
>
> Cam
>
> --
> Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.
 
My first inclination would be to replace either the handlbars or the aerobars. This is a potential
safety issue.

Having said that you could probably just leave the tape on your handlebars and install the aerobars
over the tape. That should increase the circumfrence enough to make the aerobars fit.

"Cam Wilson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> a friend just loaned me some aerobars to install on my bike and to try out for a while. the
> installation is simple enough, but unfortunately the aeros do not tighten snugly onto the flats on
> my existing handlebars. my handlebars are of a smaller diameter than what was intended for these
> aeros, and the aeros are quite loose. i have attempted some taping jobs to build up the diameter
> of the flats but the aeros still slide around a bit - not side to side, but forwards and backwards
> slightly.
>
> how would some of you seasoned pros and/or bike experts do this?
>
> thanks for any input,
>
> Cam
>
> --
> Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.
 
Well, I certainly won't replace my handlebars since this is just a temporary loan (of the aeros).
But if there is a chance of finding better-fitting aeros, then if I were to consider buying aeros, I
would pass on these ones. I'm not sure I see where there is a safety issue, though I know it's best
to have all bike attachments firmly in place. These aeros aren't going anywhere... they're on the
handlebars, bolted and all. They simply aren't rock solid in their position.

The tape just wasn't cutting it, so I removed it and instead wrapped pieces of flexible rubber
around the handlebars. I found that while this didn't totally eliminate the slight movement of the
aeros, it significantly reduced it. I will try this out carefully, and in the meantime will look
around for another type of rubber/plastic material that I can place between the aero clamp and the
handlebar. I have seen the rubber inserts included with some bike accessory clamps (to increase bar
diameter for good fit), and would like to find something like that since it does not slip at all.

Thanks,

Cam

In article <[email protected]>, "Jim Quinn"
<[email protected]> wrote:

> My first inclination would be to replace either the handlbars or the aerobars. This is a potential
> safety issue.
>
> Having said that you could probably just leave the tape on your handlebars and install the
> aerobars over the tape. That should increase the circumfrence enough to make the aerobars fit.
>
>
> "Cam Wilson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > a friend just loaned me some aerobars to install on my bike and to try out for a while. the
> > installation is simple enough, but unfortunately the aeros do not tighten snugly onto the flats
> > on my existing handlebars. my handlebars are of a smaller diameter than what was intended for
> > these aeros, and the aeros are quite loose. i have attempted some taping jobs to build up the
> > diameter of the flats but the aeros still slide around a bit - not side to side, but forwards
> > and backwards slightly.
> >
> > how would some of you seasoned pros and/or bike experts do this?
> >
> > thanks for any input,
> >
> > Cam
> >
> > --
> > Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.
>
>

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.
 
"Jim Quinn" <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

> My first inclination would be to replace either the handlbars or the aerobars. This is a potential
> safety issue.
>
> Having said that you could probably just leave the tape on your handlebars and install the
> aerobars over the tape. That should increase the circumfrence enough to make the aerobars fit.
>

How long was Ken@Kuai out when his stem broke and the bars dropped out from under him in traffic? If
I remember correctly, he cracked ribs, broke a collarbone, punctured and collapsed a lung, and saw
numerous colorful birds circle his head for a week. I would expect having your bars slip down and
forward during a ride would cause a similar crash.

Get something that fits, Cam. And even with stuff that fits, train on quieter roads until you're
used to the aerobars.
 
Not a bad idea, but I was going to say cut up an old or flatted tube. I think this might provide a
little more friction than a water hose. I like your thinking though. Probably because I'm from
Alabama and all. :)

chris

Bpitt wrote:

> Okay, I'll admit, I'm a triathlon wanna be. I've never completed one, not YET! And this might
> sound redneckish, being I'm from Mississippi. But, have you tried cutting a small piece of water
> hose and slipping it around your handlbars, then mounting the aerobars? Haven't posted here
> before, but my shadetree thinking kicked in on this one. Hope it helps. Just a suggestion. I'm
> outta here.
 
How to make the aero bars fit a smaller diameter huh? Ask Greg LeMond. In his aero bar debut in the
89 Tour Boone Lennon actually had to shim the aero bars with piece of pop cans to get them tight
enough. Since then though a few manufacturers made actual aluminum shims to go between the two.
Usually about the same length as the bar clamp tube..about an inch or so wide and curved to roughly
the same arc. I know both Profile and Scott did this in the early days of aero bars because they
hadn't quite got the clamp dia. just right. From personal experience the rubber shim thing will not
quite do the trick. If you tighten the bolts enough to stop the bars from moving the rubber just
squishes out the sides. While the pop can thing isn't really attractive or practical your LBS might
still have one or two of those bar shims hanging around they could sell you. Another option it to
take some old aluminum pipe (not steel..it will wreck both the aeros and the bars for sure) cut it
to the length you want it then cut it in half across the diameter. If you get it in and it's too
thick you can always file some of it off to fit. It might not seem like a big deal safety wise
right now...but as posted above...it really is. Nothing like going over a set of train tracks at
speed in aero tuck and having the bars drop forward on you to throw off your center of gravity (and
yes this is a voice of experience...you almost never recover fast enough from it to not crash.) Be
safe and have fun.

Kent
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Kent) wrote:

> How to make the aero bars fit a smaller diameter huh? Ask Greg LeMond. In his aero bar debut in
> the 89 Tour Boone Lennon actually had to shim the aero bars with piece of pop cans to get them
> tight enough. Since then though a few manufacturers made actual aluminum shims to go between the
> two. Usually about the same length as the bar clamp tube..about an inch or so wide and curved to
> roughly the same arc. I know both Profile and Scott did this in the early days of aero bars
> because they hadn't quite got the clamp dia. just right. From personal experience the rubber shim
> thing will not quite do the trick. If you tighten the bolts enough to stop the bars from moving
> the rubber just squishes out the sides. While the pop can thing isn't really attractive or
> practical your LBS might still have one or two of those bar shims hanging around they could sell
> you. Another option it to take some old aluminum pipe (not steel..it will wreck both the aeros and
> the bars for sure) cut it to the length you want it then cut it in half across the diameter. If
> you get it in and it's too thick you can always file some of it off to fit. It might not seem like
> a big deal safety wise right now...but as posted above...it really is. Nothing like going over a
> set of train tracks at speed in aero tuck and having the bars drop forward on you to throw off
> your center of gravity (and yes this is a voice of experience...you almost never recover fast
> enough from it to not crash.) Be safe and have fun.
>
> Kent

all interesting ideas, but i doubt i will go to the trouble of making my own shims from metal,
although i may go ask at a bike store about pre-fab shims.

thanks for the thoughts, Kent.

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.
 
In article <[email protected]>, Tom Henderson
<[email protected]> wrote:

> "Jim Quinn" <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
> > My first inclination would be to replace either the handlbars or the aerobars. This is a
> > potential safety issue.
> >
> > Having said that you could probably just leave the tape on your handlebars and install the
> > aerobars over the tape. That should increase the circumfrence enough to make the aerobars fit.
> >
>
> How long was Ken@Kuai out when his stem broke and the bars dropped out from under him in traffic?
> If I remember correctly, he cracked ribs, broke a collarbone, punctured and collapsed a lung, and
> saw numerous colorful birds circle his head for a week. I would expect having your bars slip down
> and forward during a ride would cause a similar crash.
>
> Get something that fits, Cam. And even with stuff that fits, train on quieter roads until you're
> used to the aerobars.
>

point taken. i don't want to see birds for a week.

this was simply an opportunity to try out a friend's aero's for free, since she didn't want to use
them for a while. but if this isn't an easy fix, then i'll skip this and wait for bars that fit.

thanks,

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Bpitt) wrote:

> Okay, I'll admit, I'm a triathlon wanna be. I've never completed one, not YET! And this might
> sound redneckish, being I'm from Mississippi. But, have you tried cutting a small piece of water
> hose and slipping it around your handlbars, then mounting the aerobars? Haven't posted here
> before, but my shadetree thinking kicked in on this one. Hope it helps. Just a suggestion. I'm
> outta here.

i don't know. any other opinions on this? will water hose rubber slip around? i've tried few
different things of plastic and rubber composition, with no full success.

thanks for the idea.... i'll keep it in mind.

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.
 
In article <[email protected]>, chris freeman <[email protected]> wrote:

> Not a bad idea, but I was going to say cut up an old or flatted tube. I think this might provide a
> little more friction than a water hose. I like your thinking though. Probably because I'm from
> Alabama and all. :)
>
> chris
>
> Bpitt wrote:
>
> > Okay, I'll admit, I'm a triathlon wanna be. I've never completed one, not YET! And this might
> > sound redneckish, being I'm from Mississippi. But, have you tried cutting a small piece of water
> > hose and slipping it around your handlbars, then mounting the aerobars? Haven't posted here
> > before, but my shadetree thinking kicked in on this one. Hope it helps. Just a suggestion. I'm
> > outta here.
>

dang! now if only i had kept that flatted tube from a while back. ah well, i'll make a note of this
and if all else fails...

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.
 
Cam Wilson wrote:

> In article <[email protected]>, chris freeman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Not a bad idea, but I was going to say cut up an old or flatted tube.
>
> dang! now if only i had kept that flatted tube from a while back. ah well, i'll make a note of
> this and if all else fails...
>
> Cam

Just drop by your LBS and ask them for an old one.

chris
 
Cam Wilson <[email protected]> wrote in news:cam_wilson-
[email protected]:

> In article <[email protected]>, Tom Henderson
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> "Jim Quinn" <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>>
>> > My first inclination would be to replace either the handlbars or the aerobars. This is a
>> > potential safety issue.
>> >
>> > Having said that you could probably just leave the tape on your handlebars and install the
>> > aerobars over the tape. That should increase the circumfrence enough to make the aerobars fit.
>> >
>>
>> How long was Ken@Kuai out when his stem broke and the bars dropped out from under him in traffic?
>> If I remember correctly, he cracked ribs, broke a collarbone, punctured and collapsed a lung, and
>> saw numerous colorful birds circle his head for a week. I would expect having your bars slip down
>> and forward during a ride would cause a similar crash.
>>
>> Get something that fits, Cam. And even with stuff that fits, train on quieter roads until you're
>> used to the aerobars.
>>
>
>
> point taken. i don't want to see birds for a week.
>
> this was simply an opportunity to try out a friend's aero's for free, since she didn't want to use
> them for a while. but if this isn't an easy fix, then i'll skip this and wait for bars that fit.
>
> thanks,
>
> Cam
>

Might be fine for a few spins around the block to get the feel. The problem is that sometimes
temporary setups end up lasting for years, and something that doesn't fit right is much more likely
to fail over time. I just would hate to see you get hurt because it failed. It'd be a shame to have
to take time off for an injury so soon after becoming one us us nuts!

Tom
 
In article <[email protected]>, Tom Henderson
<[email protected]> wrote:

> Might be fine for a few spins around the block to get the feel. The problem is that sometimes
> temporary setups end up lasting for years, and something that doesn't fit right is much more
> likely to fail over time. I just would hate to see you get hurt because it failed. It'd be a shame
> to have to take time off for an injury so soon after becoming one us us nuts!
>
> Tom
>

Here's my feedback on how the aerobar trial run went: the slight wobbliness wasn't even noticeable
during the ride. I found very quiet back roads to try the aeros out on, where I knew there would be
no traffic to interfere with my use of the bars.

Once in the aero position, it felt good, nice and relaxed and I believe I noticed the addition speed
I could reach in this more streamlined position.

During the ride, because of this new position - on the seat - I felt numbness and a bit of
discomfort *down there* (cough). When this became noticeable, I stopped using the aerobar. Obviously
the seat needs to be re-adjusted, right? Try as I might I couldn't find a position for my butt on
the seat where I wouldn't experience this problem. The aero position is new to me and I sure wasn't
ready for THIS problem. Things settled down to normal after the ride (thank god).

Also, later in the afternoon, when I went for my usual visit to the chiropractor, he commented on my
low back (which I thought was feeling fine of late), and as soon as he used an electric massager on
the area, it felt like hell. The aero position must have aggravated that, too.

Any thoughts/suggestions on these things? Thanks...

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.
 
Just putting bars on a road geometry frame doesn't usually produce a good or comfortable position.
You might need to adjust your seat hight and/or move it forward or backwards.

I have found the position described by John Cobb (he calls it the Slam position) to work comfortably
for using bars on a road bike geometry. Check out www.bicyclesports.com

chris

Cam Wilson wrote:

> Here's my feedback on how the aerobar trial run went: the slight wobbliness wasn't even noticeable
> during the ride. I found very quiet back roads to try the aeros out on, where I knew there would
> be no traffic to interfere with my use of the bars.
>
> Once in the aero position, it felt good, nice and relaxed and I believe I noticed the addition
> speed I could reach in this more streamlined position.
>
> During the ride, because of this new position - on the seat - I felt numbness and a bit of
> discomfort *down there* (cough). When this became noticeable, I stopped using the aerobar.
> Obviously the seat needs to be re-adjusted, right? Try as I might I couldn't find a position for
> my butt on the seat where I wouldn't experience this problem. The aero position is new to me and I
> sure wasn't ready for THIS problem. Things settled down to normal after the ride (thank god).
>
> Also, later in the afternoon, when I went for my usual visit to the chiropractor, he commented on
> my low back (which I thought was feeling fine of late), and as soon as he used an electric
> massager on the area, it felt like hell. The aero position must have aggravated that, too.
>
> Any thoughts/suggestions on these things? Thanks...
 
thanks for the tip, Chris.

cam

In article <[email protected]>, chris freeman <[email protected]> wrote:

> Just putting bars on a road geometry frame doesn't usually produce a good or comfortable position.
> You might need to adjust your seat hight and/or move it forward or backwards.
>
> I have found the position described by John Cobb (he calls it the Slam position) to work
> comfortably for using bars on a road bike geometry. Check out www.bicyclesports.com
>
> chris
>
> Cam Wilson wrote:
>
> > Here's my feedback on how the aerobar trial run went: the slight wobbliness wasn't even
> > noticeable during the ride. I found very quiet back roads to try the aeros out on, where I knew
> > there would be no traffic to interfere with my use of the bars.
> >
> > Once in the aero position, it felt good, nice and relaxed and I believe I noticed the addition
> > speed I could reach in this more streamlined position.
> >
> > During the ride, because of this new position - on the seat - I felt numbness and a bit of
> > discomfort *down there* (cough). When this became noticeable, I stopped using the aerobar.
> > Obviously the seat needs to be re-adjusted, right? Try as I might I couldn't find a position for
> > my butt on the seat where I wouldn't experience this problem. The aero position is new to me and
> > I sure wasn't ready for THIS problem. Things settled down to normal after the ride (thank god).
> >
> > Also, later in the afternoon, when I went for my usual visit to the chiropractor, he commented
> > on my low back (which I thought was feeling fine of late), and as soon as he used an electric
> > massager on the area, it felt like hell. The aero position must have aggravated that, too.
> >
> > Any thoughts/suggestions on these things? Thanks...
>

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.