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Aero bars?

LatinobeatLatinobeat Posts: 44
in General Chat
One quick question to give this forum a nudge, what will aero bars do for me, a 30kph average, so average in both senses of the word. Some bargains to be had at the moment but want to be sure it's worth the investment. They'd be going on an OK road bike and I'm fairly flexible.

Comments

  • sonofsammosonofsammo Posts: 191
    Aero bars are awesome when they're right for you.
    I've only just got to the point that they were a good idea for me had. Bike fit when I added them and haven't looked back gain loads on downhill have just broken a previous pb and hit 51.7mph :-D
    They can add a couple of miles an hour or keep you t the same speed for less effort, so you have more left for the run....

    It needs to be done properly though, otherwise they'll just end up on eBay!
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    When you are cycling along the flat, most of the resistance comes from the air. The faster you go, the harder it is to push the air. It's not a linear relationship though.

    To go faster, you must have a smaller frontal area. This is something that tri bars enable you to do.

    If you were cycling for an hour at 25mph, and had a relatively poor position, become more aero could make you go a good few minutes faster.

    But if you just cycled at 15mph, it wouldn't make so much difference.

    So, if you cycle quickly, and have a poor position, the gains can be tremendous.

    If you are doing hilly rides, with technical bits (corners, braking, accelerations) then wind resistance is less of a factor.

    You may also find it harder to brake and/or control the bike.

    In summary, the gains can be vast - but the better you are, and the flatter, straighter the rides are, the more advantages you will get.

    With a bit of practice, you should see some gains. But not as much as if you were doing 40kph rather than 30kph
  • LatinobeatLatinobeat Posts: 44
    Cheers, the point about proportionate gain hadn't occurred to me but makes sense. Might have to focus on earning the gains for a bit longer and then capitalise on them with a bit of technology. Give it a year and I reckon I'll be in the market for a TT or tri bike anyway, if I can get away with it.
  • nigelworvellnigelworvell Posts: 70
    The aero bars will make quite a difference on your bike splits, by as mentioned above reducing your frontal area which in effect reduces the amount of air you have to push out of the way, also by reducing your frontal area you will also be reducing the amount of drag that your body creates, the wattage that you save can then be used to go faster!
    What you have to be careful about is that you don't compromise your power output by trying to go too aero!......as often mentioned on here, fit is King!

    For me aero bars added nearly 3mph to my average speed! so smiles all around!
    The results will differ for everyone!

    A TT bike will give you even better results!

    Hope this helps in your choice.
  • AKAK Posts: 27
    Not meaning to hijack the topic, but a related question: when choosing clip-on bars for your road bike, would you rather lean towards full-size ones or the "shorties"? What are the benefits/disadvantages of both?

  • sonofsammosonofsammo Posts: 191
    kfjatek wrote:
    Not meaning to hijack the topic, but a related question: when choosing clip-on bars for your road bike, would you rather lean towards full-size ones or the "shorties"? What are the benefits/disadvantages of both?

    I think it very much depends on the position you're able to maintain without losing efficiency.....
  • gavinpgavinp Posts: 168
    The short ones were brought in due to changes in rules/regulations for some road races (can't remember the details off hand).

    If it's your first set I would suggest going for longer ones - and NOT the straight ones. Go for the ones that angle upwards. You want to be comfortable and in control - the two main points that will make the experience enjoyable
  • sonofsammosonofsammo Posts: 191
    gavinp wrote:
    The short ones were brought in due to changes in rules/regulations for some road races (can't remember the details off hand).

    If it's your first set I would suggest going for longer ones - and NOT the straight ones. Go for the ones that angle upwards. You want to be comfortable and in control - the two main points that will make the experience enjoyable
    +1 for angled - much more comfortable, which encourages you to stay on them more.
  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    As mentioned fit is king. Here is an excellent article by Dan Empfield http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/ ... kefit.html

    The length of the bar is dependent on the length of your forearm, basically your elbows hang just of the armrests. The 'shorty' as mentioned is usually found in draft legal racing.

    Re the upturned or ski Vs the straight or S type debate will never go away but here is an interesting article. http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/sbend.shtml

    If you sit and hold out your arm on a table and hold a pen in your hand it will stick up at an angle of about 70deg from the horizontal. If you try to hold the pen so it is horizontal you can feel the tension in the arms and shoulder, that is why I use ski types.
  • LatinobeatLatinobeat Posts: 44
    Thanks for all the comments and suggestions, seems like I need to do a couple of things, keep working on the engine and get my bike fitted properly. I think the aeros may wait for a bit and maybe look at using them in the build up to next season, gives me something to ask Father Christmas for

    Cheers again
  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    You need to have the bars when you have a fit as the whole geometry will get thrown out when the bars are added. A lot of people also remove the saddle and rotate the seat post 180deg so that the bolty bit faces forward and then refit the saddle
    http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com ... hlon-bike/
    http://bikedynamics.co.uk/FitGuideTT.htm
  • AKAK Posts: 27
    +1 on the thanks; I'm quite glad Christmas is on the way too...

  • AKAK Posts: 27
    OK, hijacking this thread once again but thought better this than starting a new one to continue what essentially is the same topic.

    Two additional questions re clip-on aerobars, one general and one particular:

    - anyone has any advice to share on bar-end gear shifters? Is it worth moving the gear shifting on a road-turn-tri bike from standard STi to the aero position? Or is it a waste of time and money?

    - anyone using these particular clip-ons and can recommend them (or otherwise): http://www.profile-design.com/profile-d ... arbon.html ? I've done some online digging and it seems like these should do the trick for me, but would be great to get some second opinion from people who have used them before..

    Answers on a postcard please!
    (we Poles have this lovely annual thing called nameday which means you essentially get your b-day presents twice a year - and mine is coming in the next couple of weeks!)

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