Aero Bars ?

Test em. Some people like S bends, some people don't. TT riders seem to prefer s bendsd, triathletes tend to use the more natural bend a bit more often.

Please tell me they are not going on a bike you use for group rides.

bobbyOCR said:

Test em. Some people like S bends, some people don't. TT riders seem to prefer s bendsd, triathletes tend to use the more natural bend a bit more often.

Please tell me they are not going on a bike you use for group rides.

+1 ..... especially the part about group rides!

just going to add, don't ever call them comfort bars, and don't ever use them while going up hill.

capwater said:

+1 ..... especially the part about group rides!

Aerobars on group rides shouldn't be an issue as long as the rider doesn't use them while in the pack. If a rider is last man, or way off the front, or pulling for the group on a smooth straightaway, getting onto aero bars doesn't bother me.

I'll confess I've gotten into the habit of going to an aero position without having aerobars. I just rest my forearms on the bars about midway out from the stem, and hold my arms at a 30-45* angle. Seems safe enough for smooth straight roads, and my buddies don't complain...at least when I'm out front pulling for them 🙂

dhk2 said:

Aerobars on group rides shouldn't be an issue as long as the rider doesn't use them while in the pack. If a rider is last man, or way off the front, or pulling for the group on a smooth straightaway, getting onto aero bars doesn't bother me.

I'll confess I've gotten into the habit of going to an aero position without having aerobars. I just rest my forearms on the bars about midway out from the stem, and hold my arms at a 30-45* angle. Seems safe enough for smooth straight roads, and my buddies don't complain...at least when I'm out front pulling for them 🙂

And when you hit a pothole.....?
If you're not in a TT or a Triathlon (though even the second is debatable!) or training for one then you really shouldn't be riding on them. They decrease stability and handling ability.

Also aerobars are designed to improve aerodynamics, not comfort, and you need to be sure that you absolutely can't put up with the uncomfortable position to move to a less aero bar style.

dhk2 said:

Aerobars on group rides shouldn't be an issue as long as the rider doesn't use them while in the pack. If a rider is last man, or way off the front, or pulling for the group on a smooth straightaway, getting onto aero bars doesn't bother me.

If you're in the back or off the front you're not doing a group ride. My definition of a group ride includes a smooth paceline. Anything else is just a goat rodeo.

To me the issue is the inability to quickly grab a brake or more importantly the "hook em horns" possibility. When tri guys show up we tell them to stay of the back or go home. It's a safety thing.

tafi said:

...If you're not in a TT or a Triathlon (though even the second is debatable!) or training for one then you really shouldn't be riding on them...

When I commuted to work prior to retiring I used them. They really helped out in a head wind. I always rode by myself, and I wasn't training for a TT or Tri.

I posted this to get opinions on the two different aero bars that were mentioned. And the post turned into a discusion on when to use aero bars. If that is what you want to talk about , why don't you start your own thread.

OK.

The T2 cobra is by no means comfortable. S bends were built for speed. Plus they look the part.

Now. Despite the lack of control, if you are pulling guys in a group you want to actually provide a draft. If you are trying to drop them you are cheating. If you are off the back you look stupid with aerobars and you are by yourself.

You can't do right with aerobars in a group.

dhk2 said:

Aerobars on group rides shouldn't be an issue as long as the rider doesn't use them while in the pack. If a rider is last man, or way off the front, or pulling for the group on a smooth straightaway, getting onto aero bars doesn't bother me.

I'll confess I've gotten into the habit of going to an aero position without having aerobars. I just rest my forearms on the bars about midway out from the stem, and hold my arms at a 30-45* angle. Seems safe enough for smooth straight roads, and my buddies don't complain...at least when I'm out front pulling for them 🙂

I just put a set on because it seems to strech my back out a little and is good in a head wind, I ride by myself mostly..

ROCYC said:

I posted this to get opinions on the two different aero bars that were mentioned. And the post turned into a discusion on when to use aero bars. If that is what you want to talk about , why don't you start your own thread.

Ok. I have both the straight and the S turned types. The straight seem to be far more comfy than the S formed. The S formed seem to give more aero benefits but at a price to comfort.

tafi said:

And when you hit a pothole.....?

Maybe he's actually looking up the road so that he'll be able to steer around the pothole. I've found that nudging my handlbars in one direction or another seems to cause the bike to deviate from straight line path. I've been doing studies to see if it might be possible, via a series of specific handlebar nudges, to cause a bike on a path whose projection in one plane has infinite radius to deviate from that path along a curve with a radius R(x,y,t) and then return to that path with infinite radius, R.

I'll let everyone know how that works out.

alienator said:

Maybe he's actually looking up the road so that he'll be able to steer around the pothole. I've found that nudging my handlbars in one direction or another seems to cause the bike to deviate from straight line path. I've been doing studies to see if it might be possible, via a series of specific handlebar nudges, to cause a bike on a path whose projection in one plane has infinite radius to deviate from that path along a curve with a radius R(x,y,t) and then return to that path with infinite radius, R.

I'll let everyone know how that works out.

Gold.