Looking for aero bars need help!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by tatpointman
I'm new to cycling and wanted to race in some time trials and road races but don't wont to buy special bars just for time trials so i what kind of clamp on aero bars i should get for a resonable price.

A few general recommendations:

1. Aerobars are for time trials and solo riding. They are not advised for pacelines because your hands are not near the brake levers. They also affect bike handling, usually for the worse.

2. Consider whether you can move your saddle forward relative to the bottom bracket. Although it's not always the case, most people find a forward position makes the aero position more comfortable and efficient.

3. The forward saddle adjustment is often made by changing the seatpost from a layback to straight or from straight to a reverse layback (e.g., Thomson or Corima), in addition to moving it forward on its rails.

4. Make sure that the aerobars you get will fit your bar diameter (26 or 31.8).

5. Profile offers quite a wide selection of clip-on bar designs at reasonable prices. I like the Carbon Strykes and Aerolites. They allow a lot of fine-tuning and hand positions. Both can be had for $100 or less with some on-line searching. Many other companies make them, such as Deda and Syntace.

6. Ebay often has a variety of clip-ons, new and used, at good prices.

7. Finally, see if you can borrow a pair before buying them. You will discover whether you like the design and the bike position.

Good luck. They can make a huge difference in efficiency and speed

Quoted post said:

Good luck. They can make a huge difference in efficiency and speed

Can you quantify this in time saving over 10 & 25 mile TT's??

I personally like the Syntace C2's. The are rock solid, simple and light. They come in 3 sizes instead on providing adjustablity. I have two sets as a result of buying a pair for my roadbike and then deciding later to get a Tri specific bike that came with them (Fuji Aloha). I think in TT you would be nuts not to use a set. www.slowtwitch.com has a lot of info re: fitting. TT and Tri are a bit different but many of the ideas translate.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by chrisl
Can you quantify this in time saving over 10 & 25 mile TT's??

I have occasionally run across sites that discuss studies of aero positions, aero frames, aero wheels, etc. I don't have any bookmarked for quick reference. I recall a very rough rule of thumb that 1-2 mph gain is typical from aerobars alone, but there are of course many potential variables. If that estimate holds true, then a 1 mph gain from say 20 mph (one mile every three minutes) to 21 mph in a 20 mile tt should save three minutes.

I think it is also true that wind resistance increases as a square of speed increase (four times the wind resistance at double speed), the importance of aero features increases as speeds rise. At high speeds there is a greater total wind resistance and small increases can take a great deal of extra effort. Making your wind profile smaller and sleeker provides a significant increase in speed or a significant savings in energy expended at a given speed, which is what I meant by efficiency.