I need your advice. I don't have aero-bars on my bike. However, I've heard this is a great way to increase your speed on the bike. Right now, I'm just doing short distances so I'm not sure the advantage would be worth it. Plus, I'm not sure if I'm a strong enough cyclist. I've been leaning towards saving up some dough and buying a tri-specific bike in a few years that I can do some 1/2 Ironmans on. Until then, I was thinking I would tough it out as a roadie. I know a lot of people get clip-ons in the meantime, but it changes the entire geometry of the bike. Since my top tube already feels a little long for me, I'm not sure my bike could do it. Thoughts?
Question of the Day:
Should I invest in clip-on aerobars for my road bike?
10 comments:
I just bought some and got in a short ride with them yesterday. Works for me till I get to the longer distances.
If your top tube is already too long, I would skip it and just wait for the tri bike. You won't ever be comfortable if you are too stretched out...
My 2 cents...
Rachel,
If you get aerobars, then u gotta change your blog name b/c u wont' be amateur no more :D.
Aerobars do make u stretch out. I will post some of my pics. I am super stretch out. So far, i am still comfy (overall) and i do plan on getting a shorter stem so I am not stretching too far out.
Once you are in aero position, you are more aerodyanimic. But u are giving up a lot of power since you are not using your upper body and core as much as when you are riding on your hood. The idea is to find a balance between power and aero.
Speed wise, I ain't sure how fast I have got. It has a lot to do with terrain and wind and so on. But yes for longer distance aero will help. I do plan on getting a tri bike for IM. I can still handle the HIM distance on my roadie.
sounds like I'm going to stick to the road bike for now...i guess i'll have to dream.
Hmm... I have to disagree with Flatman for one reason. A time trial setup with aerobars means moving your seat forward, so the reach shouldn't change much, and if it did, it would become shorter.
Try (tri) this. Go to a local shop and tell them your concerns. They should put you on the trainer, clip on some aerobars, and change your fit to a more aerodynamic one. See how it feels. What have you got to loose?
Also, put the word out w/this tri team you've been training with. Someone probably has a set they would loan you, or sell cheaply. :)
Have you gone into a bike shop and tried out a bike with aeros? It might be worth it to see how you feel. My friends all talked me out of it but now I'm SO glad I ignored them.
Hey Rachel,
This is sort of an FYI, because I feel weird linking your site all over the place without you knowing. Thought you might find it odd if you stumbled across it.
Anyway, I was reading some other blogs and you had just written posts about the very same thing, so I linked them back to your blog.
Here:
http://trigreyhound.blogspot.com/2006/05/flipper.html
And here:
http://ironbenny.blogspot.com/2006/05/yo-assman.html
Your posts are so relevant and timely! :)
thanks for all the comments! i think I will go to a bike shop and get a fitting.
Jessi--No prob! I'm flattered that you found my site useful enough to recommend to others. That's awesome!
I just went from road bike to tri bike.
One thing you might want to practice on the trainer is getting in and out of the aerobars as it can be kind of sketchy while on the road. It's a whole new thing to master. Hope this helps.
If you're already stretched out, it may be a little difficult. I think aerobars will definitely help your speed though. Aerobars for road bikes are usually different than ones that you'll buy for a tri bike. Most companies make shorter versions for road bikes so you're not quite so stretched out. Which is good that you have that option, but bad if you were planning to move those over to your tri bike.
You could get a set forward seat post or move your saddle forward on the rails. Although doing both of those will also change your geometry. If you have a LBS that you trust, you might seek their opinion? Or if the full fledged tri bike is in your near future, you could just wing it and wait?
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