Question for Frank

You have mentioned that you use or have used aero handle bars. I
recently bought a set which I intend to use in Phuket where there are
quite long stretches of road with light traffic.

I am aware that they take some getting used to but wonder where to
start. Does in simply clamp them on the existing bars and ride, or do
you need to raise or lower the existing handle bar position. At
present my road bike bars are about 2 inches lower than the seat which
seem quite comfortable to me, but if resting on the elbows that might
change.

My thoughts are that the resting on the elbows position will be more
comfortable or perhaps I should say "restful" which I believe is the
RAAM conception, rather then trying for an ultimate streamlined
position.

Any advise will be gratefully accepted.
--
cheers,

John B.

On Monday, October 24, 2016 at 9:43:38 PM UTC-4, John B. wrote:
You have mentioned that you use or have used aero handle bars. I
recently bought a set which I intend to use in Phuket where there are
quite long stretches of road with light traffic.

I am aware that they take some getting used to but wonder where to
start. Does in simply clamp them on the existing bars and ride, or do
you need to raise or lower the existing handle bar position. At
present my road bike bars are about 2 inches lower than the seat which
seem quite comfortable to me, but if resting on the elbows that might
change.

My thoughts are that the resting on the elbows position will be more
comfortable or perhaps I should say "restful" which I believe is the
RAAM conception, rather then trying for an ultimate streamlined
position.

Any advise will be gratefully accepted.
--
cheers,

John B.

I've also used aero bars on both a road bike and an MTB. If you wantthe same back angle as you currently have then you'll need to loer your handlebar a bit but remember thatt he aero bar also extends your reach. How much you need to move your handlebar will depend on how hight the elbow rests on your aero bars are.

When first using the aero bars be vigilant in turns as they can be more "squirrely" due to the closeness of your arms and your forward position. A parking lot is a great place to get use to aero bars - when there's no traffic in it of course. I like school pave tracks for getting used to new things like aero bars.

Cheers

On Mon, 24 Oct 2016 20:09:24 -0700 (PDT), Sir Ridesalot
wrote:

On Monday, October 24, 2016 at 9:43:38 PM UTC-4, John B. wrote:
You have mentioned that you use or have used aero handle bars. I
recently bought a set which I intend to use in Phuket where there are
quite long stretches of road with light traffic.

I am aware that they take some getting used to but wonder where to
start. Does in simply clamp them on the existing bars and ride, or do
you need to raise or lower the existing handle bar position. At
present my road bike bars are about 2 inches lower than the seat which
seem quite comfortable to me, but if resting on the elbows that might
change.

My thoughts are that the resting on the elbows position will be more
comfortable or perhaps I should say "restful" which I believe is the
RAAM conception, rather then trying for an ultimate streamlined
position.

Any advise will be gratefully accepted.
--
cheers,

John B.

I've also used aero bars on both a road bike and an MTB. If you wantthe same back angle as you currently have then you'll need to loer your handlebar a bit but remember thatt he aero bar also extends your reach. How much you need to move your handlebar will depend on how hight the elbow rests on your aero bars are.

I often ride with my hands on the hoods and my elbows bent about 90
degrees. If I can get that same back angle with the weight resting on
my elbows that will be about what I want.

When first using the aero bars be vigilant in turns as they can be more "squirrely" due to the closeness of your arms and your forward position. A parking lot is a great place to get use to aero bars - when there's no traffic in it of course. I like school pave tracks for getting used to new things like aero bars.

Cheers

So I have heard and I plan to be very, very, cautious when I first use
them.
--
cheers,

John B.

On 10/24/2016 11:09 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Monday, October 24, 2016 at 9:43:38 PM UTC-4, John B. wrote:
You have mentioned that you use or have used aero handle bars. I
recently bought a set which I intend to use in Phuket where there are
quite long stretches of road with light traffic.

I am aware that they take some getting used to but wonder where to
start. Does in simply clamp them on the existing bars and ride, or do
you need to raise or lower the existing handle bar position. At
present my road bike bars are about 2 inches lower than the seat which
seem quite comfortable to me, but if resting on the elbows that might
change.

My thoughts are that the resting on the elbows position will be more
comfortable or perhaps I should say "restful" which I believe is the
RAAM conception, rather then trying for an ultimate streamlined
position.

Any advise will be gratefully accepted.

I started using them so long ago, I don't positively remember what I
did. But I think I just bolted them on without adjusting the height of
my regular bars.

I have my regular bars much higher than yours, about even with my
saddle. Still, when I'm on the aero bars, by upper body is much lower
than when I ride either on the hoods or on the drops. I suppose that
would vary depending on the brand of bars (or really, the height of the
elbow pads).

I use the aero bars more for their aero benefit than for comfort. Yes,
they take pressure off my hands, but they make me crane my neck upward
to a degree that is slightly uncomfortable. And there is a slight
reduction in control, and the lack of readily accessible brake levers.
Because of these factors, I tend to use them only a small percentage of
my riding time. Examples: Coasting downhill, cranking hard to catch up
to a group of riders, picking up speed & momentum before shooting up a
short hill, or on super-windy days. I doubt I ever use them for an hour
at a time without breaks.

Regarding hand comfort: If my hands get tired on really long rides I've
even ridden with my palms on the elbow pads. Anything for variety in
that situation.

When first using the aero bars be vigilant in turns as they can be more "squirrely" due to the closeness of your arms and your forward position. A parking lot is a great place to get use to aero bars - when there's no traffic in it of course. I like school pave tracks for getting used to new things like aero bars.

I agree with being vigilant. The first time I used them (in our club's
time trial) I almost took out a mailbox about 15 feet from the start!
Of course, I got rapidly better with practice. But I'd still never use
them within a pack of riders.


--
- Frank Krygowski

On Monday, October 24, 2016 at 6:43:38 PM UTC-7, John B. wrote:
You have mentioned that you use or have used aero handle bars. I
recently bought a set which I intend to use in Phuket where there are
quite long stretches of road with light traffic.

I am aware that they take some getting used to but wonder where to
start. Does in simply clamp them on the existing bars and ride, or do
you need to raise or lower the existing handle bar position. At
present my road bike bars are about 2 inches lower than the seat which
seem quite comfortable to me, but if resting on the elbows that might
change.

My thoughts are that the resting on the elbows position will be more
comfortable or perhaps I should say "restful" which I believe is the
RAAM conception, rather then trying for an ultimate streamlined
position.

Any advise will be gratefully accepted.
--
cheers,

John B.

John - it's almost impossible to get used to riding on TT bars if you're over the age of 30. They stretch you WAY too far out and destroy your balance on the bike. You have to keep sitting up to put your hands on the controls on any road problems and they cannot be used going down inclines of more than about 2% at the most.

On 10/25/2016 11:57 AM, wrote:
On Monday, October 24, 2016 at 6:43:38 PM UTC-7, John B. wrote:
You have mentioned that you use or have used aero handle bars. I
recently bought a set which I intend to use in Phuket where there are
quite long stretches of road with light traffic.

I am aware that they take some getting used to but wonder where to
start. Does in simply clamp them on the existing bars and ride, or do
you need to raise or lower the existing handle bar position. At
present my road bike bars are about 2 inches lower than the seat which
seem quite comfortable to me, but if resting on the elbows that might
change.

My thoughts are that the resting on the elbows position will be more
comfortable or perhaps I should say "restful" which I believe is the
RAAM conception, rather then trying for an ultimate streamlined
position.

Any advise will be gratefully accepted.
--
cheers,

John B.

John - it's almost impossible to get used to riding on TT bars if you're over the age of 30. They stretch you WAY too far out and destroy your balance on the bike. You have to keep sitting up to put your hands on the controls on any road problems and they cannot be used going down inclines of more than about 2% at the most.


I must disagree. We regularly see middle age riders who ask
for aero bars, set high, for use on community and charity
rides, hardly competitive events. The users intend to 'rest'
on them, not 'cheat the wind'.

There's a real risk of reduced vision/awareness while
looking down with aero bars so, as Frank wrote, pay attention!

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On 26/10/16 03:57, wrote:
On Monday, October 24, 2016 at 6:43:38 PM UTC-7, John B. wrote:
You have mentioned that you use or have used aero handle bars. I
recently bought a set which I intend to use in Phuket where there
are quite long stretches of road with light traffic.

I am aware that they take some getting used to but wonder where to
start. Does in simply clamp them on the existing bars and ride, or
do you need to raise or lower the existing handle bar position. At
present my road bike bars are about 2 inches lower than the seat
which seem quite comfortable to me, but if resting on the elbows
that might change.

My thoughts are that the resting on the elbows position will be
more comfortable or perhaps I should say "restful" which I believe
is the RAAM conception, rather then trying for an ultimate
streamlined position.

Any advise will be gratefully accepted. -- cheers,

John B.

John - it's almost impossible to get used to riding on TT bars if
you're over the age of 30. They stretch you WAY too far out and
destroy your balance on the bike. You have to keep sitting up to put
your hands on the controls on any road problems and they cannot be
used going down inclines of more than about 2% at the most.


Wow. Erm, no. I disagree. Until a couple of years ago I was racing
with a veterans cycling club. There were a couple of ITT events each
year. I can assure you, there were a lot of riders well over 50 still
competently using TT bars.

TT bars exist in wide variety. Some are quite adjustable and let you
move the hand grips fore and aft. I think some allow the arm rests to
be raised and lowered a bit too.

I simply bolted on a pair of Cinelli Spinachi bars. These were fine for
me on my road bike for a 20km TT. Certainly no problem going down hill.
I might change position going up hill to gain more leverage on the bars.

Effective TT bar use does require training. The altered position
changes the range of joint movement, and core stability is a must
because you cannot compensate with your upper body.

--
JS

On Tue, 25 Oct 2016 09:57:25 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Monday, October 24, 2016 at 6:43:38 PM UTC-7, John B. wrote:
You have mentioned that you use or have used aero handle bars. I
recently bought a set which I intend to use in Phuket where there are
quite long stretches of road with light traffic.

I am aware that they take some getting used to but wonder where to
start. Does in simply clamp them on the existing bars and ride, or do
you need to raise or lower the existing handle bar position. At
present my road bike bars are about 2 inches lower than the seat which
seem quite comfortable to me, but if resting on the elbows that might
change.

My thoughts are that the resting on the elbows position will be more
comfortable or perhaps I should say "restful" which I believe is the
RAAM conception, rather then trying for an ultimate streamlined
position.

Any advise will be gratefully accepted.
--
cheers,

John B.

John - it's almost impossible to get used to riding on TT bars if you're over the age of 30. They stretch you WAY too far out and destroy your balance on the bike. You have to keep sitting up to put your hands on the controls on any road problems and they cannot be used going down inclines of more than about 2% at the most.

Yup, old fellows can't do it. I for instance, took up running and ran
marathons (albeit slowly) long after I passed the 50 year old mark.

--
cheers,

John B.

On Tue, 25 Oct 2016 12:52:57 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 10/24/2016 11:09 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Monday, October 24, 2016 at 9:43:38 PM UTC-4, John B. wrote:
You have mentioned that you use or have used aero handle bars. I
recently bought a set which I intend to use in Phuket where there are
quite long stretches of road with light traffic.

I am aware that they take some getting used to but wonder where to
start. Does in simply clamp them on the existing bars and ride, or do
you need to raise or lower the existing handle bar position. At
present my road bike bars are about 2 inches lower than the seat which
seem quite comfortable to me, but if resting on the elbows that might
change.

My thoughts are that the resting on the elbows position will be more
comfortable or perhaps I should say "restful" which I believe is the
RAAM conception, rather then trying for an ultimate streamlined
position.

Any advise will be gratefully accepted.

I started using them so long ago, I don't positively remember what I
did. But I think I just bolted them on without adjusting the height of
my regular bars.

I have my regular bars much higher than yours, about even with my
saddle. Still, when I'm on the aero bars, by upper body is much lower
than when I ride either on the hoods or on the drops. I suppose that
would vary depending on the brand of bars (or really, the height of the
elbow pads).

I use the aero bars more for their aero benefit than for comfort. Yes,
they take pressure off my hands, but they make me crane my neck upward
to a degree that is slightly uncomfortable. And there is a slight
reduction in control, and the lack of readily accessible brake levers.
Because of these factors, I tend to use them only a small percentage of
my riding time. Examples: Coasting downhill, cranking hard to catch up
to a group of riders, picking up speed & momentum before shooting up a
short hill, or on super-windy days. I doubt I ever use them for an hour
at a time without breaks.


Thanks for that. On my better days I ride with my hands on the hoods
and my elbows bent about 90 degrees so I suspect that the aero bar
will be similar with less strain on the back. As for neck bending,
certainly true although I do find that the more I do it the easier it
becomes :-)

Regarding hand comfort: If my hands get tired on really long rides I've
even ridden with my palms on the elbow pads. Anything for variety in
that situation.

When first using the aero bars be vigilant in turns as they can be more "squirrely" due to the closeness of your arms and your forward position. A parking lot is a great place to get use to aero bars - when there's no traffic in it of course. I like school pave tracks for getting used to new things like aero bars.

I agree with being vigilant. The first time I used them (in our club's
time trial) I almost took out a mailbox about 15 feet from the start!
Of course, I got rapidly better with practice. But I'd still never use
them within a pack of riders.

I can see that they will require a, perhaps extended, learning process
and I shall probably never try them in Bangkok traffic :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

On Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at 12:57:27 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Monday, October 24, 2016 at 6:43:38 PM UTC-7, John B. wrote:
You have mentioned that you use or have used aero handle bars. I
recently bought a set which I intend to use in Phuket where there are
quite long stretches of road with light traffic.

I am aware that they take some getting used to but wonder where to
start. Does in simply clamp them on the existing bars and ride, or do
you need to raise or lower the existing handle bar position. At
present my road bike bars are about 2 inches lower than the seat which
seem quite comfortable to me, but if resting on the elbows that might
change.

My thoughts are that the resting on the elbows position will be more
comfortable or perhaps I should say "restful" which I believe is the
RAAM conception, rather then trying for an ultimate streamlined
position.

Any advise will be gratefully accepted.
--
cheers,

John B.

John - it's almost impossible to get used to riding on TT bars if you're over the age of 30. They stretch you WAY too far out and destroy your balance on the bike. You have to keep sitting up to put your hands on the controls on any road problems and they cannot be used going down inclines of more than about 2% at the most.

You mean that me at age 65+ can't ride the aero bars I've been riding for well over20 years? Gasp! I'd better remove them pronto!

VBEG LOL

Sorry, but I have many friends over 50 years of age whom I introduce to aero bars and who got used to them and love them. That includes the ones who use them on their MTBs fior road riding.

Cheers