They say aero is everything, in cycling the biggest force you are pushing against is the air. And as I am going to be required to be cycling 112 miles and then have enough energy to run(more likely run / walk) a marathon afterwards I am all for saving a bit of energy. So with the absence of having bundles of cash lying around thus disabling me from buying a beautiful Triathlon specific aero bike, I decided to buy the next best thing a set of aero bars.
So before spending my cash, I thought a bit of research would be a good idea. Where better to go than over to DC rainmaker to see what he has reviewed. You have to love DC rainmaker, anything to do with triathlon he’s tested it. With what certainly seems to be genuine impartiality you would be hard pushed to find a better resource on the internet.
So what did he say ! Well you can go and read for yourself here . It describes exactly the position I find myself in, having ridden road bikes for a few years now the next step is naturally to fit some clip on aero bars. Obviously if money was no object then I would be buying a triathlon bike but sadly thats not going to happen. So I thought the profile design bars were going to be a good bet. So off I went to Giant / Tredz in Swansea to see what they had there.
They didn’t have the exact same bars as I had read in the review, but after having a chat to the staff there they pointed me in the direction of the Profile Design Legacy II which were a very popular entry level set of bars, I liked the look of them with two bends in them giving a few grip options. So I decided to go for them, especially as they were only £49, it was a no brainer.
So I’ve made the purchase and fitted the bars.
Do they make a difference? Well I think they do, science says that they should do. I guess only time will tell for me. I think the first thing I need to do is to get used to the riding position and how the bike handles. The other thing to consider after a few rides on them is that I have to continually move from the aero position to change gear. This is not ideal, more research is needed so I will report back on how I am progressing with these bars.
Hi Dave – you beat me too this article. I too am looking at getting some bars and have been researching in the same places. Not sure what to get in all honesty.
Regarding the changing of gears, I’ve always assumed that you do not go into aero position until you can get a good speed and distance – to save coming up into gear changing position. How much of Tenby IM needs to be on aero? How many long stretches are there?
Another great article though.