UKC

I'm considering getting som aero bars.
Will I notice much of an effect on a 10mile TT compared to being in the drops (which I currently do)?

My bike isn't very aero and isn't really even a racing bike (Giant Defy). Just looking to squeeze a bit more out of it

In reply to Richard Carter:
I know it's obvious, but it will depend on the TT course and also how fast you are now. The aero bars will put you in a better position. Maybe 30 sec or so. You might even be slower at first till you're used to them. I rode a TT on my road bike recently and a local coach told me a full on TT bike would probably cut my time by a minute. I'd still be slow.

In reply to Richard Carter:

Yes! Definitely. 2-3kph faster. You will need to fiddle with position possibly.

Good speed!

In reply to Richard Carter:

I would say that it rather depends how good your current position on the drops is and how fast you are already. However, I think most people find it easier to get a good aero position on tri-bars and it's less tiring to hold a good position. The suggestion of 30 seconds might be quite reasonable for someone doing about 25 minutes for a 10.

In reply to Richard Carter: this is pure idle and probably ill-informed speculation, but would fitting a (not too much) smaller front wheel to a road bike make it more TT-focused? it would seem to be an easy way to get a lower front end (and therefore more aero position), as well as a saddle position more forward over the pedals, particularly on a bike with a fairly relaxed-geometry frame like the OP's Defy?

In reply to ripper:

The OP should get himself one of these:

http://spinwell.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/51tzwh.jpg

Anything else is just pissing in the wind.

(Actually, that front wheel is more or less normal size, it's just a massive back wheel!)

Tim

In reply to ripper: Might have problems getting the front brake to work?!!

Move the seat forward a touch. Add aero bars. This will certainly make you faster. You may be able to lower the handlerbars by moving spacers from underneath to on top.

In reply to Rollo:

yep, good point...

In reply to Richard Carter:

found aero bars to work better on longer rides than 10 miles

In reply to Rollo:


You'll want a profile design lay forward seatpost to move you forward about this much:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1519843

In reply to Ciro:

And check out slow twitch for details on how to set yourself up:

http://www.slowtwitch.com/Bike_Fit/F_I_S_T__Tri_bike_fit_system/index.html

Thanks guys.

Saw some in a shop oday that are a single tube coming out from the handlebars and then it splits into two handle bits. Think I'm going to go for those as they were very light and so shouldnt compromise the road bike handling too much.

I already have my handlebars as low as they'll go and I'm pretty flexible so can stay in the drop comfortably for a long time. Hopefully these bars will shave off the few seconds I'm looking for!

Really like this bike and so I'm not really wanting a new bike or anything. Recently got some R80 wheels which seem to have helped even though they're not aero or anything. Guess they're just lighter or something. I'd like to do longer distances, I was just asking about 10 miles as it's a route I do a lot (can fit it in, in my lunch time!)

In reply to Richard Carter:

Worth a look here..
http://m.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/how-aero-is-aero-19273/

In reply to Richard Carter:
They're called Deda Clip One http://www.thebikefactory.co.uk/productdetails.asp?productid=61378

I've used them for years -- the advantage is that once you've got them set, you can leave the main clamp in place and put the extension tube on and off when you want to ride an event.

PS I paid nowhere near what the bike factory are asking for them -- I had to get new ones to suit oversize bars when I got my carbon bike as my old clamp would not fit, so got them from Ribble with the bike. Paid under £50 for them 3 years ago - sadly I see that Ribble no longer stock them.

In reply to Richard Carter: My anecdotal evidence from buying a pair of £30 profile clip on bars to an otherwise standard road bike was that it saved about 1 minute over a flat 10km TT (this is at a pace of ~36-39kph - benefits will be less at lower speed and vice versa).

It will probably take a little getting used to the position, and there are other things you can do to tweak the bike setup as well (lower the stem if you can hold the position, move the saddle as far forward on the rails as you can etc.)

I think aero bars are definitely a good idea if you're trying to ride any TT/tri even remotely competitively, and they really don't cost very much.

In reply to Lord of Starkness:

They kind of look like those yeah, I think maybe they're just a newer version. They were certainly made by Deda anyway. Glad to hear they are good

In reply to Richard Carter:

The imact of air resistance increases with speed (approx proportional to square of speed). I find that the impact of aero bars start to make a difference around 20mpp

If you're doing a "10" in 30 minutes they may make a small difference, but getting used to the position will pay dividends as you get fitter and faster.

if you're doing a "10" in 25 minutes without aero bars then respect! You may be able to save as much as a minute when you get used to them.

In reply to kevin stephens:

Don't worry I'm no where near sub-25 minutes!

In reply to kevin stephens:


Back in the 60's I once managed a long 23, and did fairly regular 24's. I was running my standard road bike with 12 gears, whereas the 'testers' would be running a single 6 speed straight through block and had as many drilled out lightening holes in their components as they could get away with.

All this aero stuff hadn't even been thought about.

An aero helmet is on the cards next season and hopefully I'll get down to a '27' again!

In reply to Richard Carter:

HI Richard,

I have a set that I don't want/use/need that came with my road bike. They arn't anything flash and I assume along the lines of my bike which is 20 years old but was a top end bike in its day!

They are yours if you want them - collect from Leics/Rutland or my brother in London, or pay postage. That way you can have a go. I'll send you a picture later if you like.

Ali

In reply to Richard Carter: dont know which defy you have, but regarding position, if you want to put yourself more over the pedals the aero seat posts can be switched on the top plate, just take it off completely switch the rubber bit round and stick it back the other way, and hey presto, forward position for seat,

have you checked basic set up, angles etc. may need a longer stem too, specially if you switch your seat round

In my haste to buy these snazzy bars (Deda Clip Black) I made have made a crucial error :-P The central part of my handlebars are 31.8mm which is fine. But where the armrests clip on is much smaller, so I can't clip them on yet, need to find some shims or something. I'd swap the handlebars to ones that are continuously 31.8mm, but the bars I have on are only about 3 weeks old and I've already invested(/wasted) enough money on this bike!

I'd seen some in the shop that were two bars, each one had a clamp for both the bar and the armrest - probably should have gone for those :-P

I tried out just using the bars today with my forearms resting on the handlebar top... there was basically no change in time over my normal setup :-P Although that said 1)I wasn't that comfortable on the bar top and 2)I'm sure even with an aero advantage I'll have good days and bad days. I've flipped my seat post around so it's shuffled forward a bit, the position certainly feels ok. I shall continue to experiment!

In reply to gear boy:

I have a 2009 Giant Defy 1, but it has the 6700 groupset.

In reply to Richard Carter: by pushing yourself forward, did you raise the seat, due to angle change you may need to do this, check seat height in its new poistion

longer stem as your seat is now forward?

In reply to gear boy:

I've abandoned the aero bars as the arm rests cannot be fitted to the handlebars I have.

The aero bars (Deda Clip Black) shall be going in the 'For Sale' section this very evening if anyone's interested!

I figured since I'm only racing myself...technical advantages aren't really advantages!