A road cycling race involves a pack or "peloton" of riders. In the pack the riders are using group tactics and drafting to their advantage. Triathlon events and Time Trials are competed against the clock in which drafting other riders is forbidden. Aerobars allow an individual to maintain an aerodynamic position.
I recently had one of our coached athletes ask me a question that comes up regularly:
"Today you mentioned three things about the bike: aero, power and weight. I’ve wondered why triathletes are the only ones to use aerobars… we don’t see it in Tour de France or with other riders. Why? If the bars provided an advantage wouldn’t everyone use them?"
Short Answer: Road cycling races involve a 'pack' of riders, who are using group tactics and drafting to their advantage. A slightly moreupright position and wider handposition helps with overall stability andvisibility. Triathlon events are individual races competed against the clock, in which drafting off other riders is not allowed and the less stableposition inherit to the aero-position is not a particular issue because you're not shoulder-to-shoulder and wheel-to-wheel with other riders.
Long Answer: Aerobars were designed in the early 1980's and initially struggled to gain acceptance in the road cycling scene which was dominate at thetime. Road cycling is suppose to be about the rider, not his/her equipment, and the UCI (road cyclingInternational governing body) has a extensive rule book thatlimits how 'modified' a bike can be and still be considered legal forroad cycling events. If you follow Nascar you'll see many similarities: the cars are very similar, so that the winner is usually the best driver, not the person with themost exotic equipment.
Triathletes of the early 1980's realized aerobars allowed them to maintain faster speeds, and began using them in races. They quickly becameprevalentthroughout the elite triathlon ranks. Triathlon being a relatively new sport at thetime did not have arichhistory oftradition, nor did the sport have rules that dictated whattype of bike could be used in races. And so aerobars became the norm and still are today.
Triathlon bikes are used in road cycling events- butare limited to Time Trials. If road racers were able to use triathlon bikes during their road racing events they would most certainlyaverage higher speeds, but at the sacrifice of safety to the riders around them. Aerobars can be considered less safe for a few reasons: mostly because your hands are not on the brakes while riding in the aerobars. It also takes more practice and skill to maintain a straight line in the aerobars (especially in cross winds) due to how close your arms are together. And so during thetraditional road bike races the riders are only allowed to usetraditionroad bikes. With that said,you may notice that many road bikes now have the aerodynamic tube shapes oftriathlonbikes (they're essentially triathlon frames built around road bike geometry and the road handlebar). This is called an aero-road bike, and is a nod towards how important aerodynamics is even during a draft-legal event like road bike racing.
A source of confusion to many people is the difference between a "TT Bike" (aka Time Trial Bike) and a Triathlon Bike. Along thespirit of the UCI trying to control bicycle design to level theplaying field, the UCI has limitations on how aerodynamic a bike can be that is used in timetrial events. The rules for triathlon are not asrestrictive, and so you see more extreme frame designs and body positions. For raw speed theposition and bikes you see triathletes use are the best way to go. Somepeople will ask "why do time trialist often clock faster times than triathletes if the triathletes use faster equipment and better body position?" The answer goes back to myinitial comments on power, aero, and weight. Power will almost always trump any other factor, and the bottom line isthat most road cyclists produce more power on the bike than triathletes because they're riding their bikes X-hrs per week and training specifically to improve their cycling ability, while triathletes have to split their time between swimming/biking/running.
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About the Author:
Antonio Gonzalezis the owner of Tri Town Bicycles in Boise, Idaho. He is a endurance coach, bicycle fitter, and veteran of the cycling and triathlon industry for over 20 years.
Aerobars can be considered less safe for a few reasons: mostly because your hands are not on the brakes while riding in the aerobars. It also takes more practice and skill to maintain a straight line in the aerobars (especially in cross winds) due to how close your arms are together.
The leading reason that led to the ban was that of safety. Riding on aero extensions puts you in a position where you have considerably less control over the bike as well as putting your hands a long way from the brakes should you need them.
Weight is a big deal for riders tackling climbs, and aero bikes generally weigh more than their non-aero counterparts because more material is needed to create aero-shaped frames.
After installing aero bars, riders typically find that they're going 1 to 2 mph faster at the same level of effort. Over a distance and time, this equates to about 1min 40s per 40km faster than without aero bars.
Aero bars, also called tri-bars, are attached to your bike's handlebars, with the primary purpose to get your body into a far more aerodynamic position. They're mostly used by riders doing time-trials or triathlons (hence the tri-bars moniker) but they do offer benefits outside of those two fields.
While a few years ago, many teams had a separate aero bike for flat stages, then climbed on a lightweight bike when the road pointed uphill, most teams now have one bike for all stages. Lightweight bikes are now almost as aero as the aero bikes of a few years ago.
At speeds over 9 mph, it's the dominant force of resistance. By the time you hit about 30 mph, 90 percent of your power goes into overcoming air resistance, or what scientists call aerodynamic drag.
Most comfortable aerobikes probably are Scott Foil (3 piece seatpost) , Trek Madone (previous gen/isospeed) and Propel SL (seatmast). Most comfortable aerobikes probably are Scott Foil (3 piece seatpost) , Trek Madone (previous gen/isospeed) and Propel SL (seatmast).
In fact, the Aero Bars is the best component to have on your bike if you are aiming for the Triathlons. The distance does not matter, it is the sport that matters.
The main benefit of aero handlebars is improved aerodynamics. By reducing wind resistance, you can go faster with less effort. The shape of aero handlebars allows you to get into a more streamlined position, reducing the amount of drag caused by the wind.
It's easy to get into trouble if you don't learn to ride aero bars in progressive steps. Get comfortable by putting one elbow down and lightly resting your hand on the bar end. Then alternate and try the other elbow. Once you feel comfortable with that you're ready to put both down.
There are 2 good reasons for this. First, a TT bike is the most efficient machine for flat, fast course racing, where there are a minimum of hills. It is not the most efficient machine when it comes to climbing. The body position is far too aggressive for even professional athletes to use in a non-TT style event.
The use of aero bars is a somewhat controversial topic within the gravel cycling world. They are forbidden in traditional USA Cycling-sanctioned mass-start road cycling races due to safety reasons. Many gravel events, however, fall outside the umbrella of the national governing body.
That's because most triathlon courses are flat-ish and straight-ish compared to celebrated road climbs like Alpe d'Huez—which is one reason you don't typically see aerobars on most stages of the Tour de France.
The further you bend over your handlebar, the more weight and pressure you put on your hands. On road bikes this pressure is fairly constant because you're bent over the bar almost constantly. However, road bikes have a dropped handlebar that allows your hands a variety of positions, which helps relieve pressure.
The aero effect is quite small at climbing speeds and most of your work is against gravity. On the other hand, when you consider total system weight, including the rider, the extra weight of the aero setup isn't that much either. '
Introduction: My name is Trent Wehner, I am a talented, brainy, zealous, light, funny, gleaming, attractive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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