Aero bars on a road bike

There's nothing wrong with putting aerobars on a road bike, it will make you more aerodynamic, more efficient, and faster. You may have to do some tweaking of the bike fit to get comfortable on them. For instance, I had to raise my seat over an inch to keep my knees from hitting my chest, also had to tilt the nose of the seat down to get more comfortable.

I have installed clip on aerobars onto my road bike.  Whenever I get ready for a tri, I do push the saddle forward and raise it about half an inch but I do not angle it downward at the front.  Riding in the aero position on a "converted" road bike is a bit less stable than in the drops or on the hood, so be forwarned.  The weight distribution is pushed forward offsetting the bike's balance to some degree and causing it to be a bit "nervous" in the front.  This is to be expected when changing the configuration of any vehicle.  Just do not ride it in traffic if you use your bike for your daily commute.

I added clip ons to my road bike and had a lot of success, my speed immediately went up about 1 mph average.  I didn't really tweak anything and I was very comfortable, guess I got lucky

I have jsut put aero bars on Giant TCR2 road bike. Best thing I ever did. Have not adjusted anything on the bike to accommodate but did tweak the angle of the aero bar. If you search back through the old threads I asked for advice re correct alignment and someone referred me to a great link that summed it up perfectly. I also played around on the wind trainer until I had what I thought was comfortable for me. And be warned you will wobble unexpectedly when you first use them on the road and cornering is a new experience. Definitely avoid traffic when you are learning and even thereafter it is not advisable to use them in high traffic areas as you should be riding with fingers on or near your brakes. Have fun - your speed will improve. Oh and BTW, a warning!! My neck is still not used to the new position and I have a stiff/sore neck. So when beginning to get used to them alternate your use and do lots of neck stretches. Also if you are on an al frame like me the road shock transfers straight up your shoulders to your neck, as you lose the "give" in your elbows if you were riding normally, so every pothole and bump will give your neck and shoulders hell. Dx

I have put aero bars on my road bike and have had success. I am definitley faster with the aero bars but I also give up some stability. If you were to ask me to ride in a straight line while using the aero bars I wouldn't be able to do it. I'm not all over the place but I do move somewhat.

Mike

Pro advice is to the contrary. But then again they are in the biz of selling bikes. Haven't done it myself, so I have nothing to offer on the subject. Here is the article:

http://www.xtri.com/article.asp?id=126

Do the aero bars change the stresses also on the frame? I would hate to tear up my Klein using it for a purpose it was not designed for.

That is a very good article.  I have done the best I could to make my road bike perform like a tri bike but like all dual purpose vehicles, you can never achieve the best of both worlds.  The modification I do to my bike for a tri give me a more aero bike but with the drawback of having a less nimble bike.  As long as I do not race in a pack, however, it works for me.  Of course the optimum would be to have both, a road bike and a tri bike...but I just cannot afford it at this time.

suggest that you don't sacrifice power or leverage for the sake of being in the aero position.
you have to adjust and find out how much you angle the bar forward or backward and find ot w/c angle generates the highest power.

Cindy, I have the clip on aero bars.  I do not bother taking them off for the road because they are not in the way when I am riding.   Anyways, I like to sometimes tuck into the aero bars when I am on a nice stretch that is devoid of traffic. In traffic or on difficult terrain, I can ride the hoods or the drops without any problem. 

Now, Bear, believe me, I know better than to question you, especially when it comes to bike but... your line above caught my attention.

If your seat height was set properly before you got aero bars, how did you manage to get another inch out of it without locking out your knees? Just curious.

Cheers,
Rob

I was almost going to disagree with Bear til his second sentence.....it will definitely involve some tweaking. I put aero's on my specialized allez and it's a work in progress....not sure the geometry of the bike is right for what I've done.....I'm heading back into my bike shop to talk with them and am pretty confident we can tweak what we need to to make it a smooth ride.

I think aero's are worth it if they fit right.....I see the potential with what I have and notice a difference, but know it can be even better than what I have now...

for its worth, coming from a novice rider...i had put aerobars on my trek 1500 bike. then a friend found a used trek hilo for an irresistable price and i wasn't all that crazy about my 1500, so i sold it and bought the hilo. which comes standard w/aerobars (and end of bar shifters). riding with the aerobars on the hilo is sooo comfortable and MUCH easier to steer and control. i love the handlebar placing (for upright riding) and end of bar shifters. even when using the aerobars as a sort of counter weight for hills is a great feeling. none of these "extras" did i feel with the clip-on aerobars.

but let me just re-iterate two things. one, i am a novice rider and two, i just could not jive with that 1500 for beans! it was a WSD and i guess just not suited for me.

-nikki