Quote:
Originally Posted by quauhnahuac
in tri it's generally conceded that the front section of the bike is the biggest determinate in aerodynamics. a cervelo p3 with a cockpit upgrade is 99% as fast as the much more expensive p6 that comes with the better aero bars standard.
given this, I assume aero road bars are useful to some degree. i've tried the s-works aero fly bars long term and really don't mind the flat tops, though I marginally prefer round tops from a comfort perspective. I would go with aero bars if it meant I would be more aerodynamic.
outfitting a new bike. any data on whether aero road bars are worth any speed?
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There are two ways of looking at it:
- aero is always aero. If you have to buy bars and you buy aero bars, you have aero bars. If you buy the Griepel "biggest cylinder possible" bars then you'll always have these massive tops hitting the wind. Even if the benefit is minor, 0.1 or 0.2 mph, it's still there, every single time you go 25 mph (or whatever).
- the other is that will you notice it? You may not.
I went through a similar debate when I first got into aero wheels. I asked people about their wheels, I tried to get some data (not much out there other than on the Specialized TriSpoke at the time), etc.
Finally I had a conversation along these lines with one of my friends: Do you want the wheels? Yes. Can you afford them? Yes. Well then get them. It doesn't matter if they're faster or not, as long as they're not just bad wheels.