Aerobar swap-out questions

Dave Tallo

I'm playing around with swapping my tried-and-true visiontechs for a blackwell research concord.  A  few questions: 

1. For those who switched to a 'flatter wrist' -type aerobar hand placement (which I think is pretty much anything except a upturned ski bend -type extension), how long did the adjustment take?  I can't believe how uncomfortable it is.  

2. is there a best time in the season to make changes like this?  I'm nearing the end of OS, so i would have lots of time to get used to this new position, but should i be thinking of other factors? 

 

Al Truscott

Dave - If it's uncomfortable, why are you doing it?

I made the switch an unknown # of years ago (?06), and had zero comfort issues right from the start. So maybe either (a) your anatomy or riding style isn't right for this or (b) your will need an overhaul of your fit.

I've noticed as a general rule that when the hands are raised up, the shoulders come down, and vice versa. Meaning, when I first fitted myself to the flatter ("s-bend") bars - Profile Design - I ended up raising the ends a bit from the horizontal in order to achieve my ideal position.

As to timing, I follow a six - week rule: Don't make any changes to position or equipment within six weeks of an A race.

My bars are raised more from the horizontal now than before my accident, due to changes in my forearm musculature which makes the lower position untenable, but we'll see what my fitter says when I return in a month.

mancona

Dave, like Al when I switched from ski-tips to s-bands i was immediately more comfortable. When just cruising aronud at HIM or IM watts I typically just rest my hands on the top and barely even hold on, I can stay like this for 5 hours without any discomfort what so ever. When I'm pushing harder than than I have a pretty strong grip on the bars and coke up a like. I could see that getting uncomfortable over a long period, but I never hold it for more than a 20' ftp interval.

Like a proper bike fit, I think you should be more comfortable right away. It may take a little bit of time to fully adjust but you definitely should not be more uncomfortable than before.

I know a few people who think s-bends are horrible and can't stay them, you may be one of them.

I mess with bike components pretty much year round, but the closer I ge to an A race the less adjustments I will make.

mancona

one more quick thought.... is your position the same with the new bars? I would measure drop, saddle nose to pads, and saddle nose to shifters one both setups to make sure that you are in the same exact position. I would make sure the pads are in the same exact spot, but you may need to mess with the extension position to account for the new shape of the bends and where you hands actually grip the bars.

Dave Tallo

Al - fair question. I'm swapping because the visiontech's paint is now starting to chip away in big hunks, and I'm worried that the next step would be some kind of structural compromise. At 45 mph while descending. The move to the Concord was a bit about function ( unlike the one-piece VT, they are very adjustable, and permit better hand placement when braking and on the bullhorns) and a bit about fashion (they look aero badass). 



Matt - position is exactly the same, and all measurements - pads relative to saddle, pads relative to ground, rider's body 'in space,' etc are identical from old to new, except the hand placement.



The Concord extensions can be changed out, so I'll probably just purchase an aftermarket set of ski bends. Seems a bit silly, though, as the Concords came equipped with Cobb's "wrist relief" extensions that were presumably designed to address hand issues in the first place.



Good perspective on comfort, though. On one hand, I've ridden only the VTs for 10 years, so any change is bound to feel funky.  On the other hand, the hand placement felt wrong immediately, and I can't imagine it getting any better after 5+ hours.



Pics of the switch.

From



http://www.performancebike.com/images/performance/products/large/50-8153-NCL-ANGLE.jpg



to



http://trigearreview.com/images/art/concord.jpg

Scott Alexander

I'm trying to make the same move now, from the ski bends to the flat ones. I've had to reposition my hands from "thumbs-up" to almost resting horizontally on the bars, fingers draping over the bar end shifters. Not as much to "hold" onto with these bars.
It's taking more concentration for me to keep them flat that I would expect, but I know it's more aero. I've gotta get used to it, I guess.

jburbatt

I tried switching to flat ones last year from ski bends and ended up going back. My hands were uncomfortable to say the least, but once I passed about the hour mark on the road my hands started to numb with the flat bars. I had imagined that they would feel better than the ski bends because my job is basically typing all day that I am used to the hand position, but something about that hand position combined with my body position created a numbness that just continued to build (I also checked and the only difference was my hand placement). I just couldn't get used to it and obviously it wasn't safe. I did buy a set of bars that was the "in-between" version, but they didn't fit my bike. If you don't want to go back to ski bends you might look for something in-between.

Dave Tallo

Posted By Scott Alexander on 23 Feb 2011 09:51 AM

It's taking more concentration for me to keep them flat that I would expect, but I know it's more aero.

Is this truly the case?    I have been making the same assumption - with the hands down and out of the way, it just looks more aerodynamic - but is it really?  

(I imagine the answer is probably readily available on ST ... I just don't have the will to search 10,000,000 matches for 'aero' and 'hand'!)  

jburbatt

Here's an article on the hand position issue: http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/sbend.shtml

I know I read something somewhere else stating that unless you were perfect on the S bars the drag difference wasn't great enough to justify an uncomfortable set of bars, I just can't find it now. I did come across this article that says it, just not saying where the support comes from: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1414

Well, Timo likes the ski bends! http://www.syntace.com/index.cfm?pid=1&pk=1252

Gordon Cherwoniak

Dave,

I switched over to s-bends last year when I bought my new bike.  I noticed after my first ride out that there was some in my wrists.  Nothing huge, painful or noticable while riding.  After two rides every thing was fine, so the switch should be rather seamless unless you have to make a few adjustments to the position.

Gordon