# Buying clip on aero bars



## Mr_K_Dilkington (10 May 2014)

I'm a fairly new rider looking to get more into time trialling (having only done one so far) and am looking for a good starter set of clip on aero bars. I am looking at a couple of different sets at the moment and would appreciate some advice:

Profile T3 Plus: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/profile-t3-plus-aerobars/

Deda Parabolica: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/deda-parabolica-alloy-clip-on-aerobars/

Does anyone have any experience of either of these sets? If so, would you suggest to buy one over the other? 

Which shape (of the four pictured in the two links) would be best for someone new to time trialling and riding with aero bars? I imagine a lot of this could be subject to riding style, body shape, positioning on the bike etc., but any advice on which would be best to go for would be much appreciated


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## Sharky (10 May 2014)

They are all good. If you have only done one TT so far, might be worth waiting a few more weeks and look at a few of the other riders riding your 10's. Which ever you choose, they will seem a little strange at first, and then you adapt and then you really appreciate the difference. Good luck,Keith


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## HLaB (11 May 2014)

I've got an older version of the Profile Design ones simply because they fit on my bars (my bars are oval apart from a small circular section at the stem).


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## Cuchilo (11 May 2014)

I bought the s bend ones ( RSP bars from memory ) and set my Defy up to see if I liked the position . Ive removed them now but still find I want to drop onto them when riding .
I wouldn't call them munti position though as I used the upper part as my grip . Then again I don't do time trials .


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## Rob3rt (11 May 2014)

If throwing that sort of money around, do it properly and buy the Zipp Vuka Alumina Clip with whatever extension shape you prefer. The shape is personal preference, personally, I'd avoid straight extensions though! S bend are okay, but it depends how deep the S is. I prefer ski bend (around 40 degree bend), it is a natural hand position and also allows a higher hand position relative to the elbow pads! The Profile T3+ you linked are just over engineered ski bends.


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## e-rider (12 May 2014)

Mr_K_Dilkington said:


> I'm a fairly new rider looking to get more into time trialling (having only done one so far) and am looking for a good starter set of clip on aero bars. I am looking at a couple of different sets at the moment and would appreciate some advice:
> 
> Profile T3 Plus: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/profile-t3-plus-aerobars/
> 
> ...



It's not quite as simple as clipping some tri bars to a regular road bike. The position will be all wrong. At the very minimum, you will need a new TT saddle, and also a new seatpost that allows the saddle to be further forward. Such a Thomson layback in reverse or a Profile fastforward. You will still have the problem of no shifters on the bars though.

I can also tell you that the profile bars you listed have a fundamental design fault. The arm rests clamp to the bar (to make them adjustable) but IME the clamps do not hold, even if 'overtightened' so when you hit a bump they twist round. Profile do make bars with fixed arm rests which are better for this reason.


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## Rob3rt (12 May 2014)

e-rider said:


> It's not quite as simple as clipping some tri bars to a regular road bike. The position will be all wrong. At the very minimum, you will need a new TT saddle, and also a new seatpost that allows the saddle to be further forward. Such a Thomson layback in reverse or a Profile fastforward. You will still have the problem of no shifters on the bars though.
> 
> I can also tell you that the profile bars you listed have a fundamental design fault. The arm rests clamp to the bar (to make them adjustable) but IME the clamps do not hold, even if 'overtightened' so when you hit a bump they twist round. Profile do make bars with fixed arm rests which are better for this reason.



You will not need a new saddle by default. Nor will you need a new seat post. You will however need to modify your position at the arse end somewhat in most cases.

Don't know what craters you are riding through but I've never had a profile bar move even when donking a few Cheshire scale potholes and I never over tighten anything. I used Profile clip- ons for a season and other than not being able to get narrow enough or lift the whole arm pad and extension assembly away from the base bar, they were faultless.


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## jdtate101 (12 May 2014)

I have the profile T2 on my TT bike and can't fault them really. The only niggle (if I had to name one) is the pads can get a bit thin after a while. I made some thick neoprene ones myself that attach via velcro to the rests. I used neoprene as you can sew the velcro to it if you're careful.


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## Rob3rt (13 May 2014)

jdtate101 said:


> I have the profile T2 on my TT bike and can't fault them really. *The only niggle (if I had to name one) is the pads can get a bit thin after a while*. I made some thick neoprene ones myself that attach via velcro to the rests. I used neoprene as you can sew the velcro to it if you're careful.



Happens to most pads IME.


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## Sharky (14 May 2014)

Mr_K_Dilkington said:


> Deda Parabolica: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/deda-parabolica-alloy-clip-on-aerobars/


 
Since my first reply, I have just bought and fitted a pair of the Deda uno bars (the straight ones). I have been riding with clip-ons since they were first legalised in about 1991 and some of the early variants were extremely complex with their fitting. I was surprised with the Deda ones how versatile they are. All the holes you see in the arm pad plates are for adjusting the arm rest pads left right and forward/backward and the extension posts them selves can be varied as well. The pads them selves are fixed with velcro so again make it easy to adjust. I thought the straight bars might be a bit severe, but no, they are quite comfortable and used them for the first time tonight in our club 10, or should I say club 9.4 - roadworks forced a short course!

Let us know which you went for.

Keith

PS they were cheaper at Ribble Cycles


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## Rob3rt (14 May 2014)

Not that you are going to be that bothered but the reason I didn't recommend straight extensions was not just for comfort (I cant use them comfortably so they are not an option anyway) but also for aero reasons. They look super aero without a rider, but look at the way many people hold them... frontal area looks far worse than less extreme type extensions once you get a rider on, it just can't be as aero


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## Mr_K_Dilkington (14 May 2014)

Rob3rt said:


> You will not need a new saddle by default. Nor will you need a new seat post. You will however need to modify your position at the arse end somewhat in most cases.
> 
> Don't know what craters you are riding through but I've never had a profile bar move even when donking a few Cheshire scale potholes and I never over tighten anything. I used Profile clip- ons for a season and other than not being able to get narrow enough or lift the whole arm pad and extension assembly away from the base bar, they were faultless.



Cheers for your advice, I knew I will have to adjust my saddle most likely, so I will be working hard on my position once I've fitted them.



Sharky said:


> Since my first reply, I have just bought and fitted a pair of the Deda uno bars (the straight ones). I have been riding with clip-ons since they were first legalised in about 1991 and some of the early variants were extremely complex with their fitting. I was surprised with the Deda ones how versatile they are. All the holes you see in the arm pad plates are for adjusting the arm rest pads left right and forward/backward and the extension posts them selves can be varied as well. The pads them selves are fixed with velcro so again make it easy to adjust. I thought the straight bars might be a bit severe, but no, they are quite comfortable and used them for the first time tonight in our club 10, or should I say club 9.4 - roadworks forced a short course!
> 
> Let us know which you went for.
> 
> ...



I ended up going for the Deda bars (the ones with a single bend). I will let you know how I get on with them, they should be arriving tomorrow and I'll take them out for a test run at the weekend or Friday evening.


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## jifdave (14 May 2014)

i have a set of http://www.wiggle.co.uk/profile-airstryke-2000-aerobar/ cost me about £20 on ebay. i find them fantastic and use them most of the time. the benefit for me is they fold up and out of the way to get on the tops when climbing. not for everyone but great for me


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