Fitting aerobars/tribar clip-ons - Tips/Hints plz?

[RSV_Ecosse]

Hi,

Mainly out of curiosity, I have just blagged a set of these aerobars :-

Look quite straightforward to fit on to my bikes bars, but I'm wondering what sort of distance they need adjusted to so they fit me properly?.

Any "rule of thumb" guidance to go by to get the correct reach whilst using them?.

Ta.

 

[llllllll]

Fit is aways a personal thing, but generally you want the pads just forward of the elbow. The ideal is to have your upper arm around 90 degrees (vertical), though again it's personal and I prefer to be stretched out a bit more. The whole lot should be as low as you can manage without hurting your back or restricting your breathing.
You may find it helps to bring your saddle forward a few mm to help you get 'over' the bars. Most dedicated TT bikes have steeper seat tubes to get this effect.
Fortunately they're pretty easy to adjust, so just get them on the bike, go for a few rides and see what suits you.

 

[Mr Phoebus]

Make sure it's a very quiet road where you first try them out.
A lot of people get the wobbles quite bad when first adopting the aero position with them.

 

[andy_wrx]

Set them as wide apart on the bars as you can to start with, for stability.
After you've gained a bit of confidence on them, you can then bring your elbows closer together if you prefer.

As for length, for comfort you should be resting your upperbody weight on the pads on your forearms just in front of your elbows - but in theory with a 90-degree angle at the elbow and at the shoulder : this will be difficult on a roadbike with these simple 'clip-on' aerobars, which is why a dedicated TT or tri bike has a shorter top tube and head tube.

And as for the angle you have your wrist at - you can have the bars vertical as in your picture or with the two slanting inwards to each other - that's just your preference.

 

[peanut]

current thinking seems to favour a pronounced upward slant to the bars rather than the traditional horizontal. A lot of triathletes seem to use them this way
You might want to consider using a Tri saddle too which has extra padding at the nose for the forward position

 

[02GF74]

trial and error. look at how close those elbow pads are set in the picture - if you are of slim/narrow build, that would suit you but if you are wide, then it will feel very uncomfortable.