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Gored by an Aerobar End

mdittfurth's picture
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started by mdittfurth on January 12, 2009

I went over the bars on my road bike and landed on my back and split my sternum once. When I went to the PA, she said I was lucky I didn't have aerobars. She said that some have come in for treatment for the aerobar ends goring the rider in coming over the bars. Anyone had any experience like that or know if that is a real safety issue with aerobars?

jnrice's picture
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jnrice posted 44 weeks ago.

on a relative scale "more yes than no". this is why we put bar ends on the open tubes, so we don't get a nice little triathlete core from our bars. Moral, plug your bar ends and forget about it. I don't think it's a HUGE risk, but can be so easily avoided it should be.

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gshuldes posted 44 weeks ago.

This is a real concern. USAT's rule covering this specifys DQ for violation. Most of the races I have done check this pretty closely. Bars must be have a solid plug designed for the size bar you are plugging ... wrapping a bunch of tape around the end is not sufficient.

Composite hockey sticks have the same issue. A kid was very seriously injured by an unplugged stick last year. The stick penetrated his chest underneath the arm and stopped just short of the lung.

Plug your bar ends!

mdittfurth's picture
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mdittfurth posted 44 weeks ago.

The PA I was talking to said that on one occasion someone had been brought to the emergency room with the Aerobar still in the body. That is scary. Yes, plug those bar ends!

I wonder if there is a risk due to the velosity one might be thrown forward onto the bars, even with the bar ends plugged, or how about being gouged by the bar end shifters, if any?

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beads1985 posted 44 weeks ago.

Maybe that is the reason they call them bull horns?

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kylie posted 44 weeks ago.

Yeah my husband has some nice scars to prove that aerobars and legs mixed in a crash can be bad. Although when they think the car's side mirror broke your pelvis you don't worry too much about the missing chunks of leg....

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Iron Dan posted 44 weeks ago.

When I was younger, my brother and I were goofing off on our bikes and he got the bar end through his thigh, even with the plug.

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J.Michael posted 44 weeks ago.

Back in my BMX days, I was riding wheelies for distance with a buddy of mine. I was really moving down the road for about 800(ish) ft.
Then, the front end dipped and I overpedaled and lost it going backwards. When my feet hit the ground, I fell forwards on to my knees. The bike flipped back and smashed my left middle finger between the road and the bare end of the grip.
It turned purple almost instantly....Let's just say I learned how to relieve pressure with a drill bit that day.
Lost the nail 3 days later playing football. Good times!

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— Winston Churchill

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Ironmom posted 44 weeks ago.

I vote this the most cringe-worthy thread on Trifuel at the moment...

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http://ironmom.blogspot.com/

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kylie posted 44 weeks ago.

I have pics! ;)

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jtrimom posted 44 weeks ago.

Ironmom wrote:
I vote this the most cringe-worthy thread on Trifuel at the moment...

ya, eww! Wasn't there a thread a while back about that guy who got like a whole branch through his leg. That was worse, b/c there were pics

Taper Naked

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TriSooner posted 44 weeks ago.

The whole 'gored by a bar end' is one reason why roadies don't like riding with triathletes. But I still worry much, much more about the over-caffienated soccer mom texting on her brand new iPhone in her leased Escalade rushing to her waxing appointment so she looks good for Snowflake's PTA meeting.

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jtrimom posted 44 weeks ago.

TriSooner wrote:
The whole 'gored by a bar end' is one reason why roadies don't like riding with triathletes. But I still worry much, much more about the over-caffienated soccer mom texting on her brand new iPhone in her leased Escalade rushing to her waxing appointment so she looks good for Snowflake's PTA meeting.

I THOUGHT that was you I saw in the car next to mine :) just kidding, I don't have an iPhone, nor do I need one judging by my apparent addiction to computer crap

Taper Naked

mdittfurth's picture
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mdittfurth posted 44 weeks ago.

TriSooner, I laughed out loud over your soccer mom description. Love it !!
And I think you are right. Drivers probably cause more serious cycling injuries in being distracted. But, if the soccer mom bumps me while I am on the bike, will I be more likely to incur injury because of having aerobars?

Also, I wonder if not having the bull horn type of aerobars would be safer or is the damage mainly done by the bar ends closest to the rider anyway?

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kylie posted 44 weeks ago.

The ends closer to the rider. As you go over, they can catch and tear.

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cjhoffmn posted 44 weeks ago.

As soon as we start talking about catching and tearing... Now the party's really starting...

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mdittfurth posted 44 weeks ago.

I would guess that when body goes over the bars, anything on the handlebars has the potential to catch and tear to some extent, ex: the bike computer base. Bottom line is that going over the bars is never a good thing.