AeroBar placement
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Triguy98 posted 1 year ago.
You want your elbows in line with your knees. If your stem or handle bar restricts this, you can rotate the extensions and then move the arm rests to level. I do this to a minor degree- my right extention is tilted towards my left should and same on the other ride. Makes for more comfy bars.
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
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Mike20124 posted 1 year ago.
Thanks I did not know the elbows should be in line with the knees. I checked with how it is set up now and they are perfectly lined up. I'll leave the current setup and see how it goes for few rides. No need to worry about my chest being more open? I bring this up because I thought I read about it somewhere. However, browsing the latest issue of Triathlete Mag I notice some riders (Stadler) flare their elbows while others keep them tucked closer in.
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Triguy98 posted 1 year ago.
For a short Time Trial (or sprint race) have your elbows in farther may be beneficial, but with the longer races, the elbows in may impede your breathing. If you are low enough in front, how wide your elbows are really shouldnt matter a whole lot. Look at the one pro race team that rides with their bars almost shoulder with apart. And they do pretty well.
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
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Mike20124 posted 1 year ago.
Thanks for all your help. I'll let you know how it works out.
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sgroldan73 posted 1 year ago.
so is the veredict that the elbows distance is not relevant?, I also had my bike fitter move my bars further out with the understanding that they will help me breath better, however I kinda liked it when my hands are very close at the front - so i fixed this my leaving the elbows apart but turning my profile designs bars inwards so that they come close at the top - this seemed to work.
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tri-ac posted 1 year ago.
elbow position IS important...you are making a teardrop shape when viewed from the side and from the top. the hands and arms form the front end of the teardrop in both views. you've got to balance this with your ability to breathe comfortably and hold the position comfortably.
BTW, i would try to find a setup that works using the screw holes provided...one each is not enough...your full body weight is being applied to those elbow pads and you want them to be safe.
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wesmeyer11 posted 1 year ago.
You may also develop dome upper back pain during long rides. If you have broad shoulders, this may be an unnatural position. I am of the opinion that comfort is really king, although a solid aero position is a compromise between comfort and aero, balancing the two. But if you are constantly thinking about how your arms or back are uncomfortable, I don't care how aero you are, you will not be racing to your full potential.
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Mike20124 posted 1 year ago.
Tri-ac you are right using one hole to secure the pads did not work - the stress caused the pads to break and then when I replaced with aluminum pads they kept falling off. I have settled into having my elbows tucked in - the LBS said my shoulders were too broad but this was my only option. It turns out the handlebars that came with my Cannondale allow me to fit the aero bars in close or far (see original post) but not somewhere in between allowing my elbows to be a little wider. The handlebars are thicker at the stem and then narrow as they move further out. The LBS was adamant not to place the aerobars where the handlebars began to narrow as they said it was dangerous and may cause them to slip during a ride. Their answer: suck it up with tucked in elbows or buy new handlebars.
As my wife is already at the point of killing me for the money I've spent on this sport - I sucked it up. I've gotten used to riding with my elbows tucked in and so far have not experienced back or shoulder pain. We'll see as the distances increase.
I recently purchased T2 + Carbon aero bars for my Cannondale road bike. I like them and can really see the difference tucked into the aero position. I am still palying with the correct width of the bars on the handlebars and am looking for some advice.
The LBS first installed the T2 fairly wide on the handlebars (about 18 cm apart). My coach saw this set up and had me move them all the way in as far as they would go (about 10 cm apart). The elbow pads on the T2 don't have any play to move them out wider so your elbow are tucked in pretty tight. I tried to get a little more width for comfort and to open my chest up some by only attaching the elbow pads with one screw - in other words using the last thread on the aerobar bracket with the inside hole on the elbow pads. This was actually the most comfortable, however, the stress on the pad caused one to crack. I replaced them with Profile F22 armrests which are aluminum. This still does not work as one screw won't hold the armrest in place and it keeps falling off during rides. This happened again today during a ride so I went back to attaching using both screws and finished the ride. This solves the problem but it is more uncomfortable.
The question I have for those with the T2 + Carbon bars - should I just learn to ride with my elbows that tucked in? Or is this a negative as it restricts lung capacity too much and therefore space out my aerobars (somewhere in between where the LBS put them and where my coach recommended).
By the way, I've looked on Profile's web site and there does not seem to be a handlebar bracket that allows for more width selections with the T2.
Thanks.