Half Ironman'ers - aero bars

[woowoo]

Me again!  I'm int the process of gathering my gear to start training for my HIM in August.  I'm already training on my bike indoors and it's time to invest in a better saddle.  I realized that I need to also make the decision about aero bars before I get a new saddle, as that might affect what I buy.  

Those of you that have done a Half IM, did you have a tri bike with aero bars?   I have a great road bike, and have no intention of buying a Tri bike, so I would be adding aero bars to my road bike.  Is it worth the investment for my first HIM?  If I go do on to do a full it won't be for several years down the line.  

Thanks!

[sadlebred]

I'd go for the new saddle first. Comfort over aerodynamics. I'd buy a pair of used aero bars to save money. Check ebay.

[shorewife]

I just got a new road bike with aero bars in advance of the HIM I'm doing in Sept. FWIW - both my LBS's convinced me that putting aero bars on a road bike is the way to go if you are going to have one bike that you will be using for both training and racing. So I say go for it!

[katandkevin]

I ride my tri bike for my HIM, but couldn't use the aero bars a lot because it was so windy. My best friend had a road bike with aero bars added on. She was really happy she had them. If you intend to get aerobars, I would get them before you start training so that you can get used to the position. They can cause some neck and shoulder strain at first. I agree with getting the saddle first.

[emilyj]

I am doing my first HIM in April, and I have aerobars I am going to add to my road bike (just waiting for my fitting guy to be available to add them). As much as I'd love a tri bike, it's not in the cards for a looooong time.

[Susie]

I did my first HIM on a road bike:


Stock wheels, no aerobars, no aero helmet.  My only upgrades were pedals/shoes/cleats (I went from SPD mountain bike pedals to 105s for better comfort & power transfer over the miles) and my saddle.  And some extra water bottle cages.

Since then, I have gotten race wheels (which make a huge difference), but still no aerobars.  My HIMs #2 and #3 are this summer, and I am now starting to think about aerobars (especially because #2 is a flat bike course) but am still not totally sure I'm ready.  I would really like to feel more confident in my bike handling before making that move.  I have crashed badly before (downhill front tire blowout) and I am still a little tentative.  I have also watched friends buy tri bikes (or put aerobars on road bikes) because it's the thing to do, and they never actually ride in aero position because they're too nervous/lack confidence.  Waste of $!

If you feel your bike handling is good enough and you will be comfortable enough, and your race has a relatively flat elevation profile for the bike, then aerobars would be a good move.  But if any of those isn't true, I think there are better places to spend money, like renting race wheels (or buying, but that is not cost-comparable to aerobars).  A tri bike is DEFINITELY not necessary. 

[woowoo]

Jan 21, 2014 10:01:07 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

I'd go for the new saddle first. Comfort over aerodynamics. I'd buy a pair of used aero bars to save money. Check ebay.

Sadlebred,
Thanks for the response.  It sounds like there are saddles that are made to be used in an upright and aero position - should I spend the money on one of those?   I bought one from my LBS yesterday but it's really not designed for use in the aero position.

I'm so overwhelmed!

[woowoo]

Jan 21, 2014 12:29:58 GMT -5 Susie said:

If you feel your bike handling is good enough and you will be comfortable enough, and your race has a relatively flat elevation profile for the bike, then aerobars would be a good move.  But if any of those isn't true, I think there are better places to spend money, like renting race wheels (or buying, but that is not cost-comparable to aerobars).  A tri bike is DEFINITELY not necessary. 

Wow...these are good points.  My race will be fairly hilly, and my olympic distance tri this summer will be on a pretty crowded course.   Based on these thoughts, aerobars may not even make sense.

Susie, how did your first race go? 

[Susie]

Jan 21, 2014 12:49:40 GMT -5 woowoo said:

Jan 21, 2014 12:29:58 GMT -5 Susie said:

If you feel your bike handling is good enough and you will be comfortable enough, and your race has a relatively flat elevation profile for the bike, then aerobars would be a good move.  But if any of those isn't true, I think there are better places to spend money, like renting race wheels (or buying, but that is not cost-comparable to aerobars).  A tri bike is DEFINITELY not necessary. 

Wow...these are good points.  My race will be fairly hilly, and my olympic distance tri this summer will be on a pretty crowded course.   Based on these thoughts, aerobars may not even make sense.

Susie, how did your first race go? 

I was really happy with it.  My A goal was 6:45, and my B goal was 6:59.  I surprised myself and went 6:24, which put me right in the middle in my age group, and top half of women overall.  I didn't do a 2nd HIM last summer because I didn't feel I had much faster than 6:24 in me and didn't feel hungry enough.

This time around I'm thinking 6:15 and 6:10 for B and A goals, with the AA-OMG goal of 5:59:59.  Bike + run are where the bulk of improvement will come from.

[woowoo]

This is great! My A goal is 6:29 and my B goal is 6:45. Thanks for the feedback! Good luck with your training. It might be nice to do a HIM training check in here, no?

[sadlebred]

Jan 21, 2014 12:46:19 GMT -5 woowoo said:

Jan 21, 2014 10:01:07 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

I'd go for the new saddle first. Comfort over aerodynamics. I'd buy a pair of used aero bars to save money. Check ebay.

Sadlebred,
Thanks for the response.  It sounds like there are saddles that are made to be used in an upright and aero position - should I spend the money on one of those?   I bought one from my LBS yesterday but it's really not designed for use in the aero position.

I'm so overwhelmed!

Will you spend more time in or out of the aerobars during training? There is your answer...

[katinthehat]

Also, aero bars aren't very light. They're going to add some weight to your bike so unless you're at your race weight and have made other equipment adjustments (like race wheels) then you might not see as much benefit as you hope from them. That's just been my experience with them, your experience might be totally different of course.