Hey all --

In just under 3 weeks' time, I will be competing in a Team Time Trial which is important to my university's cycling club. It will be my third TTT. I'm probably going to continue to compete in a number of time trials throughout the season.

I have never ridden aerobars before; at the last team time trial I did, I was the only member of the squad without them. Literature I've read suggests that clip-on aerobars are well worth their cost & weight in terms of their performance gains.

Do you agree?

I'm also aware that aerobars take a good bit of practice before racing on them is a good idea, especially in a team. Is a little over two weeks of practice enough (presuming I 'feel comfortable' with them?)

Thanks!

Hey all --

In just under 3 weeks' time, I will be competing in a Team Time Trial which is important to my university's cycling club. It will be my third TTT. I'm probably going to continue to compete in a number of time trials throughout the season.

I have never ridden aerobars before; at the last team time trial I did, I was the only member of the squad without them. Literature I've read suggests that clip-on aerobars are well worth their cost & weight in terms of their performance gains.

Do you agree?

I'm also aware that aerobars take a good bit of practice before racing on them is a good idea, especially in a team. Is a little over two weeks of practice enough (presuming I 'feel comfortable' with them?)

Thanks!
Practice with your team members and everyone using their "aero" equipment at the same time. This will make things easier when race day comes. Practice your paceline while riding in aero positions, this will also make things easier come race day. So yeah, the key here is practice.

Literature I've read suggests that clip-on aerobars are well worth their cost & weight in terms of their performance gains.

Aero bars are the single biggest improvement you can make for time trial speed. Something like a minute every 10 miles, depending on where you're starting. The key thing is to get them set up properly and to adjust your position on the bike. Typically you want to move your saddle forward and raise it a bit - otherwise you risk having a too-sharp angle between your legs and torso and compressing your lungs so that your breathing is compromised.

I'm also aware that aerobars take a good bit of practice before racing on them is a good idea, especially in a team. Is a little over two weeks of practice enough (presuming I 'feel comfortable' with them?)

Two weeks is plenty of time if you're already a good bike handler. 5 days of practice rides (every other day, for example) should do you fine.

Go out and get the aerobars in the next day or two. Three weeks is just enough time to adapt to the bars. Be careful of making too big of changes to the bike setup too fast. I made this mistake and suffered major back pains after the first time I used them. I put the bike back closer to the way it was and then made 1/8 - 1/4" changes every couple of week so that my body could adapt to the possition gradually (and this was using the bars about every day).

You also need to get use to the bike handling on the bars. Unlike others, I don't notice any major handling issues on the bars. The biggest problem is the amount of time it takes to get from the bars to the brakes in an emergency. So you have to always be thinking ahead and move the hands off the aerobars and to the handlebars as soon as you sense things getting dicey. I often just move the right hand over if it looks like I might need to bleed off a little speed and maintain myself in the tuck possition with the left arm on the aerobars.

Aero bars are the single biggest improvement you can make for time trial speed.

It's a little late to start now, but at least you can become proficient enough to use them when you're at the front.

Is a little over two weeks of practice enough (presuming I 'feel comfortable' with them?)

One critical point for you and your teammates while using aero bars in a TTT is to not overlap wheels. As Bimini noted, since you are farther from the brakes it's harder to scrub speed. Also it's harder to just sit up and catch a little wind to slow down.

Overlapping can be especially tempting in a crosswind (i.e. escheloning). You've got to really trust your teammates in that situation, though.

In a TTT your slowest man is what matters...so he needs to be as Areo as possible, on our team the slow guys gets the Areo wheels and such.

With that..Bars are a huge difference, try riding with your forearms on the tops and hands out, that'll be really close to bars, but Areo bars a less sketchy. I've been on the "Cables" (ie forearm on tops and hand near the cables) in a breakaway and it can get kinda sketchy. I've seen a teamate bunny hope at teamates frame in the Areo bars(it happens when you overlap and are not clear as to what side you're pulling off to) so practice, practice, practice. Eventually they'll become second nature.

Your team will love you for it, TTT is all about Areo and teamwork. (oh if you want to really be a dork you can do like we do, packing tape the vents on your lid. Only our Mens A's get real areo lids.)