Are tri bars necessary?

Tri bars can make a significant difference in your speed and can help to lower energy consumption at the same power output. Since TRI bars help reduce wind resistance, the power needed is much less than having no TRI bars.

How wide should tri bars be?

A good rule of thumb: line up your elbows with the width of your hips. If your shoulders are broad, position the bars to keep your hands close together, which minimises the amount of air that flows through to your stomach.

How much faster do tri bars make you?

After installing aero bars, riders typically find that they’re going 1 to 2 mph faster at the same level of effort.

What is the difference between a road bike and a tri bike?

How They’re Different. The most notable difference is the design, or geometry of the frame of each bike. Triathlon bikes have a steeper angle of the seat. Seats on a road bike are positioned at, on average, 78 degrees while the angle on a triathlon bike is closer to 72 degrees.

Should I get clip-on tri bars?

Yes. Clip-on aerobars are easy-to-install and functional. While they won’t technically turn your road bike into a tri bike, they can improve your comfort, performance, and riding speed without having to spend thousands of dollars on the greatest triathlon bike.

How far apart should your aero bars be?

I have clip-on aerobars that are mounted about 8 inches apart, primarily because my bike computer is mounted close to my headset. I have trained and raced w/ them for over a year and am comfortable with this set-up.

Are aero bars on a road bike worth it?

YES, aerobars ARE worth it, but are not worth it unless PROPERLY FITTED! Just plugging them on and riding may get you some speed, but having the body geometrically out of whack will hurt you more in the long run.

How much faster is aero position?

It’s a whopping 24 percent faster – 7 percent faster than Sagan’s. But Blocken warned it’s “dangerous and irresponsible,” even suggesting it should be banned by the UCI, because the rider can’t adequately control the bike.

How do I keep my aero bar from slipping?

Try a wrap of friction tape or even electrical tape to avoid metal on metal. And a small torque wrench would be helpful but they are somewhat pricey. I tried electrical tape with mine to try to avoid scratching the handle bars, it made things worse.

Can you use a tri bike for road?

A triathlon bike has a much larger seat tube angle (76 to 78 degrees) than that of a road bike (72 degrees for a typical road bike). The steeper angle of the the tri bike can create a much more “aero” position. Typically triathlon bikes are not very well received on group rides and same for road races.