Aero bars vs. traditional road bike set up

[bicyclepastor]

I was wondering how many people on this site use an aero bar set up vs. a traditional road bike. When I did my first sprint I noticed a few, but not many, aero type set ups. Maybe the majority of them were doing Olympic distance? It seems like it is not necessary/needed for sprint races, but since I have never used them I would like to know how people set their bikes up and if you feel they give any advantage other than being more aerodynamic ?

[healthy]

Strictly speaking about aero versus non-aero, aerobars will definitely give an aerodynamic advantage and will help make you faster. This is even true for shorter sprint distance races. The more aero you are the less you are fighting the wind means that you will be fresher for the run.

To make things more complicated, keep in mind that the majority of aerobars are mounted on triathlon bikes. And although you will see aerobars on road bikes, it is not "standard" equipment, and generally the geometry of a road bike is not designed to accommodate someone riding in an aero position.

[jared]

healthy is correct in their assessment. Many people will use clip-on aero bars without regard to a bikes geometry.

Triathlon specific bikes that have integrated aero bars have a different geometry than road bikes. They're made for the rider to be much more forward on the bike and you end up using different muscles less facilitating a better run to bike transition. A tri-bike also gets you more aero for less wind resistance, and lets you rest your upper body using your skeletal structure (resting on your elbows) as opposed to muscles on a road bike.

If you're happy with your road bike, I wouldn't worry too much about going with a tri-specific bike for sprints. It will make a difference but it's also a bigger investment. I would be hesitant in using clip-on aero bars as road bikes aren't setup for that.

Tom Demerly has a good article on What Is the Difference between a Road Bike and a Triathlon Bike?

[bicyclepastor]

Thanks for the replies. I, in my infinite lack of wisdom, did not realize that the bikes were totally different.

I do like my road bike and I am planning on sticking with it for the near future unless I win the lottery. Which, of course, would mean that I would have to play!

Also, my trunk is still rather large and it looks like the aero bar position would be quite uncomfortable, at least for now.

Onward!