if you have aerobars fitted to a road bike should you remove them if taking part in a sportive or group road ride?
Would it be acceptable to keep them on the bike but just not use them??
I can't be bothered with taking them off and then setting them up again every time if I don't have to, and I can't afford two bikes!
Your opinions/expertise would be much appreciated.
Comments
Unless you are on your own.
You'll keep til Sunday
Is it really not acceptable to use them in sportives? If not, why not? If it's not a race, why do other people care what you do?
Have enetered a couple of long ones before IMR this year and was planning on doing as much "race-day" prep as possible meaning being on the aeros if I can.
That makes more sense. Especially as I am still a little bit of a muppet when I am on them...
I thought the argument was people would get angry you were trying to go faster than them when the point of a sportive wasn't who could go the fastest.
Yeah it's just a safety thing - to be honest I'd take them off unless you plan on riding a lot of it solo and are bothered what time you do - it's a 5 minute job and most aerobars mean you can't ride on the tops which is useful for climbing.
Don't agree with that advice in one of the other points to position your pads as wide as your hips - Chris Boardman reckons that closing your elbows up does nothing to your breathing and if it's good enough for him it's good enough for me - for me narrower feels better and chances are it's faster.
I think someone has done some wind tunnel work on the best position for your pads and they found that it depends on how big you are. If you've got a broad chest then you want the pads wide so the air funnels between your arms and round your body. If you've got a narrower chest it's better to have the pads narrow so the air flows round your arms and body.
Aww, someone else will have you Ditchy!!!
Probably.
Possibly.......
I come with free cake!
Then again, if we're talking Chocolate cake.........