Handlebar attachments (aerobars) are the most important accessories to upgrade a road bike specifically for triathlon and to ride significantly faster - with the same performance on the pedal. Due to the strong weighting of cycling in triathlon, the added value is expressed in several minutes of time gained. In addition to improved aerodynamics, there are a number of other benefits that result from adding a triathlon attachment:
- improved & more comfortable sitting position on longer distances
- quick and easy to assemble / remove
- enables the attachment of drinking systems to the handlebar attachment
In the following we will show you how much a handlebar attachment affects your bike performance, what you should definitely pay attention to with the systems and how you can attach an attachment to your racing bike yourself in just a few steps.
Aerodynamics - alone against the wind
Air resistance accounts for up to 70% of total resistance in cycling, meaning the rider invests most of his or her effort working "upwind". For example, if you drive at 30 km/h and there is absolutely no wind, this corresponds to a headwind of 30 km/h. What's more, the force-velocity function is quadratic: that means it would take four times as much force to go twice as fast. Accordingly, every single km/h beyond "30" is associated with a significant increase in wattage.
Image: Felt Bicycles
This is exactly where the aerodynamics of the overall system come into play. Time trial bikes are of course optimized for maximum aero efficiency: frame design, geometry, seating position and the specific power transmission in the aero position ensure that in such a time trial setup you are on average approx. 3 - 4 km/h faster with the same performance as on the road bike in a classic posture. However, it is not the bike that has the greatest share of this added value, but the rider, and above all his sitting position: this determines how much surface area (i.e. resistance) is offered to the inflowing air.
This is the great advantage of a racing bike equipped with a handlebar attachment: compared to the classic racing bike position, the rider reduces his frontal area by 10-15% due to the lower lying position. Aerodynamically they are worlds!
Photos: triathlon.de
On the other hand, the position of the arms has an even greater effect on the air flow: the shoulder-width grip position in the normal racing bike position (but also in the lower handlebar position) keeps the entire upper body "open" as a surface for the wind to attack. With a triathlon handlebar attachment, on the other hand, the elbows are aerodynamically brought together by the support in front of the body. This posture ensures that the upper body is much better "closed" and the air flow can now be directed around the driver much better.
This means: Even in the configuration of a racing bike with handlebars, you have significant advantages compared to the pure racing bike position and can achieve a higher speed with the same performance (on average approx. 1.5 - 2 km/h), which is also due to the "more relaxed" lying position can be maintained longer.
You should pay attention to this with triathlon attachments
However, in order to make this posture as efficient and comfortable as possible, it is important to adapt a handlebar attachment to the individual sitting posture as well as possible. Above all, you should pay attention to a high degree of adjustability of the handlebar attachment: Can the length of the aerobars be adjusted? Can the armrests be adjusted separately for the correct support of the elbows? Can the support surface be changed in width and height? Since every rider has his individual basic position on the racing bike and racing bikes can also have different geometries, the handlebar attachment should also meet these requirements in order to be able to really "experience" the added value. Profile Design is the leader in this category - it's not for nothing that Profile Design has been at the top of the "Kona Bike Count" for handlebar systems and triathlon accessories for years.
Photos: triathlon.de
The countless adjustment options of the Profile Design aerobars are particularly important for our bike fitting experts, because they allow the aero position to be biomechanically optimized and adjusted to the needs of the rider: the length and inclination of the extensions can be adjusted as desired, the arm pads can be brought into many different positions and with so-called bracket risers, the height of the aerobars can be individually adjusted.
The Profile Design Sonic Ergo Aerobars are available in different versions:
The Profile Design aerobars shown differ in the curvature of the extensions, which affects the grip position. However, there is no right or wrong choice when it comes to the degree of bending. It just comes down to individual preference.
Profile Design Sonic Ergo 35a
The Sonic Ergo 35a has a 35° incline. This attachment is for cyclists who like to have their hand slightly lowered.
Profile Design Sonic Ergo 50a
The Sonic Ergo 50a has a 50° incline. This attachment is for cyclists who like to have their hand in a neutral position. In addition, the handles are slightly curved, so the hands are closer together without having to turn the extensions.
Profile Design Sonic Ergo 4525a
The Sonic Ergo 4525a has a 45° incline in the first section and a 25° incline in the second section. This offers the cyclist two grip options: the upper grip provides a compact sporty stance, while the rider adopts a slightly more relaxed stance when gripping the lower section.
Profile Design Sonic Ergo T5+
The Sonic Ergo T5+ has a 13° tilt. This enables a very flat, aerodynamic grip position.
arm pads
A great strength of the Profile Design Sonic Ergo Aerobars are the arm pads. Because these can be placed in up to 100 different positions. By swapping the sides or turning the armrests, very small movement steps are also possible, which makes "fine tuning" pleasant.
Bracket risers
With the bracket risers, the height of the triathlon attachment can be varied so that more comfort can be achieved if the basic posture is too low. Profile Design offers various kits that are compatible with all Profile Design aero attachments. These are available as optional accessories.
Mount the handlebars - it's that easy
A big advantage of triathlon attachments is that you can mount them on the handlebars in a few simple steps and remove them just as quickly. The aerobars can be attached to all common 31.8mm handlebar models ("standard road bike handlebars"). Be careful with aero racing handlebars: some racing bikes are equipped with aerodynamically shaped racing handlebars. However, triathlon attachments can only be attached to round handlebar shapes.
All you need for assembly is a size 5 Allen key. The aerobars are attached independently of each other and these are the steps:
Image 1:
- Unscrew clamps
- Position the attachment vertically and tighten the screws (not too tight!)
- Make sure that there are no cables in the clamp
Picture 2:
- Move the handlebars to the desired position
Image 1
Picture 3:
- Tighten screws (6 Nm)
- alternately tighten the screws with equal force
Picture 4:
- Set the length of the extensions
- determine the position of the armrests
picture 2
picture 3
picture 4
More posts on the topic: Make your bike suitable for triathlon
5 comments
triathlon.de Redaktion
Hallo Milena, vielen Dank für Deine Nachfrage. Viele Hersteller von Aero-Rennrädern haben individuelle Lösungen für Ihren (individuellen) Lenker. Hier gibt es in aller Regel keine Standards und damit auch keinen Aerolenker von der Stange. Da Canyon nur direkt verkauft, müsstest Du Dich bitte direkt an den Hersteller wenden, ob es da eine Lösung gibt. LG Dein triathlon.de Team
Milena Meier
Guten Tag,
Toller Artikel! Habt ihr auch einen Kauf-Tipp für einen Lenkeraufsatz für einen flachen Aerolenker (Canyon CP30 Aerocockpit CF)?
Vielen Dank für die Auskunft,
Milena
Thilo Knipping
Liebes Triathlon.de-Team,
Ich habe einen Ritchey wcs Carbonlenker an meinem Rennrad und möchte mein Rennrad zum Triathlon nutzen. Ich möchte mir daher auch einen Lenkeraufsatz kaufen, bin mir aber nicht sicher inwiefern ein Carbonlenker solch eine Belastung aushalten kann. Wenn Ihr da mehr drüber wisst, wie sich ein Carbonlenker mit einem Lenkeraufsatz verträgt, dann antwortet mir gerne.
Vielen Dank im Voraus.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Thilo Knipping
Stephan Schepe - triathlon.de Bike Fitting
Lieber Volker,
ich gebe Dir Recht, dass eine Anpassung der Sattelposition in den meisten Fällen wirklich sinnvoll ist, jedoch keine pauschale Aussage über diese Einstellung getroffen werden kann. Das hängt zumeist immer von der Ausgangskonfiguration des Rennrads und der entsprechenden Fahrerposition ab. Nach meiner Erfahrung aus vielen Bike Fittings geht es vielen Sportlern auch um eine gute Kompromisslösung, die beides berücksichtigt – Rennrad -und Aeroposition. Für eine optimierte, individuelle Lösung empfehle ich daher wirklich ein Bike Fitting.
Sportliche Grüße
Stephan Schepe – triathlon.de
Volker Kilzer
Hej,
Vielen Dank für die gute Beschreibung. Ich vermisse allerdings einen Hinweis, dass man – wenn man mit aerobars fährt – auch den Sattel bzw. die Sattelneigung verstellen muss / sollte.
Mit sportlichen Grüßen
Volker Kilzer