from Rookie’s keyboard,
Hello, friends
Here’s the deal – where I live people seem to be getting a little too “addicted” to aero bars…for real.
Yesterday, a man came to the shop asking for aero bars designed “specificially for a hybrid”. I wasn’t at the terminal, but I insitnctively looked at him when I heard his request.
And no. I have no problem with people who aren’t super educated on bike topics.
I was one of them once after all. No one is born with knowledge about the technical aspects of life.
The truth is that the geometry and purpose of hybrid bicycles do not make them suitable for aero bars. The combo results in instability and a non-satisfactory riding experience.
Hybrids are essentially hardtail cross-country bikes with slick tires. Some models come with front suspension while others stick to a rigid fork (the smarter choice imo).
In both cases, the rider is upright and relies on flat or comfort bars to control the bicycle.
Hybrids are built for comfort and thus keep you in an upright position.
This is accomplished via a relatively slack head tube angle (HTA).
The head tube angle is formed by a straight line extending from the head tube and a horizontal line on the ground or parallel to it.
The larger (steeper) the head tube angle is, the closer the front tire gets to the rider.
The smaller (slacker) the head tube angle is, the further away the front tire goes.
Hybrids have a slacker head tube angle than road bikes to keep the rider more upright and comfortable.
When you install aero bars on a hybrid and ride on them, you will be shifting the center of gravity to an extreme forward position that the frame wasn’t designed for originally.
The result is instability and discomfort.
Do You Like Being Stretched?
Road bikes have а shorter effective top tube than MTBs and hybrids for the following reasons:
- Drop bars
Drop bars provide multiple hand positions and aero options. They stretch the rider far forward, and if the effective top tube is also extra long, the position will be painful to maintain.
Hence retro MTB drop bar conversions are often done with small frames to benefit from the shorter top tube.
- Long stems
Long stems slow down the steering and increase stability at high speeds.
For that reason, a road bike feels more stable when descending. The long stem, just like drop bars, extends the reach and thus requires a shorter top tube too.
Since hybrids copy older/conservative CX geometry they also come with a long top tube and a moderately long stem. And therefore, the aero bar position may stretch the rider too much and create discomfort.
Why do it in the first place?
The purpose of aero bars does not fit the function of a hybrid.
Aero bars are meant to put the rider in a relatively comfortable and yet maximally aerodynamic position. This comes at a price – reduced control.
And for that reason, you won’t see them in the Tour de France (the other is safety during crashes).
Ultimately, aero bars work best on TT bikes used on controlled flat roads. For all other purposes, they’re of questionable usefulness.
Aero bars in heavy traffic are trouble because the handling is unstable, and your hands are far away from the brakes.
Also, aero bars are not used on descents – it’s just too dangerous.
The total list of aero bars’ downfalls is as follows:
- Unstable and slow maneuvering
- Low visibility (the aero position puts the rider’s body too low)
- Bumps have a greater effect on steering because the rider is in a low-leverage position
- The aero bars can hurt a pedestrian during an accident
- The rider does not have access to the brakes and shifters when in the aero position
Some Tips
Some tips/options for comfort boosting:
- Bar-ends
Bar-ends are a retro MTB accessory that gives you extra leverage and hand positions when installed on flat bars.
They are very helpful when climbing, especially out of the saddle.
- Do Not Use Drop Ends
Those are bar-ends in the shape of road drops that can be clamped onto a set of flat bars. They give you an extra hand placement and an aero position.
But the main problem with them is that they suck. They make your bike ugly. You cannot brake when you are in the drops. And they are also heavy for their usefulness.
And did I mention that they are also ugly?
- You Can Switch to Alternative Handlebars
You can use alternative bars with multiple hand positions. One of the best options would be a butterfly bar – it’s relatively cheap and comes with a great number of hand placements.
Some butterfly models allow you to get pretty aero as they have bends that can be used as semi-drops.
- Buy a Road Bike
Road bikes are the fastest bicycles on the road. Unless you put an actual engine on your hybrid, it’s never going to match the speed of a road model.
You can get one for cheap if you search for retro steel models on Facebook marketplace or an equivalent online platform.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with buying a new one, but most people are put off by the retail price.
Until next time,
Rookie
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