Aero Bar Conundrum - not choccy related

[Eckybloke]

Thought I'd stick conundrum to see if anyone paid attention.

Last year I bought a hybrid bike through the Cycle To Work scheme to replace a cheap, ancient mountain bike that the local bike guy just called a bike-shaped object and laughed at.  Since then I've enjoyed going out for regular bike rides in the morning and to work.

However, had I known then what I know now I'd have bought a road bike but I'm not splashing out on a half decent one given I've only just got the hybrid.

I was thinking about sticking a set of cheap aero bars to my hybrid to make things slightly easier into the wind.

Anyone done anything similar?

[wombat]

Hmmm. I see what you are getting at but i'm not sure that the aero bars will help you a massive amount on a hybrid as the riding position is quite upright.

I do triathlons and I use aero bars on the tri bike, but not on any another bike I have. The aero bars rely on you being in a very different position ie a lot lower to the point of your back being nearer 90 degrees to the seat post. I don't think you'd get anywhere near that on a hybrid and therefore the aerodynamics wouldn't help much. They also destabalise the bike to an extent at lower speeds. I find using them ok for tri races but wouldn't touch them for general riding, they can be quite tough on your shoulders.

I too started off with a hybrid and soon moved to a cyclocross bike with a road setup. Keep an eye on ebay, there are some bargins to be picked up on there especially when the new seasons bikes come out and the people with 8 bikes in the garage decide it's time to get shot of one!

[itbrvilla]

I got a brand new hybrid that I saw in the shops for £400, for £160 from eBay. It even came with panier rack and mud guards which weren't included in store. The guy won if from a magazine but didn't want it. Goes to show the bargains to be found. Although I'm about to get a hardtail mountain bike on the cycle scheme.

[Jon Crofts]

As wombat says, save your money buy some decent pedals and shoes.

[maidstonevillain]

Commenting here as both an engineer and a cyclist, the difference will be negligible with respect to wind resistance. The cross=sectional area of the handlebars is a minute proportion of the overall area of the bike and your body. Where there can be benefits in changing handlebars is to increase comfort and put you into a more efficient posture. As partly suggested already, try tinkering with your set up, e.g a new handlebar stem so you are reaching more forward and lower, slicker and smaller tyres, pair of cheap plastic toe-clips (you may be surpriesd what a difference they can make), or more expensive clipless pedals/shoes.