clip on Aero Bars for carbon drop bars

Dan wrote:
My kid wants aero bars for triathlons and weekly time trials with his team. Well, he would really like a TT bike but I am not ready to pony up for that yet. His drop bars are Easton EC90 carbon and as I understand it, we should not use clamp on aero bars on the carbon. The only alternative that I have found is the Pedalsoft Trifecta which bolts to a special stem:
http://www.totaltri.com/item--Pedal-...-Bar--Trifecta
A neat system but I really don't want to spend $350.

Does anybody know of alternatives?

Kestrel carbon bars(not the SL) are rated to use a tri bar but whay not
swap to an aluminum hbar? Not much heavier and no worry about yer kid's
teeth.

"IMKen" wrote in message
...
I would never want to put that kind of stress on the tiny screws that hold
my handlebars together. That system looks like a serious suicide attempt.

Just go for a real set-up using TT bars from Profile or Syntace, a pair of
syntace C2s and a good stem. Throw in a bar end shifter and bar end brake
levers and you have a system that is about perfect and reliable. Stay
away from welded up bars of any kind.

Ken


The best solution would be for the kid to have a road bike and a TT bike but
for right now I am trying to keep it to one bike and a road bike is needed
more than a TT bike. If the kid keeps riding, I will no doubt get him a TT
bike but for now I am looking for a compromise solution.

In article , says...


My kid wants aero bars for triathlons and weekly time trials with his =
team. Well, he would really like a TT bike but I am not ready to pony up =
for that yet. His drop bars are Easton EC90 carbon and as I understand =
it, we should not use clamp on aero bars on the carbon. The only =
alternative that I have found is the Pedalsoft Trifecta which bolts to a =
special stem:
http://www.totaltri.com/item--Pedal-...-Bar--Trifecta
A neat system but I really don't want to spend $350.

Does anybody know of alternatives?

First, post in plain text next time. It is easier to read your post without
all that extra garbage on it.

Get a cheap pair of aluminum bars and clip the aero bars to that. You may even
want to consider getting cow horns.
---------------
Alex

In article , says...

Also, if you consider the vanities of a 13-year-old rider, the carbon bars
have great value. The kid is proud of and happy with his bike - this is part
of what keeps him riding. I think that racing bikes and doing triathlons is
a much better thing than what most kids his age are doing and I want to
encourage him.

13 is also a good age to learn that having the latest and greatest gadget is
not that important. It is not going to win you any races you would have
otherwise lost.
----------------
Alex

In article ,
says...

It may not be rocket science, but if I wanted my 13-year-old to be a
14-year-old someday, no way would I put that gadget on the stem. Stem bots
are absolutely, positively NOT, in any way, designed to handle that type of
stress. That's about the scariest thing I've seen in ages. Stem bolts
sometimes fail without much help, and putting that much leverage on them
(which is something they'd never see in normal use) is asking for trouble.

I don't see why you are so concerned. Most of the riders weight is on the
pads, not his hands. Also, this is a stem/bar combo, so one would assume the
stem was designed to take the added stress. If this was just a replacement
front cap for any stem, I would be concerned.
-------------
Alex

"Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote in message
.. .
No it's not rocket science but may be beyond your capacity. Yes, I
thought of that alternative (I am ignorant in many areas but I am I am
not stupid). I was wondering if some helpful person knew of a way to keep
what we have. And, it turns out that some helpful person showed me an
alternative that costs $55 - probably much less than new drop bars,
clip-on aerobars and bar tape would cost and I don't have to re-tape the
drop bars or remove and replace the levers!

It may not be rocket science, but if I wanted my 13-year-old to be a
14-year-old someday, no way would I put that gadget on the stem. Stem bots
are absolutely, positively NOT, in any way, designed to handle that type
of stress. That's about the scariest thing I've seen in ages. Stem bolts
sometimes fail without much help, and putting that much leverage on them
(which is something they'd never see in normal use) is asking for trouble.

I'd ask Easton if there are any aero bars they do allow. Some
manufacturers do allow aero bars on their carbon road bars; Bontrager says
that as long as you're clamping on the 31.8mm section (with no part on the
transition to the smaller cross-section), you're OK.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA


Dear Mike-

The kid only needs a month and a half to make 14 and it is certainly my plan
not to kill him before then.

Yes the structure looks suspicious on the MJ racing bars. The long
cantilever off the bar clamp would seriously load the bolts. The system does
seem to use a replacement stem but I can't tell if the bolts are
bigger/stronger. I am sure that bolts could be designed for the forces
involved but whether or not they are in this case is definitely uncertain.
It kinda has a cheap look to it which scares me and a price of $55 basically
certifies cheapness.

The kids bike is very nice (much nicer than mine) and it would be a shame to
bolt tacky junk to it. His bike is Orbea/Dura-Ace/Zero Gravity with Easton
stem/post/bars

The Pedalsoft system (which costs too much - more than new bars and
clip-ons) does not attach to the clamp bolts which seems like a better idea
and the stem looks beefy. I have a friend who uses this system and it seems
to be fine.

Easton does allow aero bars on their Equipe bars but that's not what we
have.

It seems like a system that clamps to the neck of the stem could be designed
but it doesn't seem to exist.

"Qui si parla Campagnolo" wrote in message
oups.com...

Dan wrote:
My kid wants aero bars for triathlons and weekly time trials with his
team. Well, he would really like a TT bike but I am not ready to pony up
for that yet. His drop bars are Easton EC90 carbon and as I understand
it, we should not use clamp on aero bars on the carbon. The only
alternative that I have found is the Pedalsoft Trifecta which bolts to a
special stem:
http://www.totaltri.com/item--Pedal-...-Bar--Trifecta
A neat system but I really don't want to spend $350.

Does anybody know of alternatives?

Kestrel carbon bars(not the SL) are rated to use a tri bar but whay not
swap to an aluminum hbar? Not much heavier and no worry about yer kid's
teeth.


I could put his bars on my bike (Bars slightly bent in recent crash) and get
Easton EC90 Equipe bars ($180) and Easton AeroForce clip-ons ($150) for him.

Hmmm, at least I get new bars out of the deal.

On Thu, 18 Aug 2005 11:30:11 -0400, Alex Rodriguez
wrote:

In article , says...

Also, if you consider the vanities of a 13-year-old rider, the carbon bars
have great value. The kid is proud of and happy with his bike - this is part
of what keeps him riding. I think that racing bikes and doing triathlons is
a much better thing than what most kids his age are doing and I want to
encourage him.

13 is also a good age to learn that having the latest and greatest gadget is
not that important. It is not going to win you any races you would have
otherwise lost.
----------------
Alex

Not to mention that 13 y.o. road racers are known to crash
occasionally; I wouldn't want the worry of an expensive potentially
fragile handlebar when a good cheap ~330g aluminium bar would be
better for the job.

If "bling" is what keeps the boy riding, you're looking at a very
expensive time over the next 5 years. I didn't own a brand new bike
until I was about 18; my first two racing bikes were found dumped in
ditches, resprayed with car touch-up paint and rebuilt with whatever
cheap stuff was in the bargain bin. I'm still riding and racing 30
years on. Plenty of kids get bought very expensive sports equipment by
over keen parents and give up the sport after one season.
Kinky Cowboy*

*Batteries not included
May contain traces of nuts
Your milage may vary

First, post in plain text next time. It is easier to read your post
without
all that extra garbage on it.

Yes, sir.


Get a cheap pair of aluminum bars and clip the aero bars to that. You may
even
want to consider getting cow horns.

yes, sir.

---------------
Alex

On Thu, 18 Aug 2005 08:36:33 -0700, "Dan"
wrote:

[snip]

Dear Mike-

The kid only needs a month and a half to make 14 and it is certainly my plan
not to kill him before then.

[snip]

Dear Dan,

There are two ways to read that.

Carl Fogel