New Aerobar Options For Triathletes

Published August 29, 2013 04:09PM

Enve SES Aerobar

The Utah-based composites manufacturer has been making road bars since its inception, and the company is producing its first aerobar in 2014. The SES Aerobar is part of the Smart Enve System line, a series of products designed with input from English aerodynamicist Simon Smart. The drop bar has a shallow 3:1 depth ratio to comply with UCI regulations, which don’t apply to triathlon. The brake grips are offset two centimeters from the stem clamp and the basebar can be set with either rise or drop. The middle of the grips intersect the basebar, creating a unique grip allowing fingers to wrap around the back of the basebar. Pedestalling spacers can be added beneath the aerobar extensions to elevate the extensions 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 or 35mm. The extensions can be set wide, narrow or extra low by clamping beneath the basebar. Elbow pad width is limited to a centimeter and with the extensions in the wide orientation the pads sit almost directly on top of the extensions, which creates shoulder torque. The extensions can be cut into an S-bend or J-bend shape. This bar is designed to be very functional and fast, but the price is quite high. It will sell for $1,300, putting it very near the top of the aerobar price pyramid.

3T Vola Pro

A new two-piece aerobar from the Italian component manufacturer offers an incredibly diverse fit range at a very low price. In Europe, the bar sells for €200, meaning the American price is likely to be somewhere in the range of $250 for the clip-on, basebar and riser kit. The 754-gram barset can be positioned with wide or narrow elbow pads, short or long reach length for the extensions and tall or low stack height. A short reach distance to the elbow pad is the only fit characteristic it cannot accommodate. The extensions are shaped in a way that minimizes stress on the wrist like an up-turned bar while giving the option to choke up on the extensions for more tension through the arms. The 40cm wide basebar has an aero shaped top section and upturned brake grip. For a high hand position, the extensions can be rotated upward. Other bars with this range of adjustment already exist, but this may be the cheapest bar with such a diverse range of fit options.

Pro Missile EVO

This bar from Shimano’s component brand has been around for awhile, but a new fit kit makes it much more adaptable than in the past. Simple pedestalling riser spacers can be stacked beneath the extensions or between the extensions and the elbow cups to dramatically lift the rider’s aero position without moving the basebar. This method of spacing the pads can be more aerodynamically efficient than using steerer tube spacers to prop the entire aerobar. It also elevates the tallest possible aerobar position to achieve a fit that is more conservative than a bike would otherwise allow. The same kit allows the Missile clip-on to pedestal as well.

Syntace C6

A new aerobar from Sytance is a very rare occurrence. Just nine year ago, they dominated the Kona count as the most popular bar at Ironman World Championship. Since then, they’ve fallen into obscurity. This is the fourth version of their C series aerobar, and it features a twisted extensions shape that looks needlessly complicated, but is actually quite ergonomic because it puts a comfortable amount of tension through the wrists without torquing them out of natural alignment. The extensions are carbon and cannot be adjusted in length. The pad reach length can only be changed by flipping the elbow pads, meaning it has just two stack and reach setup options. While most aerobars, including the other three in this article, are becoming increasingly adjustable, the new Syntace C6 opts for a cleaner aesthetic but lacks adjustability.