Clip
on aero bars...speed demons or
death machines?
I've had a
friend's pair of clip on aero bars for about a year now, and
yesterday I finally got around to trying them out on my bike. I've
heard that they change your balance, so I figured I'd minimize my
fall risks by starting on the trainer. Totally loved it!
I felt aerodynamic, fast, and comfortable.
Today I wanted to
give the aero bars a real spin around the block before their official
unveiling at a time trial race this weekend. It was a bit
windy,, about 15 mph, but I wasn't afraid. As long as I kept the wind
at my back, I figured I would be fine.
As I took off
towards the country roads, I kept hearing a strange
medium-pitch whistling sound, like a wind chime or a Native
American flute. It followed me through each turn and straightaway,
so after scoping the landscape for a bit and not seeing any likely
causes, I had to attribute the noise to my new aero bars. It
was an eerie, haunting serenade.
I tried out the
bars slowly. First I moved my left hand from the hood to the aero
bar. I could feel the bike getting squirley under my poor balance
and tried to relax a bit. I then moved my right hand from the hood
to the aero bar. Immediately, the bike started to careen left
and right. I tried to stay focused and look ahead to regain a sense
a of control, but I think it took all of 15 seconds for me to give
up. I tried to keep my breathing steady, I moved each hand back to
its respective hood as smoothly and panic free as I could. Then, I
let myself curse the living hell out of the aero bars and my lack of
balance. Holy hell Jesus was that scary!
I
tried once more in a few miles. Again, same wild careening of the
bike, same sense of intense fear, doubt, and doom. I started
imagining that the whistling noise of the bars was a
Native American spirit following me, warning of my soon-to-be demise
if I kept going with these aero bars. The rest of the short ride was
spent on the hoods or the drops. Needless to say, I am not
using the aero bars on Saturday's event.
