Death Trap Aero Bars

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.