The Aerobar Debate
To aerobar or not to aerobar—that is the question
The author, running aerobars at the 2021 Unbound 200 Gravel race in Kansas.
By Whitney Allison
@whit.allison
If you have gone to (or even just looked at photos from) just about any gravel race, you’ll see a percentage of riders running aerobars. On gravel. Riders seem to be either pro gravel bar or vehemently opposed. Wind tunnel testing has shown time and time again that aerobars, combined with an aerodynamic fit, are indeed faster. That means for the amount of power you are putting out, you are going faster without any extra energy expenditure. FREE SPEED, YAY. (That is the long story, abbreviated.)
So, why isn’t everyone running aerobars? To understand the answer to that question, you have to consider some caveats to those selling points.
But first, the main perks:
Aerobars = free speed. We already talked about this.
Aerobars offer an additional hand position, which can be dang nice in events that are 7+ hours. You can take the pressure off your hands, change your saddle pressure points, relieve your shoulders, etc. A lot of people really love aerobars for this, and I think that is a wonderful, wonderful reason to run them. If it helps you reach your event goals physically and mentally, that’s pretty rad.
When considering running aerobars, these are some key considerations:
Bike fit. Your road and triathlon (or TT) bike fit shouldn’t be the same, so why would you just slap some aerobars on your gravel bike and call it good? Riding in aerobars that are not set up to fit properly feels very uncomfortable and drains your power. Also, a poor position on the bike can lead to injury. If you’re going to run aerobars, be sure to get a proper bike fit.
Comfort. Ask yourself: Given the terrain and your riding style, how much will you use them? They do add some weight to your bike, affect your steering and reduce the options on the bars. By running aerobars and likely altering your position, you are committing to spending a lot of time in them.
Terrain. If it’s a super technical event or rolling climbs, there might be less benefit to using them than at a flatter, less technical event.
Aesthetics. I tend to eye-roll when I hear concerns like this, as I believe bikes are for the people and you should run what you brung versus worry about what people think, but…I have heard this as a consideration for some.
The rules. As it currently stands, since gravel is a sanctioned space, it’s up to the promoter to allow or disallow aerobars. Most seem to allow it, although there have been a few events popping up that do not permit use. Know the rules before you race. (I run a gravel event, FoCo Fondo, from New Belgium Brewing, and we allow aerobars. We came to that conclusion because the spirit of our event is to be inclusive of all types of riders, and some people feel more comfortable having that aerobar option.)
I’m a fervent believer in people making educated gear/tech decisions for themselves based on their unique goals and abilities. I did run aerobars at Unbound 200 this year “just in case I might want them,” but I didn’t alter my bike fit because of an injury I was concerned might flare up. On the day, I had plenty of opportunity to use them and plenty of ideal terrain, but at the second aid station, I decided to go without them. Will I run them again? I will definitely consider it in the future, but only if I felt it was key to my personal success (i.e. weighing the factors I outlined above).
It is important to note that if you don’t have experience using aerobars (for things like triathlon or time trialing), it is really not safe to you or those around you to try it out at a gravel race. Be sure to practice with them lots in your training on similar terrain to the event you’d like to use them at. It’s also not good practice to be in your bars in a group because you can’t brake quickly enough in the case of an emergency or pace change in the group.
Whatever route you go, the option of aerobars is definitely worth exploring.
Whitney Allison
Since 2013, Whitney Allison has raced on professional teams in the United States and Europe, constantly learning from and with incredible women, at both Women’s World Tour races and the local grassroots weekday time-trial. She owns and operates FoCo Fondo and Bike Sports in Fort Collins, Colorado.
