Comments on: A Crazy Way to Get Aero on Your Mountain Bike

By: Levi

Levi — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:28:27 +0000

@Been

I tried that once, but the biggest problem is that you can’t get the bar ends very close to the stem due to the taper of most handlebars – especially with the current 31.8mm bars.

By: Been there

Been there — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:14:48 +0000

use flat bars and get bar ends, but put them in in the middle like little aero bars

By: Levi

Levi — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:25:24 +0000

@Emiliano

I should have put the emphasis on “crazy” rather “aero”

By: Emiliano Jordan

Emiliano Jordan — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:10:29 +0000

@Zak Dieringer

Good to know you don’t think it’s aerodynamic. Since the position is about mimicking your road bike position then unzip your jersey and grab your crown! And sorry for the previous bashing but the position was presented as a aerodynamic solution.

By: Levi

Levi — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:12:35 +0000

@Performance Bike

The main concern for a racer is speed. Safety and comfort are low on the priority list.

That is why the common man should not imitate the actions of professional bike racers!

By: Performance Bike

Performance Bike — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:56:48 +0000

I don’t really get why do people do this kind of useless actives.They inspire the people to do the same.Its really very dangerous for common man especially while doing mountain biking.

By: Zak Dieringer

Zak Dieringer — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:55:43 +0000

As I am the idiot being discussed, I thought I would add my response. This was at an up hill time trial, so speeds were low and aerodynamics were not terribly important. What was important, however, was power output. This position, as weird as it looks, put me very close to my position on my road bike, and at least I felt like I was pedaling harder. The handlebars are about level with the saddle on this bike, which works great in the woods, but I felt like my mom on her hybrid pedaling up this hill. I would also not recommend this position if there is another rider in within a mile of you, you have to brake or turn, or, most importantly, there is someone with a camera nearby.

By: Levi

Levi — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:38:35 +0000

@Steve

Yes. When I tried it out, it was unstable from a balance/control standpoint, but it was also hard to pedal very well at all. So it certainly didn’t work out for me.

As with many things in the bicycling world, what works well for one person may not work at all for another.

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:46:11 +0000

I would have thought that even if this position was more aero, it’s going to cut down pedalling efficiency. There’s a reason why the controls are where they are on a performance bike, road or mountain. OK on a MTB handling’s also a big thing, but even so, if you’re sat in the normal position, surely you can pedal harder than in this strange position..?
If I want to go fast I usually find a steeper hill..! Don’t race a lot as you might gather!

By: Levi

Levi — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:17:35 +0000

@jbenson

Good point about how an open jersey is not aero.

However, this was an uphill time trial. The max speed for a mountain biker on this section of hill is about 12mph. So the jersey situation won’t really matter.

@Emiliano

Zak is consistently on or near the podium in this race (on his road and mountain bike,) so the position must work for him. [Note: his position on his road bike is much more conventional.]