# who uses arm rests on road bikes?



## Buddaus (Jul 1, 2014)

hey guys, ive been debating on getting arm rests (tri bar) on my road bike. Most of my rides are 30-50+ miles. Ive never used them before but it seems like it would be more comfortable to rest your arms, get low, and crank away for awhile on the long open roads. Whats everyones thoughts, experiences with them? thanks all!


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## Retro Grouch (Apr 30, 2002)

What's a bicycle arm rest? The only ones I've seen are on furniture and between the front seats of my car.

Do you mean tri bars?


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Just sell the bike and get a Barcalounger (they have great armrests!) and then you won't get sore legs.


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## Buddaus (Jul 1, 2014)

Retro Grouch said:


> What's a bicycle arm rest? The only ones I've seen are on furniture and between the front seats of my car.
> 
> Do you mean tri bars?


yes tri bar


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Buddaus said:


> yes tri bar


Arm rests? We don't need no arm rests; we're cyclists.


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## c019740 (Apr 20, 2011)

Might as well get leg rests while your at it.


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## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

Go ahead and give it a try. There's no reason not to.

I don't use tri bars on my bikes, but quite a few people I know do use them. I would think they'd be good for solo riding on long flat stretches, especially into the wind. I wouldn't use them in group rides though, because I don't think you have good control over steering and braking, compared to regular bars.


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## c019740 (Apr 20, 2011)

I actually tried it too, didn't like it. No control. I didn't mind placing my hands in the padded elbow rests but I removed them and no longer use any of it.


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

Can you get a head rest with those?


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

Clip ons are lame.

There is always somebody that wants to bring up that some pros will use clip ons. They are still lame.


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## Buddaus (Jul 1, 2014)

question answered lol


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## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

I would not use them with carbon bars, but if the bars are aluminum I like them.


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## DaveG (Feb 4, 2004)

My clip-on aerobars were retired to a box in the basement in 1994. To me they make cycling less fun. If you like being craned over the front of your bike staring at a small patch of road in front of you, then you'll like 'em. Also be aware that you are generally not welcome on group rides if you use them


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## OldChipper (May 15, 2011)

WTF are "tri bars?" Oh, you mean clip-on aero-bars! No, don't do it. Adds weight, F's up the handling and most organized won't let you use them (officially anyway) because the average rider is all over the road when using them which doesn't work very well in a group. If you get tired using regular road bars, get you fit checked, work on your core strength, and ride more.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

paredown said:


> If you want to get more aero, watch some footage of the way the pros will rest their forearms on the flat tops of the bars (may require the right bars).
> 
> Lets you get down, and get your hands up front without extra hardware.


And only slightly more dangerous for the uninitiated than aerobar extensions


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## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

If you want to get more aero, watch some footage of the way the pros will rest their forearms on the flat tops of the bars (may require the right bars).

Lets you get down, and get your hands up front without extra hardware.


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## chudak (Jul 28, 2012)

There's a big dude I see using these at a local MUP. He's not really fast and he's riding around people and kids but he insists on using them anyways. Of course he doesn't have any flexibility so his legs are splayed out at a 45 degree angle when he's on them.

Major fail...


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

chudak said:


> There's a big dude I see using these at a local MUP. He's not really fast and he's riding around people and kids but he insists on using them anyways. Of course he doesn't have any flexibility so his legs are splayed out at a 45 degree angle when he's on them.
> Major fail...


A woman comes past my place at about 8mph, on her way to the multi-use trails just down the street, with a tri-geek bar on her hybrid. She sits up at about a 80 degree angle with the bar at about the same angle and she looks like a praying mantis. Major-major fail. I'll bet she's comfy though.


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## Retro Grouch (Apr 30, 2002)

Mike T. said:


> A woman comes past my place at about 8mph, on her way to the multi-use trails just down the street, with a tri-geek bar on her hybrid. She sits up at about a 80 degree angle with the bar at about the same angle and she looks like a praying mantis. Major-major fail. I'll bet she's comfy though.


I'm waiting to see one of these on my local MUT:


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Boy, there are a lot of doctrinaire absolutists around here. If somebody finds aerobars comfortable and wants to ride them, it's none of my damn business, and it's not sacriligeous to some sacred road bike ethic. IMHO, of course.

buddaus, if you want to try them, go ahead. However, your assumption that you would find them more comfortable may be erroneous. I know some randonneurs (very long distance riders) who like them, but there are handling issues, and few road riders riding the distances you're talking about find them useful.


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## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Baddaus,

Clip-on aero bars have their place. As has been mentioned, they are not the type of thing to use while in a group situation or in town where you need brakes and shifting often, but for long solo efforts, I use mine a fair bit. 

You'll find that to use them on a road bike, you're going to be compromising. Your road fit won't be optimum to allow you to get down and tucked in on the tri bars, while your aero position won't be optimum to allow you the upright position of typical road riding. If you can find an "in between" that works, it can be a benefit to your long-haul rides. 

I did a couple circuits recently to try to see if I could quantify the difference for me....I've always felt faster on the extensions, but didn't know how much so. I had previously done a couple loops to compare hoods vs. drops and found the drops to be 1.5-2 km/h faster. This time I did 2x15 km loops to compare riding on the hoods vs. on the extensions (all highway, some climbing on the overpasses for turn-arounds, consistent wind and using my HRM and perceived effort to try to keep things constant from the "engine"). I did the extensions on the second pass....fresher legs on the first run on the hoods.

The overall difference was an increase 2.5-3 km/hr using the aero bars with into the wind providing the biggest improvements (as expected). On the 15 km loop, the difference ended up being a hair over 2 minutes. It's a little bit of an improvement over the drops, but not something massive. If you're riding solo a lot, tri bars provide some alternatives for hand placement, can get you back faster with more in the tank or can let you go longer...but as DaveG mentioned, it's a little harder to enjoy the scenery from an aero tuck.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Retro Grouch said:


> I'm waiting to see one of these on my local MUT:


Those able-bodied trike time-trial racers in the UK are rockin' dudes. Most of them go far faster on three wheels than I ever did on two.


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

DaveG said:


> My clip-on aerobars were retired to a box in the basement in 1994. To me they make cycling less fun. If you like being craned over the front of your bike staring at a small patch of road in front of you, then you'll like 'em. Also be aware that you are generally not welcome on group rides if you use them


I rode many miles in mine today. As per my setup, my head is lower in the drops... when I am in my clipon's I sit higher. 
Don't know about using a tri-bar, they would probably be lower.

And on anther comment... adding clipons or tri-bars does not change the handling of the bike, the steering angle is the same. But it is a little more technical to ride in a hard corner, I always get out of them for a anything more than a sweeper.


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