Profile Design Aerobar Mod

Cat-Dog was previously outfitted with Profile Design Aerolite clip-on bars (upper photo - top). While it's very easy to get a good fit on these things, they are neither "aero" nor "lite". The aerobars sit too high above the base bars and have too much mounting hardware. These 750 gram monsters had to go but this year's upgrade budget was spent on wheels. What to do?

A pair of Profile Design Jammers (upper photo - bottom) were just waiting in the parts-bin for something. I tried these things out two few seasons ago and couldn't get them to fit no matter what I did. The twisty hand grip and short length made me wonder why they didn't use a more descriptive name like "Profile Design Elbow-Jammed". The hardware and pads were fine but the tubes were junk.

With a little tinkering I discovered it's possible to use the same Jammer hardware but replace the useless twisty-elbow things with better tubes. I took a set of straight mountain bike handlebars (26mm center, 7071 aluminum, gunmetal powder-coated - also parts-bin), cut them in half, and mounted them with the narrow side in the hardware and the wider area up front. I popped the round end caps into the narrow end and my set of Dura-Ace bar-end shifters up front.

The flared area of the tubes makes a nice hand grip. When I get the fit dialed in then I will wrap the bars and clean up the cables. At 510 grams these aerobars are not as light as carbon or integrated setups but respectable for clip-ons in the "under $100/parts-bin" category. They are lighter and cleaner than the Aerolites and unlike the original Jammers they're usable. They look stock so you won't get that old-washing-machines-parts look of Graeme Obree's world record setting "Old Faithful". (But if you DO want that look then there is an abandoned machine near the old Rabbit Hutch parking lot just waiting for a serious hardware hacker.)

It may be possible to go a step further and mount the aerobars below the base bars with the hardware tucked neatly behind the base bars however it will require taller spacers for the pads. I work on that later.

There you go. If you've got a set of Profile Jammers (or T2's) and don't like the shape, hack a set of mountain bike bars, straight, curved, or angled, and get what you want.

Want smoother indoor training? Get fixed.

We've got a shorter cycling season so indoor bike trainers are the way it works up here. Unfortunately most riders look forward to a session on the trainer with about as much enthusiasm as a follow up appointment with the tax accountant. Tunes, TV, and books fight the boredom but the machine plays a part too. Some indoor trainers do a good job simulating the feel of the road but others are not much more than wheel draggin' sweat machines and that feeling of constantly pushing a wheel that doesn't want to spin adds to the misery. Usually more money buys bigger flywheels, better parts, and a more realistic cycling experience but I recently discovered an exception and it's a little bit fun. Yes, "fun" and "indoor training" can go together.

If you've got a fixie hangin' up in the garage, don't just leave it there. Put it on the trainer and you might be surprised how smooth it feels. Fixies round out the pedal stroke and add flywheel-like inertia contributing to a good road feel.

I've got a Cycleops Magneto I use it because it's bullet-proof, and has progressive resistance. The road feel is better than most mag-trainers but not as good as fluid trainers I've tried. However when I put Silverfish, the parts-bin-Fixie, on the pegs, that trainer felt like a much better machine than it had a right to. It wasn't as smooth as a Computrainer but dang close or better than a fluid. Did I mention how easy it was to trackstand on the Cycleops trainer?

On rollers, my preferred indoor training tool, there was less of a difference however I did find handling was easier. Starts, stops, one-handed, and no-handed riding were easier on Silverfish, than on my Tri bike, Cat-Dog. Of course these things are easier to pull off on a Fixie on the road too. The added skills and balance will help when I put the bike back on the road in the spring.

Looks like Silverfish will be getting more miles this winter.