This is super helpful…thanks! I’m starting to wonder if it’s more trouble than its worth for my current set up. I’m a bit worried about making to many compromises to my fit for occasional aerobar use. 
Have to do a bit more digging.
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I just found some good hints here. Worth linking to, I may look for a different set of extensions, shims, and arm cups like the advice here…
Need to get on it soon, this is for my Unbound Bike so will be trying to finalize it this winter so I can have the fit really dialed and spend plenty of time with them
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I have the exact same setup you’re proposing. Enve SES aero bars (37cm) and the clip on extensions. I built up my dream mosaic last fall and those handlebars and aero bars were an easy choice. That being said…
My prior gravel bike was a diverge. I installed some cheaper profile design (correction, they’re red shift) aero bars and the minute I installed them, they were soooo comfortable. A real game changer. I never wanted to get off of them. I was so comfortable. In races I’d use them when pulling or riding solo, but not in groups for safety reasons really not that beneficial when drafting anyways.
That being said, so far I’ve been disappointed with the SES aero bars. In fact, I probably haven’t had them on 95% of the time. I need to give them more time. To be honest, they just aren’t nearly as comfortable. I feel like this may likely be due to the much more aggressive bike fit on the mosaic vs the diverge. I feel like they need to come up and back about an inch. The bars, even shortened nearly as much as possible, still seem to be an inch or two, too long.
I probably just need more time on them. With my experience with aero bars I expected to just roll right into them. It has bugged me enough that I’ve even considered different handlebars so I have more aero bar options.
A last item - my diverge had mechanical shifting vs my red xplr on the mosaic. I even got the wireless blips which I expected would make shifting in the aero position the last thing missing (other than braking I suppose). I need to take this thread as some initiative to mess with them more, especially with 5, 100+ milers signed up for this year.
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Thanks, that link is gold! Didn’t even think of trying different extensions. Going to try my profile design bars. That alone may be a huge help!
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I run the profile design bars. They are a bit heavy, but built solid and I trust the company (a key thing for me with bars). My drop bars are Bontranger XXX aero road bars that allow clip ons. I struggled to find aero carbon drop bars that take regular clip ons and I don’t think trek makes them any more. I run wireless blips on the extensions.
I’ve got a TT bike that I do OK on and I’m used to that position, but my Gravel position isn’t anything like my TT fit. The arm pads and extensions are set up high and as narrow as possible. Good for some long hours and super stable even in chunky stuff. I’ve got a redshift stem that really helps absorb big bumps without getting sketchy. It looks like a total Fred-mobile, but it’s way, way faster than anything with drop bars and I’ve had decent results with it.
Pretty much all my racing is off road these days, so the gravel bike (or XC bike) are all I ride, even for fast road rides. The clip on aero bars never come off my gravel bike unless I’m doing a race that doesn’t allow them. Lots of training hours in the extensions on and off road. I wouldn’t recommend anyone go out and race gravel using aero bars without significant practice first.
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That is almost certainly the issue.
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In hindsight, I should have looked into new aero bars that allowed me to increase the stack height, similar to your set up.
But I wanted to use my old school Scott RCO bars, where the pads were in spring-loaded arms that popped up when not in use, allowing me to still have access to my bar tops.
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My opinion is that it is one that undoubtedly moves the needle. I totally understand people using aero bars going solo or in a time trial.
It’s just common sense that If you are riding in a pack they pose a risk to everyone around you.
Bike handling is massively reduced and you aren’t getting to the breaks if you need them in a hurry.
I certainly would not feel safe riding in a group with someone using aero bars to try gain an advantage.
Having aero bars on your bike, and using them when you’re in the middle of a peloton, are different things.
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Those were my insights in the WeightWeenies thread linked above, and not much has changed. I still use these bars, but you do have to accept their limitations in fit. Namely being that the starting height of the extension bars is fixed to the location of the tops of your actual road handlebars. You can wedge/space the arm cups higher as I have. I actually have a 3d printer on the way to start yet another expensive hobby, and one of my envisioned uses for it is to print some shaped spacers that might allow for raising the entire system with the use of some longer bolts.
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I just ordered some angled wedges/spacers, new arm cups, and a set of 50 degree extensions to try with my Enve In Route Aero Road Bar / Clip On’s on my MOG.
It’ll probably take a couple weeks to get everything and get them installed (assuming everything fits) but for the time being this is probably the best option for me - I don’t have my stem slammed right now and left myself some fit room to play with there.
If I didn’t have the bar already, I might actually consider something else to give more flexibility in adjustment, but that’s a bigger commitment to sell the drop bars and clip on’s and start over. (Giant looks like they have an interesting setup)
@Upcountry - Been seriously considering doing the same with a 3D Printer. Backed off it for the time being as I need to take care of other projects, sell a bunch of crap and make space first. But tons of uses for one…
Upgrading from the Enve arm cups alone is a big improvement. The Profile Design “+” ones are a nice step up in comfort, and I found that getting the wedge installed under them helped a ton with long distance comfort. Make sure you check your bolt length when you install the wedges, you’ll need longer ones than stock, but make sure they don’t protrude through the bottom the Enve bracket.
With the normalization of narrow handlebars, more and more options are popping up that are clip-on compatible. Three years ago when I put this setup together there were only a few options for ~36cm bars that work with clip-ons. Now even in just the integrated bar/stem department there are more than that(BMC, Syncros, etc), with dozens of just handlebar options.
How important they are is really up to you. I’ve ridden 170 miles on a 1985 Bridgestone road bike, and 200 on a regular carbon road bike (14,000’ of climbing). I never felt the need for aero bars.
Would they make the ride faster? Sure. If your goal is to just get through it, and your terrain makes them useful, then they will be useful.
Important? I do big solo rides all the time, I never felt the need for them.
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I assume that the bolt pattern between the Enve arm cups and profile designs are the same/universal?
This thread inspired me to install the ses aero bars again before a 90 min indoor endurance ride this morning. They felt a lot better than my last experience, which may largely be due to getting more accustomed to the more aggressive riding position. I’ll start training with them more and possibly do some tweaks mentioned in this thread and see how it goes.
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If it’s not too much trouble, could you take some pics? Curious what your set up looks like
This thread got me wondering, is there a clip-on setup that would be compatible with my Easton aero bars (see photo)?
I just assumed not given the part of the bars that is round (next to the stem) is super narrow and only (just) accepts the bracket for my out front Wahoo mount and my quad lock phone mount.
The latter could be dispensed with if necessary, but I’d need to find a way to mount my Wahoo somewhere visible and preferably central.
Any suggestions?
Stem front plate with computer mount?
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The Enve clip on’s for their Aero Bar might work, as they’re designed to clip onto the ovalized section. But, probably wouldn’t be an exact match.
(There’s a review on the Enve site where someone admitted to using these on his Trek and says they fit)
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Not likely….you face the issue most face when using aero road bars. You need a dedicated system for your particular bars.
If there was a set with very narrow clamps, you may be able to mount some instead of your computer and quad lock mounts. I’m just not aware of any……maybe check for some ITU-legal shorty aero bars and those might be designed to work with aero road bars.
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Ive never done a solo ride that long myself but I think they would be useful if the ride is in an area that you’d use them often. I don’t think we have a substantial area that would make me comfortable to use them but the US has larger flatter areas I think. And they are only important if they are useful.
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