Profile Design Aeria aerobars review
The deluxe and carbon Profile Design Aeria Ultimate Aerobar System is made to help any triathlete find their perfect position. The base bars and extensions have markers to help you get the correct reach, and the huge array of spacers included allow for a stack height range of 25mm to 105mm. The spacer sizes go up in 5mm increments – allowing for precise fitting options – while there’s also some tilt adjustment under the pads, which is useful if you want your forearms raised to replicate the ‘Praying Mantis’ position.
- What are aerobars?
- How to fit aerobars (tri bars) onto your bike
- How to turn your road bike into a triathlon bike
- Clip-on aerobars: 5 of the best reviewed
The base bars are flat and wide horizontally, optimised for aerodynamics and manageable to grip for short periods when you want to sit up and come out of your tuck. The base bar ends are longer than most (we had to cut ours down to shorten the reach), but those with longer arms will appreciate the extra length.
The extensions also have markers so you can easily modify them to match your preferred reach. Unless you’re an experienced bike fitter yourself, you’ll definitely need to have your exact measurements or book in for an additional bike fit, as guesswork won’t allow you to get the most out of the system.
The Aeria Ultimate stem (included) is a beastly piece of aluminium, with our 70mm long unit weighing 334g. We weighed the base bars and extensions at 492g, so it adds considerable weight. Its primary use is hiding cables, and
it’s also big enough to house a Shimano Di2 or Campagnolo EPS junction box. As our frame has cable entry on the side of the tubes rather than vertically down through the top tube, it meant we couldn’t route cables through it, so we opted to use our own carbon stem to save weight. It’s also very slammed at around 15°, which Profile Design say helps to negate a high stack frame so you can get lower.
The aerobars have pre-made holes in the ends and halfway up for routing your shift cables, which provide options for all frame types. The pads are plenty comfortable enough and there’s a lot of width adjustment for the arm rests. The bars also flare out further up where the shifters are located, and we had no comfort issues on long rides of 90km plus.
We really like the adjustability on the Aeria Ultimate system. For most of us a bike fit and modifications will be essential, making the outlay even higher. But, unless you’re a pro going down the made-to-measure route, they’re some of the most versatile bars you can buy, and worth it if you want to maximise your tri bike’s potential.
Verdict: Hugely-adjustable front-end solution, but high price and weighty stem, 83%
Buy from www.fawkes-cycles.co.uk
Contact : profile-design.com