Aero road bikes
These bikes are for the cyclists who like to speed up their usual road bike. The aero road bikes usually have a racing usage. Anyways this “upgraded bike” isn’t recommendable for a beginner level.
The first thing that you notice on these bikes is the aerodynamics. That’s why this road bikes are called aero bikes. First let’s explain what the word “aero” means. This word derives from the word “aerodynamics” which is a dynamics that studies how the air reacts when it interacts with a moving body, in bicycle terms how does the air react while you are cycling on the road. Now, the aero road bike is slightly different than the other bikes. Let’s start with the handle bars. Most of the part of the bullhorns leans down, which gets the torso leaned forward too and keeps the arms closer together. This bar goes together with a clip on bar where the cyclist positions the arms. This is what gives the aero in the bike.
These gadgets provide stability for the bike and aerodynamics although it might feel a bit uncomfortable. This bar is popularized by Greg Lemond in 1989 who thanks to this bar won Le Tour de France.
Other things important are the wells. They are deep rim and the wheels look like disks that have its own role in the aerodynamics of the bike.
The frame is also different. The frame looks like an airfoil (like a blade of a propeller) which also contributes to the aerodynamics. But there is a catch in here. The upper bar of the frame is a few centimeters lower than the lower one. In that way it gives the appropriate stem length when ridding the aero bike.
The seat post can also be aerodynamic. Usually they match the shape of the aero seat tube, but sometimes they aren’t round to a certain point. This seat posts go with different mechanisms for the seat that include wedges and pinch bolts.
As we mentioned above this aero road bike is meant for the short track not for the long ones. It might look very aerodynamic but actually it isn’t that comfortable. Considering the fact that the aero shapes are created for racing, and because those races don’t take long, the comfortable is overlooked. Also riding an aero bike put a great pressure on the muscles of the body which we all know isn’t that present.
My recommendation would be that you stick to the standard road bike, but if you crave for adrenalin and fast bike races than go for the aero road bike.
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