Traithlon Bikes/aero bars on Group Rides

Our local club is having a heated debate right now on this topic. We just sent out a "rules/guidelines for group road riding" to help educate newer riders. One of the sections made mention that its not really cool to ride triathlon bikes or ride with aerobars during the group ride. Some reasons include that they are harder to control and if your on aerobars, you can't signal directions or obstacles coming up.

Personally, I don't think tri bikes should be ridden in group rides for safety reasons. But some of the cyclists feel like we are being "elitists" by excluding them.

What do you think? Sorry if there has already been a thread on this . . .

I thought that was a commonly accepted rule - tri bars/aero bars in a group ride are a no-no. It is a safety thing. Not an elitist thing.

We do not allow areobars on our team rides PERIOD. It's not elitist at all - its a SAFETY consideration. Aerobars make the bike much harder to control and its actually pretty dangerous to ride them around other people.

For our TNT rides, they are not allowed. We do have riders with aerobars (clip on) on their bikes, and I'm not going to make anyone take them off, but they don't use them when riding with the group. Simple.

If you had a "tri/TT bike" that only had an aero bar set up, it wouldn't be allowed on our team rides. Sorry.

On rides I do on my own, I will paceline with riders I know and have confidence in who have aerobars. There's an advantage there, especially for the longer rides.

Definite no-no

We had a rule at the club for racing that you did not use your aeros in group racing as it was unsafe and gave unfair advantage in a break-away.

Our rule now is no aeros, period. People were still using aeros in bunchs - causing minor crashes and wobbles, a significant crash, and using them in breakaways - unfair advantage.
So now if you arrive with aeros on your bike, you have to take them off before race start or you will not be allowed to race.
The only exception of course is for time trials - individual and team.


The protocol in group training rides, is... you guessed it... and in line with what others have said here too... do not use your aero bars.

aeros/clip-on in a group ride is bad bad bad...

And when you meant a tri bike I presume you meant any bike with aeros/clip-ons. Not necessarily a TT frame or a tri-frame (seat tube angle like a TT bike at 76 degrees and more relaxed head tube like a road bike)

If and when I get a TT bike with cowhorns and aerobars, I will be out training to get used to the feel of the bike but it will be SOLO rides. I don't trust myself in a group with cow horns and aeros.

smilingcat

I'm surprised there is a discussion about this with your group.

Everyone pretty much knows... it's a no-no due to safety issues. Plain and simple.

Now, if someone has clip-on aero bars, that's different. They can ride their bike out of areo position and ride it like a regular road bike.

As for TT bikes/tri bikes... with the shifters on the aero bars... those bikes are not allowed on group rides.

I have a roadie and a tri bike. I always take my tri bike out solo. I knew that was the rule when I bought it.