I would love to see holes added to the aero extensions so I can route my bar end shifter cables internally. I have considered drilling my current extensions and routing them this way, would it cause any problems?

Answer: The drilling for ICR have been included on all new extension production since March 2004. We currently have stock of replacement extensions with ICR available in four shapes and carbon or alloy.

You may do this drilling yourself but you will invalidate your warrantee and therefore we cannot recommend it. However, if you decide to do it yourself, use a sharp, new drill bit, try to keep the hole size as small as possible and as close to the shift lever as possible while allowing a smooth bend in the housing.

I wonder if the A700 Slam permits a hand position in the middle of the normal racing drop handlebar. I like this position for climbing. Or are the arm pads on the same level as the hands/wrists forcing a wider grip?
 
Answer: The SLAM bar was designed specifically with your hand position in mind.

The bar is based on a design used by Lance Armstrong in the 2002 Tour de Suisse and Tour de France which had similar stages with about 10 kilometers of flat and 10 kilometers of climbing. The bar allows an aero position, specially suited to a bike with road geometry, and still allows for a hand position close to the center of a road bar. The extension clamps (40mm wide) mount close to the stem so you are be able to place you hands at the inner edge of the taped section of your handlebars for climbing. The arm rest pads are mounted behind but 25 to 50mm above the handlebar (depending on which riser your chose).

Note: Lance won both of the above stages in 2002 and went on to win the over-all in both events.

I think you will find these bars to be the perfect solution for your needs.

Question: I have just ordered and recieved a set of A900 aero concept bars and S-bend carbon extensions. The distributor put out a catalougue with an advertised retail price of bars $889 (Austrialian) and extensions $129. The order has just landed with cost of $XXX and $XXX respectively. When I rang them to check the price, they told me the landed cost has gone up almost triple due to a shortage of carbon. Is this correct or am I being sold a duck? Gavin - JT Cycles, Holden Hill, South Australia

Answer: Good morning to my friends down under,

The problem with the price increases is certainly not your distributor's fault. I will have to take most of the blame but will try to pass some on to the Chinese and Indians (India Indians, not American Indians who have suffered enough from my ancestors).

The Chinese and Indian economies are growing at a rapid pace and they are absorbing huge quantities of raw materials from petroleum to coal to aluminum to steel to carbon fiber. Both governments want their economies to grow and their people's wealth (and hopefully future happiness) to increase, With 1.2 billion people each this means they are creating shortages of all these raw materials and thusly driving up the world prices. This is going to be a problem for all of us for many, many products for years to come. This was the reason for the increase on the A900 carbon aero bar and a part of the extension price increase.

The other part of the extension price increase was my being too stubborn and not believing the cost quotes I was receiving for my aero extensions. They seem like quite simple tubes, even though the decals are masked before they are nicely clear coated (or painted Ferrari red and then clear coated), the internal cable holes are cleanly CNC machined and there are two of them. Making sure they are precisely 22.2mm in diameter after the clear coating and/or painting and clear coating and then adding some end plugs and the pair of aluminum support cylinders in case your customer applies a lot of leverage, all go into the final cost. I basically released pricing based on thinking I was going to negotiate the cost down to a more reasonable level but I could not.

After six months of selling the extensions at my cost, I realized I needed to make a minimum margin. This is where you came in. I will probably have another price increase in the coming weeks which really make these carbon extensions soberingly expensive. The only other option for the extensions is to buy the alloy versions which are about 50 grams (30%) heavier but one quarter the price. (No red though, sorry.)

All this having been said, I don't believe you have been "sold a duck". (I assume that is a bad thing.) While it certainly has wings, this A900 carbon aero bar is the most adjustable aero bar on the planet. If you cannot get your athletes into an aero position with this bar then they don't have an aero position. (Think bowling ball.) You can also upgrade the brake levers, arm rest pads and stem with lighter carbon bits (all at a price of course).

We also have designed the next generation of carbon aero bar using F1 technology. (I will give you a sneak preview below.) It weighs 550 grams. It uses the same component parts as the other Oval Concepts aero bars so your investment in A900 upgrades will not go obsolete. Retail on this bar (complete) will be about $2,500 U.S.. Shocking, huh?

I am sorry that you have had problems with my product and maybe have disappointed your customer. I will try to be more careful with my pricing policies so the shock does not come when the product arrives in the shop.

Thank you very much for working with my products and thank you for feeding back your concerns. Hopefully I will get better due to your efforts.

Question: I recently purchased a pair of the above & am very pleased with their performance. My only problem is fitting my computer onto the small diameter piece of carbon just in front of the stem clamping bar. I use a Polar HRM to record my data & I am wondering if you supply an adaptor to increase the diameter of this piece to a more standard size of approx. 26mm to enable correct mounting. I currently have my HRM mounted on the stem but it is turned through 90deg so it makes it difficult to read at a glance. Regards, Rich (UK)

Answer: Unfortunately we cannot follow all of the mounting characteristics of all the cycling computers and HRMs available worldwide. I do not have a great solution to your problem outside of buying a short section of pipe insulation 10mm ID and 25mm OD. You should be able to tighten the mounting system of your HRM around this insulation enough to keep your display and you seeing eye-to-eye.

Question: I was wondering how you buy the A900 (or A700) upgrade? Do you get the A900 one piece aero bar, or just the upgrades? Thank you. Sincerely, Tyler (USA)

Answer: Good question. To buy an A900 (or A700) Upgrade, you buy the A900 (or A700) Stock bar then add the four A900 (or A700) upgrade parts - carbon extensions (in your choice of shape and color), carbon brake levers (choice of colors), carbon arm rest pad holders (choice of colors) and Oval arm rest pads (choice of thickness). This way, if you want, you can invest first in the A900 Stock and then get your Optimum Aero Position all worked out before getting the other pieces (maybe for your birthday or wedding).

Question: How are the brake cables routed in your A700 bullohorn base bar? Internal. External? Thanks. Jamie (USA)

Answer: Our cables are routed externally. We tried to run them internally but we needed to add so much weight (100 grams = 50% heavier) to the cow horn bar to meet minimum strength requirements that it did not make sense. Since most people tape their cow horns anyway, we figured running the cables under the tape and saving the weight was the best design course.

Question: I have a customer that my distributor advised could use an A700 Slam Kit to adapt the carbon A900 double bend bar extensions. The bar extensions are not predrilled to adapt to the Slam Kit. Is there a way to adapt the A900 extensions to an Ov al Cow horn handle bar? Please let us know. Thanks. Trail's End Cycling Company (USA)

Answer:Â Yes, you can adapt the A900 carbon extensions to the SLAM bar clamping system. Actually, soon all the A900 and A700 extensions will be drilled to support the arm rest mounting system used by the SLAM. Unfortunately at this time IÂ am having some, ummmm..., challenges with my supplier to add this simple drilling. Sometimes simple changes take more time and effort than creating whole new products.

If you would like to make you customer happy in the interim, you can drill any of our extensions yourself to the same pattern and with the SAME HOLE SIZES as the SLAM Bar. The holes are 25mm apart (C-C) and are at zero (vertical) and 30 degrees outboard. USE A NEW OR AT LEAST VERY SHARP DRILL BIT AND LIGHT PRESSURE WHEN DRILLING THE HOLES. Then use the half moon shaped cyclindrical threaded insert to support the arm rest risers and arm rest holders. These threaded inserts add far more strength to the extension system than the small holes take away.

I hope we can get this new SLAM mounting system as standard equipment in all our new extensions soon so you will not have to bother with this kind of exercise. It is a great, simple idea and improvement to our systems but it does take some time for these changes to pass through our system.

Q: How do I get the A911 JetStream handlebar ordering instructions?

A: The A911 JetStream custom handlebar is only available direct from Oval Concepts. Please e-mail info@ovalconcepts.com for the instructions and order form in MS Word or PDF format (please specify). Payment can only be made by wire transfer at this time.

Q: Is there a simple formula I can use to fit myself to the A911 JetStream aero handlebar?

A: Unfortunately, there is no simple formula for arriving at your measurements for the A911 JetStream handlebar.  Achieving your Optimal Aero Position (OAP) is not a simple process. Oval Concepts job is to supply you with the most adjustable aerodynamic equipment to allow you to find your optimum aero position. Your job is to work with an experienced aero fit coach and/or do some personal wind tunnel or similar testing and/or study closely the professionals that are doing the same events and distances as you are doing.

The order form for the A911 handlebar is intended for you to apply measurements from your current handlebar setup or apply data from precise fitting and testing with experienced professionals.

If you are still developing your your OAP and bike fit, we recommend our A900 handlebar which has the greatest adjustability of any aero bar on the market.

Q: I know that the public price for the A911 JetStream aero bar is $2500 U.S. or 2500 Euro in the EU. Is there a dealer or wholesale price for the A911 handlebar?

A: The A911 JetStream handlebar is only available consumer direct through Oval Concepts. However, Oval Concepts is working with distributors to offer a credit for each handlebar sold, which will be passed down to the customer's local bike shop so we don't leave our distributors and retailers out of the picture. Please make sure to include your bike shop name on the order form when you fill it out.

Question: I really love the A911. Its characteristics and design are the best in the market. Unfortunately, its price is also :-)

So I may fall back onto the A900, which is sold in numerous stores. However, how do I get the (A900 Upgrade) one shown in the attached image? What I've seen in stores are all black. It looks like "kits" are also sold to change the bar, arm rest and brake to red but does that mean I have to throw away the black parts? It seems weird that I have to buy a full black set and then buy again some other parts in red.

Christophe - USA

Answer: You are correct when you consider the system for buying the A900 upgrade bar with red accessories "weird". It is a problem created when the market moved faster than my company. Let me explain.

Two years ago the cutting edge in aero bars was anything carbon. The Profile Carbon X stormed the market. We had additonal adjustability with our A900 carbon bar and were in a great position.

Last year the trend toward specific extension shapes and carbon accessories (i.e. extensions, arm rests, brake levers, etc.) defined the leading edge and we were there. We added the Ferrari red option to our carbon accessories and they caught on fire. Unfortunately some people were not upgrading their current bar but wanted to buy the A900 already upgraded. This is where I was not able to keep up.

We had "stock" A900 and A700s but we could not package every combination of base bar, extension (shape, material and color), arm rest (shape, material and color) and brake lever (material and color). I just could not respond quick enough to change the Bill of Materials, packaging and educate my salespeople, distributors and shops worldwide to sell the new concept. So now we have the "weird" year - 2006.

For 2007 we will begin selling base bars, extensions, arm rests and brake levers all separately so you can build exactly the bar you wanted without waste. Until that time, you need to buy the A900 stock bar and add the extensions, arm rests and brake levers you desire. The left-over "black (alloy) parts" do not need to be thrown away but should be kept in your tool box as spare parts and possibly as options for special aero set ups. For example, you may cut the double bend alloy extensions down to single bends to check if that extension shape works best for you before investing in the red carbon stuff.

While this explanation does not solve your problem in an elegant way, you may at least understand what caused this "weird" year.

Q: Greetings, while I understand that an Oval stem must be used with the A921 Jetstream stemcap aerobar, I can't find any information on your website as to what stem angle(s) can be used.

I am intrigued by the stemcap-based aerobar system as it solves the problem of mounting aerobars with carbon road bars; you don't have to worry about clamping onto the carbon. But, many of our fit customers need stems with angles in excess of 100-degrees (107-degrees is often ideal). I know that your company makes stems in 73-and-84-degree reversable angles. Is there any particular stem angle that must be used with the A921?

Thanks for your time,

Aaron "Rambo" Harrison
Fit Services Manager
The Bike Gallery, Inc.
12345 SW Canyon Rd.
Beaverton, OR 97005
(503)641-2580

A: Dear Rambo,

Good eye. Good thought process.

Bike Gallery, huh? Good shop too.

Well, the good news is that the Stem Cap Clip-On system (SCCS) works on any stem we make - from R300 up to our new R900 carbon stem. The R500, R700 and R900 are available in 84 or 73 degrees and can be flipped (as you note). It even works on our adjustable R710 stems which are available from 95 to 140mm lengths. In addition, you can rotate most handlebars within the clamp system to keep them aerodynamically and/or ergonomically correct.

An additional benefit of our new clamping system is that if you want/need to put someone into the "praying mantis" or "Landis" position you can use an R710 adjustable stem at up to 60 degrees and still rotate the base bar down so it does not act like a parachute (or anti-aerobar).

The bad news is that the extension and arm rest angle are locked parallel to the angle of the stem body. This may or may not be a problem for a given set-up but must be kept in mind when doing your set up, clamp and bar choice.

We are studying now how to eliminate this problem on future clamp designs but for now we have a concept that is interesting enough to offer as an option on our aero bar systems.

Thank you for watching and thank you for asking. I will include your question in the FAQ section of our website.

Kind Regards,
Morgan Nicol

Hi, I have a set of A700 bars I purchased about a year ago and have been using since that time. I love the bars they have lived up to all of my expectations. I have been watching all of the Armstrong shows on OLN and I have noticed that in their testing they have cocked his hands into a position that rolls his wrists more forward using an almost strait front extension. I also see that Ulrich runs a similar type of bar extension. Is this new thinking? If it is, and it is more aero, I was thinking that my A700's could easily adapt to that type of hand position. Have you guys noticed any of this? Would you consider making some alternate extensions that offer different hand positions and sell them as accessories? Maybe letting us customize our set ups?

Answer: The new extension shapes have also caught our attention and are now available in straight, single bend, double bend and s-bend. These shapes are available in carbon or aluminum. The carbon extensions are available in clear coat or Ferrari red. All of these extensions are pre-drilled to accept internal cable runs.

Q: I have recently purchased some carbon S-bend extensions for my A700 aero bar setup. I want to trim the length on the ends so that the shifter is closer to my hand position on the S. I noticed the end of the bars are plugged with a black plastic piece. Is this a necessary piece? Can I simply remove it? or do I have to remove it, cut the extensions, then re-insert it. I didn't see any instructions with the new extensions and want to know before I proceed.

Love the bars, Greg (USA)

A: First, I do need to be up front to say the warrantee is void if you modify the extensions in any way, especially cutting them. We cannot control how the procedure is done so we cannot be responsible. Having said that, I understand that you may still want to proceed to cut them to reach your optimum fit.

The black insert you refer to in the front of the extension is truly an aluminum piece which is there to support the expansion forces of the bar end shifter. This piece is critical. Therefore the only safe way to shorten the extension is to remove this aluminum insert, cut the carbon fiber and re-insert the aluminum insert.

Unfortunately, we did not plan on this procedure when we started making the extensions. The adhesive holding the alloy insert is tough stuff so the procedure for shortening the extensions is not easy. Please be careful.

For future production, especially for the s-bend extensions, we are studying the possibiity of shipping the carbon extension and alloy shifter insert separately (in the same package) along with a small tube of adhesive for bonding the two when the extension is cut to length. Unfortunately due to American legal liabilities we have a few issues to address before we proceed down that road.

Thanks fo ryour question Greg.

I'm looking into buying a set of your aero bars and have a question regarding extension compatibility. I work at a shop, and looking in the distributor catalog it looks as if you can buy S bend or straight extensions as an aftermarket item for the A900 bar. My question is can you use these same extensions in the A700 bar? How about the Oval clip-on bars? What is I upgrade later to the full carbon A900? Also, are they the same diameter as the Hed bars? (22.2 mm) Thank you for any input.

Answer: Very observant. It is possible to use any of the Oval Concepts extensions interchangably on any of the Oval Concepts aero bars. All extensions have a 22.2mm external diameter. They are available in straight, single bend, double bend and s-bend versions.

In addition to the clear coat carbon extensions we also have a Ferrari red painted carbon version and a less expensive, bead blast black alloy version.

Therefore you can buy the A700 with the alloy s-bends to save the most cash and still get a great position. Then you can upgrade to carbon extensions later (happy birthday!) to give yourself the lightest aero set-up. (Please do not tell the guys buying the A900 carbon bar.)

Then if you decide to upgrade to the carbon bar (more adjustable and more sexy - happy anniversary!) then you can transfer your carbon extensions.

Completely compatible Carbon arm rest pads (Happy Ramadan/Hanukkah/Christmas!) and brake levers (Happy New Years!) are also available.

Oh, and you can even set up your clip-on bars to exactly match your one piece aero bar position as all the extensions and arm rests are also compatible with the Oval Concepts clip-ons.

As stated above, all the extensions have a 22.2mm diameter which, the last time I checked, also fit the HED aero bar clamping system. Please be aware that I cannot be responsible for the design and resulting clamping forces of the HED bar on the Oval Concepts extensions.

Thanks for the great questions.

Q: What is the difference between the A911 and A921? Matt, Washington DC

A: Great question. It is best to go to the product section of the website and study carefully. Basically I offer the following generalities:

1. A911 @ $2500 (and soon to go to $4000) vs. the A921 @ $1300 (similarly equipped)

2. A921 can go as low as $1000 with alloy extensions, levers, arm rests and be upgraded later.

3. A911 @ 555 grams vs. A921 @ 784 grams

4. The A911 is made at a Formula 1 sub-contractor in the U.K. from carbon fiber weaves only available to Department of Defense and F1 and therefore very sexy. The A921 is made in Taiwan from less exotic materials.

5. The A911 has an 80mm drop while the A921 is basically flat.

6. A911 is custom since the extensions are bonded and the arm rests drilled and fixed. Note: the lack of a clamp system also accounts for the lower weight. The A911 is therefore limited to 1260 incremental fit adjustments (including stem lengths and angles) while the A921 has 241,920 fit adjustments. So you can play with your fit and change extensions, arm rests, etc. with the A921.

7. The clamp system on the A921 is new and patented but has one limitation - the arm rest and extensions will always be parallel to the stem body. This is fine if you use a normal flat (73 degree) or slight rise (6 degree stem). If you use a big rise drop stem or an adjustable stem at an extreme angle the extensions and arm rests will follow this angle which is bad. The A911 has a traditional stem clamp which leaves the bar to rotate.

8. Bottom line: The A911 is the most incredibly light, stiff and fast bar out there. The A921 is half the price (and soon to be a third the price.)

Q: How do you calculate the 1,209,600 incremental adjustments you promote your A901 Laminar Aero Bar as having? J.P., Santa Cruz, CA

A: I got confused trying to repeat this operation myself so I decided to just do a chart to lay it out in black and white. Now let's see how to attach the chart to the website....

Incremental Adjustments				Part	Adjustment
A921	A911	A901	A701
5	5	5	5	Arm Rest	Mounting positions
2	2	2	2		Switch Left & Right
2	2	2	2		Rotate
3	3	3	3	Risers	Height
3	1	3	3		Mount Positions on Clamp
4	1	4	4		Mount Positions on Extensions
2	1	2	2	Extension	Fore/Aft
2	1	2	2		Rotate
4	1	5	5		Shapes
1	1	2	2	Clamps	In/Out
1	1	2	2		Angle
21	21	21	21	Stems	Lengths & Angles
241,920	1,260	1,209,600	1,209,600	Total Adjustments
1300	3500	1000	500	Bar Price	Maximum (all red carbon upgrades)
1.9	0.0036	12.1	24.2	Value	Adjustments/$ or Euro cent
754	555	794	831	Bar Weight	Minimum (all clear carbon upgrades)
172.4	630.6	125.9	60.2	Value	$ or Euro cents/gram weight

Viola'!

What is the OAP (Optimum Aero Position) for me?

Answer: This question is the Holy Grail of cycling aerodynamics. Oval Concepts job is to supply you with the most adjustable aerodynamic equipment to allow you to find your optimum aero position. Your job is to work with an experienced aero fit coach and/or do some personal wind tunnel or similar testing and/or study closely the professionals that are doing the same events and distances as you are doing.

Here are some general rules to remember:

OAP means optimizing speed not just minimizing drag. Aerodynamics are NOT the only criteria in an OAP. The OAP is a function of maximizing power and minimizing drag at a given aerobic level. Therefore you can be very aero but if you are not comfortable, if you cannot breathe properly, or if you cannot properly apply power to the pedals, you will not have your OAP.

The cyclist is the largest drag effect on the bike - by far. Therefore the aero bar is the most important piece of equipment for a good aero position. The OAP requires an adjustable bar, not just the most aero bar.

Road cyclists have different positions on their TT bikes than triathletes. Road cyclists are only doing five to ten TT's per year and they need to consider the position used (and musclature developed) during 98% of their training time.

A one hour time trial requires a different philosophy than a two, three, four or five hour bike leg of a triathlon. Road cyclists also do not need to get off their bikes and run.

Flat vs. hilly vs. mountain time trials have different equipment and OAP opportunities.

Drafting vs. non-drafting triathlons have different equipment rules which must be followed.

Q: I am sure this will be an FAQ soon... Which, if any, Oval Concepts aero bars meet the "3:1" UCI rule? Thanks, George Ganoung

Answer: Hey George, applying the UCI rules as the UCI is currently discussing to enforce them should allow our A911 and A921 JetStream aero bars and could disqualify our A900, A901, A700 and A701 Laminar flat bars that (are all 5.5:1). 

These Laminar bars were developed in 2002 and have been used in the ProTour in front of UCI commissaires every year since. I am currently trying to get a meeting with the UCI to confirm if they will accept to measure the complete bar (including clamps and arm rests) when considering the thickness of the bar. Since the bars cannot be used without the clamps and arm rests (32mm total minimum thickness) and the clamps wrap around the area of the bar that is 78mm deep, we may meet the UCI standard.

The Bike Industry has started an Industry Competition Association of bike and component sponsors who pay over 100 million US$ to sponsor UCI ProTour and Pro Continental teams. This committee is working to negotiate with the UCI on realistic implementation and enforcement of rules in general (in the long term) and the "3:1" rule specifically (in the short term). The present economy and the UCI's goal of enforcing their "international" standards in all national level events (thus effecting people like you and me) is bad for business and bad for the sport. I am on this committee and will be trying as a first step to postpone all "new" 3:1 implementation at least until January 1, 2010.
 
Thanks for your patience. Keep watching our and other cycling related websites for updates.