2019-06-01_220_Triathlon

54 / /June 2019

OUR

RATINGS

IMPRESSIVE

ONEOFTHEBEST

YOU CAN BUY

BUYNOW

A GENUINE

CLASS LEADER

GOOD

A DECENT

PERFORMER

AVERAGE

IT’LLDOTHEJOB

WELL ENOUGH

POOR

SIMPLYPUT,

DON’T BOTHER!

80-89

%

70-79

%

50-69

%

0-49

%

90+

%

MEET

THE

TEST

TEAM

THE LATEST GEAR - TESTED BY EXPERTS

KIT ZONE

PROFILE

DESIGN AERIA

£799.99 AretheAeriastheultimateinaerobaradjustibility?

T

hedeluxeandcarbon

ProfileDesignAeria

UltimateAerobarSystemis

madetohelpanytriathlete

findtheirperfectposition.Thebase

barsandextensionshavemarkers

tohelpyougetthecorrect

reach,andthehugearrayof

spacersincludedallowfora

stackheightrangeof25mm

to105mm.Thespacersizes

goupin5mmincrements–

allowingforprecisefitting

options– whilethere’salsosometilt

adjustmentunderthepads,whichis

usefulif youwantyourforearms

raisedtoreplicatethe‘Praying

Mantis’position.

Thebasebarsareflatandwide

horizontally,optimisedfor

aerodynamicsandmanageableto

gripforshortperiodswhenyouwant

tositupandcomeoutofyourtuck.

Thebasebarendsarelongerthan

most(wehadtocutoursdownto

shortenthereach),butthosewith

longerarmswillappreciatethe

extralength.

Theextensionsalsohavemarkers

soyoucaneasilymodifythemto

matchyourpreferredreach.Unless

you’reanexperiencedbikefitter

yourself,you’lldefinitelyneedto

haveyourexactmeasurementsor

bookinforanadditionalbikefit,as

guessworkwon’tallowyoutoget the

mostoutofthesystem.

TheAeriaUltimatestem

(included)is a beastlypieceof

aluminium,withour70mmlong

unitweighing334g.Weweighedthe

base bars and extensions at 492g, so

most

wanted

83

%

VERDICTHUGELYADJUSTABLE

FRONTENDSOLUTION,BUTHIGH

PRICE AND WEIGHTY STEM

JAMESWITTS

He’sa publishedauthor

writing about sports science.

JACKSEXTY

A strongage-grouper

focusing on top-end gains.

it addsconsiderableweight.Its

primaryuseis hidingcables,and

it’salsobigenoughtohousea

ShimanoDi2orCampagnoloEPS

junctionbox.Asourframehascable

entryonthesideofthetubesrather

thanverticallydownthrough

thetoptube,it meantwe

couldn’troutecables

throughit,soweopted

touseourowncarbon

stemtosaveweight.It’s

alsoveryslammedataround

15°,whichProfileDesignsayhelps

tonegatea highstackframesoyou

cangetlower.

Theaerobarshavepre-madeholes

intheendsandhalfwayupfor

routingyourshiftcables,which

provideoptionsforallframetypes.

Thepadsareplentycomfortable

enoughandthere’sa lotofwidth

adjustmentforthearmrests.The

barsalsoflareoutfurtherupwhere

theshiftersarelocated,andwehad

nocomfortissuesonlongridesof

90kmplus.

Wereallyliketheadjustabilityon

theAeriaUltimatesystem.Formost

ofusa bikefitandmodificationswill

beessential,makingtheoutlayeven

higher.But,unlessyou’rea pro

goingdownthemade-to-measure

route,they’resomeofthemost

versatilebarsyoucanbuy,andworth

it if youwanttomaximiseyourtri

bike’s potential.JSmadison.co.uk

HELENWEBSTER

220 ’s editoris yourgo-tofor

women’s multisport kit.

MATTBAIRD

Hasspentyearstestingtrikit

and accessoriesfor 220.