I thought the same until this year..
The handlebar width change made wonders. It gets my shoulders and elbows in to a way more aero position.
“Low is slow, narrow is aero” as they say
3 Likes
Was this road or gravel? What exact tires are you running?
It’s doable, and some great advice already.
Another datapoint here, particularly regarding the 20mph @ 160W:
202W FTP, 58kg(+/-), so around 3.5W/kg.
I’m a long legs legs, short torso, wide shoulders guy, so W/Cda not brilliant.
Aero all-rounder bike (SSE), 38cm compact bars, small saddle-to-stem drop, 47/52mm deep wheels, 29/28mm tyres, semi-aero helmet (Giro Eclipse), i.e. nothing all-out aero.
I can spend a lot of time in the drops, but maybe only 2 mins max at a time in the aero-hoods position (but constantly practicing to improve that).
Did a 1h41min flat, (very) windy loop on the weekend (outdoor workout Gray +5, 2x20min intervals @ FTP), avg power for the whole ride was (conveniently) 160W (167W NP) @ 33.1 km/h (20.6mph).
Reducing the Cda by spending as much time as possible in the drops/aero hoods position will bring the biggest improvements, as does keeping the elbows in as much as possible, after all the body creates the most drag of the whole system. I practice these positions all the time, indoors or outdoors, whatever workout i’m doing.
Even if you need to raise the bars a little to maintain comfort in the drops, the torso can still be much lower that if you spend all the time on the hoods. Turn the hoods in slightly to help narrow the arms/shoulders.
3 Likes
This was on bike path running WTB Vulpine in 40c. A slow tire, but I’m just running them until they are gone. I like having a high volume tire as I do a fair bit of gravel and off road riding with this bike.
Bars are definitely a change that could be made, right now I’m running a Zipp Service Course 70 XPLR bar in 44mm width and only 115mm of drop. A comfortable bar, but they don’t afford me really any ability to get low—they came on the bike, by the way.
I’ll get some rolling photos so you all can see my “aero” position
Equipment
Bike: Cervelo Aspero 5 (61cm)
Wheels: Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3V (26mm internal, 35mm depth)
Tires: WTB Vulpine 40C @ 40-50 psi
Bars: Zipp Service Course 70 XPLR Alloy (44mm width)
Helmet: POC Omne Air
Person
Weight: 92kg/200-203lb
Height: 193cm/76"
FTP: 285-295
VO2max: 46-50
1 Like
Narrower bars and faster tires would be a big improvement I bet. I’m 6’5" and very happy on Enve aero bars (37 cm @ hoods) on the road and my gravel bike feels wide at 40cm @ hoods 
You can find 38cm aluminum bars cheap but you’ll likely need a longer stem to get in the same position.
https://www.backcountry.com/b/fsa-adventure-compact-handlebar
Just swapping tires could save you like 25W also
2 Likes
For tires you’re losing upwards of 35-40W (!!!) vs something like a Hutchinson Caracal Race in the same 40mm size.
44cm bars are also crazy to me. I get you’re a bigger dude but fast tire plus 40cm bars you’re talking easy 50W saved.
2 Likes
The watts saved by making good tire choices is wild. I wonder how well these lab tests translate into real world riding.
New tires, new bars. Let’s go.
2 Likes
Take a look at all the testing that @jkarrasch has done. The BRR drum correlates very well with real world on road testing. But he takes it to the next level with real off road testing as well.
1 Like
44 cm handlebars. There you got it mate.
As I mentioned, I went from the 44 cm that came with my XL (62) Merida Reacto, to aero bars - 38 cm top, with flair to 40 cm in the bottom.
It made wonders!
And side note: they also feel more comfortable for me.
1 Like
I found this thread pretty interesting. I always thought that I was making an effort to be sort of aero, and wasn’t capable of it. I didn’t care that much because I’m an MTBer and just use my road bike for training, but of course it’s fun to compare segment times and see how you improve. I needed to keep my ride super easy today, wanted something to focus on, so I was thinking back to this thread and decided I’d try my best to spend as much time as possible either in the aero hoods or in the drops. My default position is on the hoods with my arms close to locked out and elbows flared somewhat.
I looked at a segment I’ve done hundreds of times, figured maybe I’d save 10 - 15 watts, but the difference is HUGE. The other outlier, 12/29/24 I must have had a tailwind. My average speed for the entire activity was slower and average power ~10% higher.
The thing is, it made my ride less enjoyable. Maybe if I keep practicing it will feel more comfortable and natural, but I don’t know if it’s worth the bother.
5 Likes
Interesting to hear your take. I’ve also noticed that riding in a more aero position can save quite a bit of power, but it often comes at the cost of comfort and enjoyment. For me it is a balance between efficiency and being able to stay relaxed on longer rides. I figure if the position feels forced, it probably is not sustainable in the long run.
1 Like
wow those numbers are incredible! did you do any more runs?
thank you everyone for the thread. I’m a bigger / taller guy too with limited hip mobility.
when I see someone at 180 watts putting up speeds that take me 250-260 watts, it’s really demoralizing.
i am gonna get to work on some of the suggestions in this thread.
When i do a group ride my aero position is better. Maybe cause its fast and i ‘have’ to get aero, there’s also less pressure on my arms and more in my pedals. And I’m focused on other areas of discomfort 
doing it on a solo ride is a bit rubbish though.
Guys. Aero position is going to feel shit the first periode of time. Can’t expect it to be a joy right from the start.
When I started trying to be more aero I could do it for a couple of minutes. Now with regular stretching, core exercise and getting use to the position - I can stay there for hours before getting uncomfortable.
It’s like saying pushing 200 watts feels like shit the first time on the bike so you’re not going to do that. Just keeping it at 100W because that feels better..
1 Like
I’m 6’3” with broad shoulders, typically riding with much smaller and rather aero people, so I feel this. Couple quick thoughts:
-For me, changing saddles was the biggest aero improvement I’ve made. Finding a saddle that allows the hips to rotate forward is super key. I’ve been on a Wove Mags recently, which has made a huge difference in this regard. They’re pricey, but there are some other options that can also work. Being able to just hang out in a forward-tilted-hips position without saddle discomfort is a first and indispensable piece of the aero puzzle.
-Once you have a saddle you like, consider moving it forward. This opens the hips and lets you produce more power with a flatter back. Again, this is only useful if your saddle is comfy in a forward-tilted-hips position.
-Don’t obsess over getting your bars as low as possible. IME very low bars can actually be an impediment to aero, especially in a gravel scenario that is typically a multi-hour solo or small group TT. You want to find a setup that gets you into an aero position you can actually maintain; for me, raising my bars actually helped a lot, as I feel I can sit in a flat-forearms aero position for much longer.
-With the above, and as others have said, consider (much) narrower bars.
1 Like
This post is old, but I’m going to mention a few things regarding my aero experience on gravel.
Number 1! Ok, maybe not on gravel but on the water. Sort of. I have a lot of aero data for myself on my bike. A couple years ago I started rowing & I have since rowed many millions of meters. One thing I can definitely assure you: ROWING MAKES YOU MUCH LESS AERO! I mean, wow, does it make a difference. So if you slap an extra 15lbs to your shoulders & lats it’s gonna make you slower.
Not sure what the action is, there, but if you really want to be more aero stop doing pullups/lat pulls/lateral raises/upright rows/military press/etc. (on the other hand if you want an aerobic activity that’s going to make you look a lot better, rowing is a good one to pick!)
Number 2! I used to brag that I had the most aerodynamic gravel bike in the world. Not sure I can make that claim anymore, but let me make a few ‘big guy’ suggestions that might alleviate your gravel aerodynamic issues.
Don’t pull for a little guy in a headwind. How can a 150lb rider average 20mph on 170W over a 50mi gravel course? Well, one way is to stay glued to my capacious posterior. If I’m riding for myself, I always do a short headwind pull and then roll off.
Know the crosswind sections. When you get in the crosswind go ahead and take long pulls but force them into the ‘gravel gutter’. Hug the downwind side of the gravel track so if they want your draft they have to ride ‘loosey loosey’ on the chunky stuff. That goes a long way to nullifying the draft you provide for them.
Or, just reserve your attacks for the crosswind sections. I used to set up my bike to maximize crosswind advantage. If I could get a couple bike lengths in a crosswind it was hard to catch me because I had the smooth track 100% to myself and they were chasing while trying to jam a whole echelon into a 2.5 foot wide gravel track.
2 Likes