During my bike workout today, I spent quite a bit of time in the aero position.  I am trying to maximize my time in aero, in order to prepare for my upcoming Ironman race in Chattanooga.  I am aiming to go fast on the bike portion of this race, and so comfort on the bike while in aero is critical.

While riding this afternoon, I became aware that my forearms were quite uncomfortable.  It felt like the cups on my aero bars were digging into me.  It is not something I have noticed before, but as soon as I was aware of it, I couldn’t get it out of my mind.  The feeling of discomfort annoyed me for the rest of my ride.

When I finished my workout, I took a closer look at the pads on my bike.  I immediately noticed that the pads were totally compressed at the back of the cups, where my arms were resting.  You can easily see in the photo, that my pads are not providing any padding in this area.

These pads are the original pads that came with my aerobars when I bought them.  Although they are not that old, they are clearly broken down and not providing the comfort I need.  To address this, I have ordered so new pads.  I have chosen to get new pads from Cee Gees. 

I had Cee Gees pads on my old aerobars, and I absolutely love them.  They are thicker than traditional pads, which is what I need.  In order to keep my bike position the same, I will have to drop my aerobar slightly when I fit them.  This is not a big deal to do, but an important factor to consider.

I am so glad I discovered this small thing today.  Hopefully my new pads will help me achieve the all important factor of comfort on the bike.