Pet paws & turned-in levers are out, however ultra-narrow super-aero bars are in – and TRed’s TOOT Racing has a UCI-compliant Ashaa RR resolution. A bar first developed on the observe, the Ashaa RR is a customizable super-narrow, flared & ultra-aero highway handlebar designed to get you in probably the most aerodynamic place, with out sacrificing security or management. To rapidly get bars into racers’ palms, Toot 3D-print the handlebars to suit the rider from stainless-steel for max energy or titanium for added weight financial savings.
Or when you have a bit endurance, weight weenies will have the ability to get a fair lighter carbon Ashaa RR aero handlebar possibility quickly. And it’ll be quite a bit cheaper too!
TRed’s TOOT Ashaa RR 3D-printed aero highway handlebars
Aero features are every thing lately. And refining your place on the bike has all the time been one of many easiest and handiest methods to avoid wasting watts. As a lot as manufacturers wish to sweat over the incremental enhancements of hidden nipples or tweaked rim profiles, the rider nonetheless accounts for many of the drag on a motorbike at velocity.
First developed on the observe, then refined on the highway
TT & Triathlon racers have lengthy accepted that refining their hand place has been one of the best ways to go quicker. However highway riders have been caught with typical drop bars, because the UCI continues to ban any alternate hand positions.
The most recent UCI guidelines eradicated the “pet paws” or “invisible aerobars” place for actual security considerations as riders weren’t truly holding onto their bikes within the bunch. So riders opted for turned in levers to maintain their palms “on the bars”. However once more, light-weight carbon bars weren’t designed for steel clamps on the uncommon inward angles, in order that bought banned too.
Facet be aware: I’ve each damaged a bar off beneath the clamp in a small crash racing. And eliminated a ‘manufacturing unit set’ lever to seek out the carbon bar crushed beneath the imperfectly put in steel lever clamp. So, I get the priority.
However professional racers need to go quick. And newbie riders wish to emulate their professional biking heroes. So, there must be an answer.
Italian bikebuilder TRed’s element division TOOT has been engaged on alternate ergonomic and aero handlebars for a while. We final caught up with their Ashaa bar on the observe a pair years in the past – when the patented it. Up to date extra final summer season. However now, with extra UCI restrictions on highway racing, the customizable aerodynamic nature of that authentic bar looks like it may repay much more. Each for professional and newbie racers alike.
This model then was developed and examined on the highway & observe with Argentinian former professional bike owner Facundo Lezica working with TRed/Toot’s Romolo Stanco. Then, confirmed with present Madison World Champ Jan-Willem van Schip.
What’s distinctive in regards to the TOOT ASHAA RR bar?
TRed calls the TOOT ASHAA RR, the “first handlebar to ensure an especially aerodynamic place with out compromising management and security.” That will get to addressing all the UCI’s considerations, it appears.
It’s constructed round a novel slim geometry that places your palms additional ahead, larger, and nearer collectively, than even a slim typical 38-42cm bar (all dimension mentioned are measured center-to-center) on the hoods.
Word: UCI regulation dictates allowable outdoors dimensions for racing eligibility, which is why Toot lists these.
Extremely-narrow and complexly curved
Which means an extended bar Attain of 118mm and deep Drop of 105mm. That’s designed to suit along with your similar stem – your arms attain extra ahead as palms come nearer collectively.
Width is wildly slim at round 24cm huge on the hoods, that are barely raised above the stem. Then, they lean the bars themselves in round 5° in the direction of a clamping space, additional rotated in one other 5-10° to securely interface with turned-in levers – ensuing in the long run of your hoods being 19-21cm huge.
Wow, proper?
Tremendous slim.
However the Ashaa RR highway racing bars additionally function dramatic (for the highway) ~20° flare for a secure sense of management. Formally it’s not “flare” as Toot explains that it’s a non-linear curve (a key a part of their patent). There are only a few actual straight angles on the bar. However the result’s that it places the ends of the drops 33-35cm huge. And the roomy drops function angles to supply a natural-feeling place and loads of stability.
It’s actually a dramatically totally different place – one thing in between common drops and aero bars. But despite the fact that you might be slim and leaning ahead, the rider can preserve their palms firmly held within the acquainted secure place of a dropbar for max management.
How A lot Sooner?
“Each with high and low grip the place is secure and cozy with excellent dealing with. From the info collected with the Velocomp Aeropod V5 pitot system – which detects the CdA in actual time – my general aerodynamic effectivity improves by greater than 4%. Because of this if with a standard 40cm handlebar at 320W I’m at 45km/h, with the place that this handlebar permits me to imagine (each on the controls and on the handlebar) I trip at 47km/h protecting the levers completely aligned with the deal with. And do not forget that the extra the velocity will increase, the broader the hole between the 2 values is.”
– Facundo Lezica, skilled observe & highway bike owner, and ASHAA RR 3D designer
3D-Printing Tech
After all, 3D-printing allowed TRed / Toot to rapidly flip an thought into actuality. Nevertheless it additionally means they’ll customise the precise form to greatest match riders individually – very like we see in customized aero bars. However it’s a bit less complicated right here, Toot refines a proposed form with a customized bar purchaser, then mocks-up a plastic dummy for ultimate testing earlier than printing a steel bar.
Their normal 3D-printed Ashaa RR is constructed from 316L stainless-steel, which permits Toot to tailor energy & stiffness to particular person rider wants as properly. They are saying that may range whole bar weight from 360-480g.
They print every metal or ti bar in two interlocking halves, welded collectively within the center (see inside, between the place the stem clamps), after which floor completely easy for a 31.8mm clamping space.
How robust is that?
This can be a 3D-printed Toot Asheeta metal observe bar I noticed after a large crash into the boundaries final summer season at one thing like 50km/hr, so laborious that if folded-in the downtube (however didn’t crack any tubes or welds). And the bar is simply scratched. And the trip walked away, though bleeding and lacking some pores and skin.
All bars are additionally suitable with full inside cable routing. The truth is, Toot can even make you a customized carbon, aluminum, or titanium stem in any desired size to work with the most typical inside routing methods.
Absolutely customizable in 3D-printed metal
They 3D-print the Ashaa RR in stainless-steel in Italy on the College of Pavia. And provide both on this inventory geometry. Or you will get a completely customizable measurement and form to make it match completely in your personal palms and in opposition to your personal forearms. Importantly, all customized bars are additionally stress and fatigue check licensed by a business third celebration.
Toot even says that it might “even be personalized for gravel“. We’re fairly curious what we’d change to trip off-road. However at this worth, they’ll make it no matter form you want.
Lighter weight in Yottalight 3D-printed titanium
The bar can also be out there in the usual dimensions because the Toot Ashaa RR Yottalight. 3D-printed in titanium in Germany by ApWorks (a division of the Airbus group) to avoid wasting weight with out sacrificing energy. Weight financial savings over the optimized metal model is alleged to be about 15%.
Extra inexpensive AND lighter in carbon
If you wish to save weight AND some money – opposite to every thing else within the bike business – you’ll be able to even decide carbon, as a substitute. However you’ll have to wait a bit longer. Toot manufactures the carbon bar with extra typical molding strategies. Though for now in 3D-printed metal molds in Italy for the early manufacturing. So solely the inventory measurement and form is obtainable. The carbon bar can also be 2cm wider with wider wings up high, providing a bit extra common attraction.
Toot Ashaa RR – Pricing, choices & availability
Primarily 4 variations of the brand new Toot Ashaa RR aero highway racing handlebar can be found. Customary geometry in 3D-printed metal for 1390€. Customary geometry in 3D-printed titanium or customized geometry in 3D-printed metal for 1990€. Or ‘simply’ 429€ for the carbon bar when you pre-order now.
The 3D-printed bars are all made-to-order with a max 21 working day lead-time for traditional geometry. Toot gives the carbon Ashaa RR bars as a pre-order till mid-February, with the primary deliveries slated to start on the finish of Mach 2024.
What’s subsequent?
One piece 3D-printed metal or titanium handlebar+stem cockpit combos?
Yeah, Toot is already engaged on that too. This can be a customized Ashaa RR 1-piece cockpit in 3D-printed titanium!
