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 answer. A bar first developed on the observe, the Ashaa RR is a customizable super-narrow, flared & ultra-aero street handlebar designed to get you in essentially the most aerodynamic place, with out sacrificing security or management. To shortly get bars into racers’ fingers, Toot 3D-print the handlebars to suit the rider from chrome steel for optimum power or titanium for extra weight financial savings.
Or you probably have just a little endurance, weight weenies will have the ability to get an excellent 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 street handlebars
Aero positive aspects are all the things lately. And refining your place on the bike has at all times been one of many easiest and simplest methods to avoid wasting watts. As a lot as manufacturers prefer to sweat over the incremental enhancements of hidden nipples or tweaked rim profiles, the rider nonetheless accounts for a lot of the drag on a motorcycle at pace.
First developed on the observe, then refined on the street
TT & Triathlon racers have lengthy accepted that refining their hand place has been one of the best ways to go sooner. However street riders have been caught with typical drop bars, because the UCI continues to ban any alternate hand positions.
The newest UCI guidelines eradicated the “pet paws” or “invisible aerobars” place for actual security considerations as riders weren’t really holding onto their bikes within the bunch. So riders opted for turned in levers to maintain their fingers “on the bars”. However once more, light-weight carbon bars weren’t designed for metallic clamps on the uncommon inward angles, in order that obtained banned too.
Aspect notice: I’ve each damaged a bar off beneath the clamp in a small crash racing. And eliminated a ‘manufacturing unit set’ lever to search out the carbon bar crushed beneath the imperfectly put in metallic lever clamp. So, I get the priority.
However professional racers need to go quick. And novice riders prefer to emulate their professional biking heroes. So, there must be an answer.
Italian bikebuilder TRed’s part 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 time. However now, with extra UCI restrictions on street racing, the customizable aerodynamic nature of that authentic bar looks as if it may repay much more. Each for professional and novice racers alike.
This model then was developed and examined on the street & observe with Argentinian former professional bicycle 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 singular slim geometry that places your fingers 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.
Observe: UCI regulation dictates allowable outdoors dimensions for racing eligibility, which is why Toot lists these.
Extremely-narrow and complexly curved
Which means a protracted 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 fingers come nearer collectively.
Width is wildly slim at round 24cm broad on the hoods, that are barely raised above the stem. Then, they lean the bars themselves in round 5° in direction of a clamping space, additional rotated in one other 5-10° to securely interface with turned-in levers – ensuing ultimately of your hoods being 19-21cm broad.
Wow, proper?
Tremendous slim.
However the Ashaa RR street racing bars additionally function dramatic (for the street) ~20° flare for a secure sense of management. Formally it isn’t “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 broad. And the roomy drops function angles to supply a natural-feeling place and loads of stability.
It’s definitely a dramatically totally different place – one thing in between common drops and aero bars. But despite the fact that you’re slim and leaning ahead, the rider can hold their fingers firmly held within the acquainted secure place of a dropbar for optimum management.
How A lot Quicker?
“Each with high and low grip the place is secure and comfy with good dealing with. From the information collected with the Velocomp Aeropod V5 pitot system – which detects the CdA in actual time – my general aerodynamic effectivity improves by greater than 4%. Which means that if with a traditional 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 retaining the levers completely aligned with the deal with. And do not forget that the extra the pace will increase, the broader the hole between the 2 values is.”
– Facundo Lezica, skilled observe & street bicycle owner, and ASHAA RR 3D designer
3D-Printing Tech
In fact, 3D-printing allowed TRed / Toot to shortly flip an concept into actuality. But it surely additionally means they will customise the precise form to greatest match riders individually – very similar to 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 closing testing earlier than printing a metallic bar.
Their commonplace 3D-printed Ashaa RR is constituted of 316L chrome steel, which permits Toot to tailor power & stiffness to particular person rider wants as nicely. 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?
It is a 3D-printed Toot Asheeta metal observe bar I noticed after a large crash into the obstacles final summer time 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. In reality, Toot may make you a customized carbon, aluminum, or titanium stem in any desired size to work with the commonest inside routing methods.
Totally customizable in 3D-printed metal
They 3D-print the Ashaa RR in chrome steel in Italy on the College of Pavia. And provide both on this inventory geometry. Or you will get a totally customizable measurement and form to make it match completely in your individual fingers and towards your individual forearms. Importantly, all customized bars are additionally stress and fatigue check licensed by a business third social gathering.
Toot even says that it will possibly “even be personalized for gravel“. We’re fairly curious what we’d change to trip off-road. However at this value, they’ll make it no matter form you want.
Lighter weight in Yottalight 3D-printed titanium
The bar can also be obtainable 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 power. Weight financial savings over the optimized metal model is claimed to be about 15%.
Extra inexpensive AND lighter in carbon
If you wish to save weight AND some money – opposite to all the things else within the bike business – you may even choose carbon, as a substitute. However you’ll have to wait just a little longer. Toot manufactures the carbon bar with extra typical molding methods. Though for now in 3D-printed metal molds in Italy for the early manufacturing. So solely the inventory measurement and form is offered. The carbon bar can also be 2cm wider with wider wings up prime, providing a bit extra common enchantment.
Toot Ashaa RR – Pricing, choices & availability
Primarily 4 variations of the brand new Toot Ashaa RR aero street 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 in case you pre-order now.
The 3D-printed bars are all made-to-order with a max 21 working day lead-time for normal geometry. Toot provides 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. It is a customized Ashaa RR 1-piece cockpit in 3D-printed titanium!
