Delta Speed Aerobars Review: Innovative Design, Competitive Pricing, But Bigger Isn’t Always Better

The Delta Speed aerobars occupy an interesting position in the market, offering a fairing-style extension at a relatively accessible price point and weight. It’s easy to see why they’ve been spotted on a few high-profile bikes, including Brazilian superstar Miguel Hidalgo (who, I learned during our interview, is particular and upfront about his equipment and any improvements it might need). When I had the chance to inspect Hidalgo’s setup, I thought the bars looked aerodynamically interesting and, I’ll admit, pretty cool in this current era of fairing-style extensions.

But, as I inspected them and reported back in February, the bars seemed a bit “flimsy.” The Italian company reached out and sent me a set to test and, while there were many positives, my initial assessment ultimately didn’t change very much.

Ordering

Ordering was simple. As a smaller company offering only one product line, the choices for sizing are a standard (over 28 cm forearm) and small (under 28 cm), of which I selected the small. Sizing options are often limited from specialty TT bar manufacturers and, while some offer a few sizes, many offer only one. They only offer one grip style, which works perfectly fine, but a lot of other companies offer grip options, so some riders might find the lack of choice restrictive. There is a choice of a single- or dual-bottle between-the-arms (BTA) mount and an integrated computer mount.

Delta Speed offers a range of bike-specific mounting plates alongside a universal option, making compatibility with almost any cockpit relatively simple and removing much of the guesswork from the setup process. Since mechanics aren’t my strong suit, I ran my selection past them, and they quickly replied to confirm it.

The bars are priced competitively at US$1,199. Additional angle adapters (another 182 g) are sold separately for $162 and you have to seek them out when making your order. These were not included in the product test and, in hindsight, would have been appreciated — after all, who is riding completely flat bars these days? It seems like many bars are sitting around the $1,000 mark and, for what they are offering, Delta Speed delivers a fair amount of product for the price.

Delivery

Shipping was fast and, inside the big box, each extension came in a separate neoprene sleeve alongside a small box containing all the mounting hardware. I liked the sleeves, which not only protected the bars during transit, but can also be repurposed for travel and storage. The bars looked as expected and were very light, with the standard size weighing under 700 g.

Many newer extensions rely on 3D printing, but the Delta Speed bars are produced using traditional carbon fibre injected molding techniques. The finish quality is good, and riders who prefer more conventional composite construction may see that as a significant advantage. The company promotes this as a key element of the bars’ structure: “We don’t use 3D printing for structural parts, and you shouldn’t either!”

Although my bike fitter installed the bars, the process looked simple and straightforward and took only about fifteen minutes. The cable routing was well thought out and was one of the standout features of the system (my bike fitter agreed).

Testing: Some Adjustment Needed

The bars looked modern and aero, but they also looked big on my bike. I’m a small rider — 160 cm tall on a 48 cm frame — which has always made finding competitive TT bikes and components difficult. I kept an open mind since I had never used a fairing-style bar before and they tend to be on the beefy side, but when I put my arms in them, they felt big. Not necessarily the wrong size since the length from elbow to grip was okay, but the overall impression just felt big. I have limited experience with this style of bar so, big or not, if it’s comfortable and fast, I’d use it.

That said, sitting in the bars for the first time, I had other concerns. I remembered Hidalgo’s bars feeling “flimsy,” but mine had even more movement. We immediately checked whether they had been mounted correctly according to the instructions. The mechanic had followed the instructions exactly, placing two bolts on each side, but there was still a lack of stability.

I later connected with Delta Speed for advice. To their credit, Delta Speed was responsive when I raised the issue and suggested adding two additional bolts per side as well as a bottle cage to connect the bars structurally. This did improve the situation, but even with the extra hardware installed, I never achieved the level of rigidity at the hand-end of the bar I expect from an aerobar system. It’s important to note that this does not appear to be a widespread complaint (and many pros are happy racing them), but it was a big factor in my own experience.

I reached out to other pros using the system. All of them were using the standard setup of two bolts on each side. Two said they didn’t have any issues with stability, with one saying, in fact, that they thought the bars were extremely stiff. A third said more stability would be welcome, but it wasn’t an issue for them. After investigating further, the only conclusion I could draw was that my particular setup was the limiting factor.

Sizing: A “Big” Problem

Sizing was another area where I struggled. It’s an off-the-shelf product so of course the sizing wasn’t perfect, nor did I expect it to be. It wasn’t like they were unusably big, it was more a feeling of being oversized for my proportions. My grips were mounted in the shortest position which meant there was a good amount of carbon extending beyond my hands. The sidewalls and upper edges are also relatively tall—which reportedly offer an aerodynamic advantage, according to Delta Speed—and yet, the inside lip seemed small and there was a lack of inside forearm support.

I was not entirely alone in my sizing assessment. One professional athlete I spoke with, who is taller than I am, also felt the sizing ran large and ultimately switched from a standard size to a small. I had other people around me, all taller than I am, put their arms in my size-small bars and all of them fit. That’s obviously anecdotal rather than definitive, but it did reinforce my impression that prospective buyers should pay careful attention to sizing rather than automatically selecting the option they might expect.

Comfort was another weak point. The supplied arm pads were thinner and lacked the support and cushioning found on most other bars I’ve tried. However, one of the pros I spoke to said Delta Speed has upgraded the padding and that it represented a marked improvement.

I can see how riders would like them and take advantage of the aerodynamics, but for my smaller arms and preferences, I didn’t feel support where I wanted it. As I rode, it suddenly hit me: the bars felt just like riding a bike one size too big. Sure, you can pedal and get around, but the handling feels off, comfort is compromised, and you don’t look, fit, or feel “at one” with the bike.

Overall: An Option for Aftermarket Aero Seekers but Bigger Isn’t Always Better

Overall, I can understand the appeal of the Delta Speed aerobars. They offer a modern aerodynamic design, broad compatibility, traditional carbon molding manufacturing and a competitive price point. For many athletes, those attributes will make them a compelling option and one worth considering.

My experience with the mounting stiffness, sizing and pad comfort meant they never felt quite right for me. None of these issues will necessarily affect every rider in the same way—perhaps the fairing-style is just not for me—but together they prevented me from fully committing to the system.

The bars have found their way onto the bikes of some very high-level athletes. As mentioned, Hidalgo, who is picky and outspoken about equipment shortcomings, uses and likes the system, which certainly adds credibility to the platform. For me, after only a few rides, I knew they simply weren’t right for my particular preferences and requirements. With so many more companies coming to market with specialty TT bars, my search continues.

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