I’ve long been a proponent of using aero bars on touring and bikepacking bikes. Beyond the aerodynamic benefits, they take pressure off your hands and wrists and give you an alternative riding position to rotate into throughout the day. I’ve got an in-depth article about them HERE.
On a touring or bikepacking bike, it’s generally best to position your aero bars a few centimetres higher than your saddle. This isn’t just for long-distance comfort, but to help maintain a consistent hip angle when switching between your aero and regular riding positions.
Normally, raising the height of aero bars is straightforward: you buy the appropriate spacer kit for your setup and add up to around 70 mm of stack. This puts the aero bars in a much more upright position that’s comfortable to hold for hours on end.
The issue is that the PRO Missile Clip-On Spacer Set (PRSAB0068) has been virtually unobtainable for years, and the few remaining sets now sell for absurd prices. I have no idea why PRO stopped producing the spacer kit while the aero bars themselves are still widely available, but that’s exactly the problem this PRO Missile aero bar hack solves.
Why the PRO Missile Aero Bars Are So Good
There are two main frame geometries commonly used for bikepacking & touring:
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Frames designed for flat handlebars (black outline), which typically have longer top tubes
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Frames designed for drop handlebars (white outline), which usually have shorter top tubes
On frames with longer top tubes, the arm pads of most clip-on aero bars end up 50 mm or more further from the saddle, which can place them uncomfortably far from your body. That’s exactly why I’m such a fan of the PRO Missile clip-on aero bars (US $220 on Amazon).
Their pad and extension layout works exceptionally well on long-reach, flat-bar-oriented frames, making it far easier to achieve a comfortable, sustainable aero position.
Thanks to the sliding arm pad design, both the pads and extensions can be positioned significantly closer to your body – typically by 40 to 80 mm. This effectively compensates for the longer top tubes found on most mountain bikes and many modern gravel bikes.
Very few clip-on aero bars offer this level of fore-aft adjustment, which means you don’t have to resort to steerer-mounted solutions like Fred Bars to get the fit right.
So, the PRO Missile aero bars are excellent – but how do you raise them without the now-unobtainable spacer set? Let’s look at how to hack together a solution that puts you in a comfortable, sustainable riding position.
Build Your Own PRO Missile Spacer Set
You can use the Profile Designs Bracket Riser Kit to raise your PRO Missile aero bars. The kits are available in riser heights from as little as 5 mm all the way up to 70 mm.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a complete mixed-height set you can experiment with, so you’ll need to estimate how much rise you need. I generally recommend going slightly higher than you think.
However, that’s not quite the whole story. The bolts supplied with the Profile Design riser kit are different from those used in the PRO Missile spacer set.
Because of this, you’ll also need to purchase replacement socket head cap screws from a bolt supplier (aka Allen key bolts, cap head bolts, or socket screws). They must be M5 – 5mm in diameter, and 0.8mm in pitch. These screws will require a 4mm hex key to tighten. Stainless steel is strongly recommended for corrosion resistance.
The key detail is the length: you’ll need 15 mm of extra length on top of the total height of the Profile Design riser you’re using. Get this right, your riser kit should work perfectly.
Profile Riser Kits & Bolt Lengths For PRO Missile Aero Bars
Please note that these riser kits and bolts are Amazon links:
You can also find the PRO Missile Clip-On Aero Bars on Amazon HERE.