Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

forum
road.cc bike forum

Which bars? Advice needed

by Maggers
Sun, Feb 02, 2014 19:16
6

In the process of building up my new 'best bike'. It's the first I've built from scratch and I've got most of the components lined up but am stuck with a bewildering choice when it comes to bars. If it makes any difference I'll be needing to attach campag shifters to them.

Anyone got any suggestions for what I should go for alloy/carbon. Stiffness etc?

Cheers

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

Add new comment

6 comments

Avatar
movingtarget | 11 years ago
0 likes

Agree with joemmo, finding a shape that fits your riding style and comfort needs will make for a more enjoyable experience. I switched out the OEM aluminum Most Jaguar XA bars on my bike (reach 130, drop 80) for all carbon 3T Ergonova Team (reach 123, drop 77) 3 months ago so I wouldn't feel so stretched out on descents while in the drops. I'm average sized for a girl (1.63m tall) but small for most cycling geometry so the bar adjustment's worked out well for me, more comfortable with enhanced control. The egg shape across the top of the bar is comfortable for switching up hand positions on longer rides. Carbon also absorbs road vibration better than the aluminum so I get less hand fatigue on long/choppy rides. The 80g drop in weight wasn't really noticeable but since I was able to get them for over half off, it was the best upgrade I made except for switching out the saddle to a Selle San Marco Caymano. Most saddles are just painful.

Avatar
Flying Scot | 11 years ago
0 likes

Anything that says Cinelli on it!

Avatar
ajmarshal1 | 11 years ago
0 likes

+1 for Joemmo's Deda RHMs. I have RHM 02s on two of my bikes and they're very stiff yet extremely comfortable. Very cheap too, yet I prefer them to the Ritchey Evo curves and 3T Ergonovas I also have / had.

If you're willing to spend triple figures: Deda M35. Soooooo comfortable.

Avatar
matthewn5 | 11 years ago
0 likes

I have a set of these, as new, if you want fhem, size 46, 80 quid

http://m.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/handlebars/handlebars-ro...

I've got them on my best bike, beautiful bars!

Avatar
Maggers replied to matthewn5 | 11 years ago
0 likes

Cheers for the offer but I need 42 Centres.

Thanks for the recommendations too. I've got some massive drop cinelli bars on my 70s racer and some Ritchey Comp Curve on my Lapierre but they're like chalk and cheese.

Avatar
joemmo | 11 years ago
0 likes

Tricky. I think bars are a bit like saddles in that once you find a shape you like them it's worth sticking with it. In that sense it's pretty hopeless making a recommendation so it might be worth asking what you have already tried and if you liked it?

For the record my favourite shapes are the Deda RHM which is like a slightly deeper, rounder semi compact but it has a nice bend at the top for riding on the hoods. Second is the FSA compact shape which is better for extended time on the drops without being overly deep.

Latest Comments