Wiiiiiiiiiiide

[ravenbait]

Just ordered a set of 52cm handlebars for my fixed Il Pompino and haven't been this excited since I ordered the aero extensions that ate the real estate on the midge bars currently fitted.

(I really like those midge bars.)

Sam

[fd3]

That’s some seriously wide.  Not at all my cuppatea (but then I don’t drink tea).

[Socks]

Apparently UCI have a maximum width limit for handlebars in pro racing.  Which has a knock on effect in cycling equipment for us mere mortals.  And might explain why wide bars can be hard to find.

(click to show/hide)

And don't mention recumbents ....

[Ian H]

The crucifixion position* 

*A phrase from a tandem stoker who disliked very wide bars to clear the pilot's hips.

[ravenbait]

I love my midge bars, but I added some Profile Legacy extensions to them for when it gets windy and also because my back has issues and it's nice to have a change of position. While the midge bars flare to 55cm, the top's only 33cm, so there's no room left for hands, lights, anything really.

The Pacific North West Coast bars are overall slightly narrower than the midge, but have much less flare and a similar drop, More room for the aero extensions and my hands. It will be interesting to compare them.

Sam

[rogerzilla]

I like them tiny!  I don't have a pair of straight bars that haven't met Mr Hacksaw.

[fd3]

With RZ on this - other than I now have no flat bars as they are the work of Stan.
(I am considering some well cut down ones for the LB).

[citoyen]

I really like look of the Redshift Kitchen Sink bars. Saw them in a friend’s pictures on Strava, on a bike he was testing. Aimed at the gravel/adventure market but I reckon they’d be good for audax too. They go up to 610mm overall with.

https://bikepacking.com/news/redshift-kitchen-sink-handlebar/

[Cudzoziemiec]

The bars are available in 440, 470, and 500mm widths (measured at the hoods) and with or without an integrated aero loop.

I looked at the loop and thought it was for bar rolls! Especially in the context of bikepacking.

Anyway, I found when I changed from 44cm bars on the Pacer to 42cm, that my shoulder stopped hurting. Though the Sequoia has flared bars that are almost 50cm at the drops, but only 40cm at the hoods, and I really like them. Neither of those are fixies, of course.

[zigzag]

i use flared bars on a gravel bike - 40cm at the shifters, 54cm at the drop ends.

pros: comfy relaxed position in drops, more convenient shift lever and brake lever action
cons: shifters are at an angle, and their outside corner is pointing up and digs into base of palm when riding on hoods; drops stick out 7cm, so need some care when riding in traffic

[citoyen]

I looked at the loop and thought it was for bar rolls! Especially in the context of bikepacking.

Tbh, I’d query whether the loop is actually usable as an aero extension, but it could be good as an extra space for gadgets.

[ravenbait]

Here is the new cockpit. Overall, the bars really are no wider than the Midge bars previously fitted, and the hood position relative to me feels very similar. There is just much more space on the tops. I'll adjust the rotational angle and vertical position of the hoods after riding it a bit. This is just a starter.


PNW Coast by Sam Fleming, on Flickr

Sam

[Cudzoziemiec]

I'd find it difficult to brake with my levers angled in like that. Not sure if this is what you mean by "rotational angle of the hoods". But then I probably wouldn't use such a wide bar in the first place.

[ravenbait]

It's honestly not that different from the midge bars.


Midge bars by Sam Fleming, on Flickr

By rotational angle, I meant more how turned in towards the centreline they are.

Sam

[Cudzoziemiec]

Yes, turned in towards the centreline, pointing at an imaginary extension of the top tube, is what I meant.

I do think bars and levers and taping and so on are in some ways even more a personal preference issue than saddles!

[nuttycyclist]

When I got a set of bars with angled drops, following advice from these forum members*, it was amazing,  I loved riding on the drops with the hands in the natural position as opposed to vertically  Braking from the hoods was no issue.



*can't remember if here, previous, or yet another previous

[fd3]

I found the slope on midge bars too extreme, but love my Rando bars - like nutty I find vertical drops uncomfortable.

Blimey 'bait, that's a very clean Pompino, mine has inordinately more beausage than that.

[ravenbait]

I found the slope on midge bars too extreme, but love my Rando bars - like nutty I find vertical drops uncomfortable.

Blimey 'bait, that's a very clean Pompino, mine has inordinately more beausage than that.

Thank you for introducing me to a new word!

I really do like the Midge bars and find them especially good for ascending while on the drops. But with the aero extensions they can't provide enough real estate.

I try to keep Shackleton clean and tidy, but the photos are being kind. He has a significant amount of beausage around the drops and the bottom bracket region. I should really get him shot-blasted and repsrayed, but not even On-One do Tigger's Mum's Bathroom Blue any more, and I lost the vector file with the transfer designs on it. Not that I'd know what to do with them.

My 20 year old Pinarello Galileo (Peregrine), on the other hand, is immaculate. Even has the original chain.

Sam