Compact bars vs Standard ?

[SoCalSteve]

Hi all,

OK, this kind of goes along with me being sooo bad at math and geometry.

What is the difference between the two? And, what does that mean to me and in a real world application?

As always, thank you all in advance!

Steve

[AngryScientist]

they are just generic terms, generally compact bars are shallower with less reach.

in order to understand what you're getting or what you need, you have to compare the reach and drop (actual numbers) of each bar you are considering.

again, in general - if the reach on your bike is too long for you, or you have more saddle to bar drop than you want, a move to compact bars might be in order, but really - the numbers tell the story.

[Smiley]

SoCal,
used to be you have THREE distinctive reaches and drops on bars BUT with Carbone finding its way into Bars you will not find long reach deep drop bars anymore in carbon or even aluminum. So here goes

Short reach drop 7-7.5 cm reach and 12-13.5 cm drop

Medium reach 8- 8.5 cm reach and 14 ish drop

Long reach 9 -10 cm reach and 14.5 - 15 cm drop (good luck finding alot of these) Nitto is the only big vendor I know BUT they make these in 26 mm clamp

Additionally the bend makes a HUGE diffrence on where the brifter sits so you have a level transition to the bar tops.

[dave thompson]

Another attribute of compact bars, one that really appeals to me, is the way the tops and transition to the hoods is horizontal rather than sloping down. Makes it very easy to mount the shifter just right and comfortable on the road.

[bobswire]

Another attribute of compact bars, one that really appeals to me, is the way the tops and transition to the hoods is horizontal rather than sloping down. Makes it very easy to mount the shifter just right and comfortable on the road.

EXACTLY! :banana:
http://i54.tinypic.com/a58gar.jpg

[Keith A]

Dave makes a good point. Although I don't have any compact bars on a bike I ride, my daughter's bike does. So in the process of setting up her bike, I have ridden this around several times and I really like the transition from the bars to the brifters. She has the 3T Ergonova and I have held up the FSA Omega Compact bars next to the 3T's and the bend was identical between the two.

I think I'm going to give the compact bars a try myself and see how they feel on longer rides.

BTW Dave, which bars are in the picture you posted?

[dana_e]

the new compact are flat on top and then curve down
they are short reach / short drop

the old style short reach / short drop are ;like a Deda newton round shallow or Speciale also called italian style (as opposed to belgium style)

the bars fall away at top and then curve

it affects lever posiotn by a good bit, maybe 3 cent or so

I run the old style deda newton non-anotomic with the bars higher

i figure I could dro pthe bars 3 cent and use a mod bar and the levers would end up the same

[dave thompson]

Dave makes a good point. Although I don't have any compact bars on a bike I ride, my daughter's bike does. So in the process of setting up her bike, I have ridden this around several times and I really like the transition from the bars to the brifters. She has the 3T Ergonova and I have held up the FSA Omega Compact bars next to the 3T's and the bend was identical between the two.

I think I'm going to give the compact bars a try myself and see how they feel on longer rides.

BTW Dave, which bars are in the picture you posted?

I have 4 pair of compact bars; Control Tech, FSA Omega, something labeled Cannondale and Bontrager. Aside from minor differences in reach and drop, they're all pretty much the same.

Specifically, the red bars are Bontrager and the white bars are the Control Tech.

[eddief]

not sure it's all true, but convinced me. I have either Omega or K-Force carbon version on my bikes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EWM0KTdCOY

[Gummee]

Basically, if you want to shorten the reach and/or drop go compact bars.

If you're like me (gorilla) and need the reach (89mm), but not the drop (12Xmm), I went with the Ergosum bars.

For example: I had an FSA Wing Compact on my Roubaix. 12cm stem. Swapped out to another bar and had to drop back to an 11cm stem to get the same reach to the hoods.

HTH

M

[leooooo]

Not even a fit issue for me, but I find it easier to reach Campy thumb shifts while in drops with compact. All my bikes running compact bars now

[don'TreadOnMe]

Who offers the new style bars in 26.0?

[jlwdm]

Just watch out for bars labeled "compact." They are not all created equal. Figure out what reach and drop you want and then find what you need. There are so many choices it is ridiculous.

I use a couple of different Ritchey compact bars.

Jeff

[modernfuturist]

Origin 8 and Soma (Highway 1 Model)

[Keith A]

Origin 8 and Soma (Highway 1 Model)That's some good info. Have you tried them yourself?

They come in black and silver...
http://www.somafab.com/archives/product/highway-1-bar

[SteveV0983]

Check out this link for a side comparison of many current bars and a diagram showing what they mean by drop and reach.

http://ruedatropical.com/2009/03/road-drop-bar-geometry/

I have used FSA Omegas, 3T Ergonovas, and Deda Zero 100 and happen to prefer the Deda bars, but all 3 are excellent. Thanks to compact bars, I now spend about 50% of my time in the drops. You should also know that some compact bars like the Ergonova and the Omega flare out at the drops. In other words, if they are 42c-c at the hoods, they are 44c-c at the drops (+/-). This can actually be quite comfortable, but you can drive yourself insane trying to decide if you want your optimal width at the hoods or the drops.
I stuck with the Dedas because they do not flare out (42 at the hoods is 42 at the drops), and the flats on top leading to the hoods and the flats at the bottom of the drop are almost parallel. You get a vice flat transition to the hood and a nice flat drop at the bottom.

[Puget Pounder]

I have a buddy who has tried the Highway ones. They are identical to a set of Konas on my GFs bike. Measurements are the same as my FSA Wings and Specialized Pros, but without the wings.

I love em.

[UKBROOKLYN]

http://ruedatropical.com/2009/03/road-drop-bar-geometry/

Pretty much all the info you need on one page..

[Cloud]

...She has the 3T Ergonova and I have held up the FSA Omega Compact bars next to the 3T's and the bend was identical between the two.

Have you ridden the Omega's as well?

I'm trying to get a first hand comparison. As far as I believe the 3T's sway outward toward the bottom of the drop, allowing more clearance for your wrists and the bar top where as the Omega's stay straight. Anybody have an opinion?

[Keith A]

Have you ridden the Omega's as well?

I'm trying to get a first hand comparison. As far as I believe the 3T's sway outward toward the bottom of the drop, allowing more clearance for your wrists and the bar top where as the Omega's stay straight. Anybody have an opinion?I haven't, but I have one at the house along with the 3T's. I can take a look at them this evening when I get home and report back with my findings.

[SteveV0983]

I have owned both the Omegas and the Ergonovas and both absolutely flare out. The drop on the Omega is tighter than that of the Ergonova. For example, if you put the flat bottom of the drop parallel to the ground, the ramp to the hood on the Omega will be fairly flat. On the Ergonova, it will pitch down a little. Now you can certainly rotate the Ergonova up a little to make the top ramp flatter to the hood, but you will slightly increase your reach. I found the Omegas a little tight in the bend and the Ergonovas were more open.

[soulspinner]

Diggin my new Ritchey Curve bar on my Cervelo............

[Keith A]

So I did some measuring of the bars we have at home:
• 3T Ergonova -- 36cm on top, 38cm end of the drops
• 3T Ergosum -- 41.5cm on top, 42.5cm end of drops
• FSA Omega Compact -- 38.5cm on top, 40cm end of the drops

Note that only the Ergonova's had tape and brifters on them and so my measurements might be off a bit on these bars.

As far as the shape goes, the Ergosum and Omega had almost identical hook profiles, but the reach on the Ergosum was a little longer than the Omega. Comparing the Ergonova against the other two was a little more difficult due to the bar tape, but the profile and reach similar to the Ergosum, but not identical. It was hard to figure out the exact differences, but the hook on the Ergonova looked a little tighter.

[vqdriver]

one thing i'll note regarding the two that i have, 3t ergonova and fsa wing pro compact. the fsa hook is more "complete" than the 3t, meaning that at the bottom of the drops there is a horizontal portion whereas the 3t ends up angled. on these two bars the tops are flattened so there isn't as much adjustability with the rotation as you would have with a round cross section bar.
kinda hard to explain in words, but if you've ridden flat top bars you'll know what i mean.

[wc1934]

Check out this link for a side comparison of many current bars and a diagram showing what they mean by drop and reach.

http://ruedatropical.com/2009/03/road-drop-bar-geometry/

I have used FSA Omegas, 3T Ergonovas, and Deda Zero 100 and happen to prefer the Deda bars, but all 3 are excellent. Thanks to compact bars, I now spend about 50% of my time in the drops. You should also know that some compact bars like the Ergonova and the Omega flare out at the drops. In other words, if they are 42c-c at the hoods, they are 44c-c at the drops (+/-). This can actually be quite comfortable, but you can drive yourself insane trying to decide if you want your optimal width at the hoods or the drops.
I stuck with the Dedas because they do not flare out (42 at the hoods is 42 at the drops), and the flats on top leading to the hoods and the flats at the bottom of the drop are almost parallel. You get a vice flat transition to the hood and a nice flat drop at the bottom.

Good advice - I would suggest going at least one size up from your regular bars - If you ride a lot with your hands on the top of the bars, the compact will be noticeably restrictive if you don't size up - the distance between the stem and where the bar curves is much shorter.

[teleguy57]

To add one more variable, I just moved from a set of Omegas to a set of Easton SLX3s. I liked the Omegas, but wanted a little less reach and a little more drop, and the Eastons are 75 reach vs 80 for the FSAs, and 130 drop vs the 125s for the FSAs. I have my C11 levers set up with a very flat ramp, and get lots of good positions: on the tops, in back of the hoods, fully on the hoods, hands on hoods and forearms on the bars, hands deep in the drops, hands on the ends of the drops. And I have relatively large hands...

Bar fit is very individual, and for me the Eastons are the best I've tried for my bike geometry and my preferences.

BTW, I was moving from a set of Bontrager XXX Lights, which measured out at 85 reach 145 drops. I liked them well enough, but wanted to try a more compact bar. I'm glad I did.

[Cloud]

Thanks for the posts and comparisons!

Just realized Ergonova's are on a bike I'm trying to pick up from FL so I'll check them out first hand if this dude is willing to ship.

[Keith A]

Thanks for the posts and comparisons!

Just realized Ergonova's are on a bike I'm trying to pick up from FL so I'll check them out first hand if this dude is willing to ship.Just curious...where in FL?

[NRRider]

Another thing to keep in mind is your aero position. I need short reach bars, so picked up some FSA Wing Pro Compact bars, which have a short reach. I'm a little disappointed in the drop though, because I feel like I'm no more aero in the drops than on the hoods (since the hoods extend my hands further out than the drops the amount of "aeroness" is about the same).

Think I'm going in search of a bar with similar reach but deeper drop.