Comparing handlebar bends- traditional vs compact

[thirdgenbird]

I've expressed my take on different bar setups in different threads in the past and it garnered some discussion so I decided to take some pictures and start a thread. Most won't be interested, but I figure it could become a resource for those wanting a comparison.

It's common that I hear comments about using modern compact bars to get the drops higher, but I've got a different take. I ride in the drops a lot so I've decided to use the drops as the baseline. Depending on the comparison, this lets you change the hood or tops.

For the sake of the thread, I'm using these to bars:
Bike A- Soma Highway One
Bike B- Cinelli Top 64 (7074 alloy version of the giro d'italia)

Both bars were selected on fit, and to a degree, aesthetics. Bike A is my shorter distance daily bike. Bike B is a vintage inspired and for longer more casual rides. The Cinelli 64 bars are a new experiment, but I've done similar comparisons with other bars in the past.

Rather than setting the bar drop and reach at the bar tops, I've done it this way:
Reach is set to hoods
Drop is set to the drops

Let's get into pics. Here is a rough comparison of the drops.
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk177/thirdgenbird/bike-random/b919aa37d54abad39befe6500b0453f6_zpsb3476829.jpg
Due to the difference in the shape, they can't be set identical, but they way they intersect should present a similar amount of saddle to bar drop.

And the hoods:
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk177/thirdgenbird/bike-random/b2b180b1c68bc5e9a8600bfec6851a5e_zps56a6b932.jpg
Again, dramatically different shapes, but the reach is similar. Height is also similar when the hands are slid all the way up in the hoods.

Interestingly,the reach from the drops to the shift paddle also ended up similar despite the different bends and hood positions.
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk177/thirdgenbird/bike-random/72e43c6adbf0c28bcbbf3a5539bce217_zpsf11e12cb.jpg
The alloy lever is further away but the more square drop makes up the difference.

Here is where things get different.
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk177/thirdgenbird/bike-random/ca6706e302b84c0c4a16aa10cb092dfd_zps1d6f2555.jpg
The Cinelli bars put my tops about 1.5cm higher than the Somas. Exactly what I wanted out of the bike.

Obviously, not everything is perfect due to moving bikes and camera angles, but I'm excited to get out and ride it.

[soulspinner]

Cool, thanks. Nice bikes, elegant dog!

[thirdgenbird]

Thanks. Not a ton of interest it seems, but I may do a comparison with nitto classics as well. That would cover three of the more common shapes.

[youngman]

I know this has been posted before but this is a nice tool to use for certain bar types as well.

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

[thirdgenbird]

I know this has been posted before but this is a nice tool to use for certain bar types as well.

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

Thanks, I intended to link this. This article was used to help select my bars. I wanted to show how it looks played out in real photographs.

[lhuerta]

Potentially interesting, but because u r using two very differnt levers ur observations are somewhat nullified. Specifically, the older ergo lever has clamp in different position on body and the mount angle is quite different compared to the round hood lever, not to mention that the body on older ergos is larger. If u were using only the round top levers on both bars I suspect the hoods would be lower on you Cinelli bars. Lou

[Md3000]

I love traditional bend, even with the drops on equal levels, the hand positions that are actually comfortable for riding differ. Those Cinelli's are great, mainly cos they are attached to a Tommasini that I adore.

[mtechnica]

The bars themselves don't make the tops higher, what's going on generally speaking is that the classic bend bars tops and the compact 'wing' bend bars tops are in the same spot as they are clamped there at the stem. The main difference is the newer style compact bars put the hoods level with the tops whereas on traditional bend bars the hoods sit lower, ~1-2cm. Also traditional bars such as rotundos have more drop to the drops than any compact bar so typically traditional bars result in a longer and lower setup. There are wing shaped bars, ergosum is one, with nearly the drop as rotundos but the reach is less and of course the hoods are higher. IMO if the bars are too low it's easier thus more preferable to use compact bars, but for people with reasonable drop the traditional bars provide the greatest variety of positions since you get 3 different heights with greater difference between them.

[thirdgenbird]

Potentially interesting, but because u r using two very differnt levers ur observations are somewhat nullified. Specifically, the older ergo lever has clamp in different position on body and the mount angle is quite different compared to the round hood lever, not to mention that the body on older ergos is larger. If u were using only the round top levers on both bars I suspect the hoods would be lower on you Cinelli bars. Lou

I wouldn't say it is nullified. I chose the the bars based off the hoods being used... My single speed bike had bars with a lot more reach but the overall fit is similar. The brake hoods are much shorter. It's less about directly comparing bars, and more about comparing packages or "eras" of parts.

Your observations about the two levers is also wrong. The older style ergos are mounted higher, yes, but not as a result of the clamp angle, it was done to somewhat replicate fit. The carbon levers are sitting vertical, the alloy levers are rolled back. This is clearly visible by the slant of the hoods. It's a result of the bar shape more than the hoods. You could do a similar comparison with the levers swapped.the round hoods on the 64s can be mounted in the same place, I've don't it. Just like the older levers, you lose the horizontal hood position.

I also wouldn't call the body on the old levers larger. The rounded stale actually has a longer useable flat flat section. To further support the point, the alloy levers have record 10spd internals in them but I had to modify the bodies slightly because they were too short to fit all of the 10spd guts.

I love traditional bend, even with the drops on equal levels, the hand positions that are actually comfortable for riding differ. Those Cinelli's are great, mainly cos they are attached to a Tommasini that I adore.

Thanks.

The bars themselves don't make the tops higher, what's going on generally speaking is that the classic bend bars tops and the compact 'wing' bend bars tops are in the same spot as they are clamped there at the stem.

I think you missed my point. Most people to use the same stem resulting in less drop with compacts. I didn't want that.

The tops on my two bikes are in completely different positions because the stems are not the same. There is nothing saying the stem has to be the reference point. I used the drops as a reference point and bought a stem to fill the gap.