CX bars for the small-handed?

[dolface]

I am building my first CX bike and I have small hands, what bars do you small-handed CX riders like? What reach/drop work well for you?

[Bruce K]

Not sure what you are asking.

Most bars are pretty much the same diameter.

If you are looking for short reach and/or drop that is a different question.

BK

[dolface]

Yup, asking about reach/drop.

Not sure what you are asking.

Most bars are pretty much the same diameter.

If you are looking for short reach and/or drop that is a different question.

BK

[zennmotion]

I set up a couple of smaller women on our CX team with Salsa short & Shallow bars and they liked them compared with what they had before. My own hands are also fairly small and I have Oval Concepts 700s on both race bikes tha works for me- they're short reach and drop with a progressive curved compact shape. I actually prefer deep drops with more reach on a road bike, but for CX I like a shallow bar so that I can ride much of the time comfortably in the drops- better braking and more weight on the front wheel in some sections. I don't like the anatomic (what does that word mean anyway?) bump in the drops of the Salsas, but otherwise they would feel like a good fit for cross.

[elliott]

Bontrager VR-S. Designed for people with small hands. Drop is 118mm and 82mm reach.

[rgr111]

3T Ergosums are pretty shallow too. Not sure what the numbers are on them but the wife digs them.

[eddief]

http://www.fullspeedahead.com/products/cyclocross/energy-compact-handlebar/

Love the squished flat top.

[dolface]

Great feedback everyone, please keep them coming and thank you!

[John H.]

Zipp Service Course SL 70mm

[foo_fighter]

I like the salsa cowbell bars. They have a nice flare.
76mm reach, 126mm drop

[shovelhd]

3T Ergosums are pretty shallow too. Not sure what the numbers are on them but the wife digs them.

I have small hands and these are what I have on all bikes.

[dolface]

Looks like the Ergosums are pretty popular...

[SpeedyChix]

If you're after carbon, check out the Enve compact.

For aluminum the Ritchey WCS Curve or the 3T ErgoNova. ErgoSums aren't bad but my recollection is that they may have more drop.

[dolface]

Hmm, the Enve's look really nice but they're out of my range $$wise.

If you're after carbon, check out the Enve compact.

For aluminum the Ritchey WCS Curve or the 3T ErgoNova. ErgoSums aren't bad but my recollection is that they may have more drop.

[b021c]

The FSA K Force compact is really quite comfy - my first "A-Ha!" moment in my bar search. I prefer my Zipp compact bars over my Enve compact, which seem to be a wee deeper.

[Cicli]

Check out the Soma Hwy 1. They are a nice bar too.

[illuminaught]

Zipp SSR.

[Mr_Gimby]

They are getting harder to find, but the Ritchey Biomax bars actually have a smaller diameter for most of the tops than most other 31.8 bars, which is great for smaller handed riders when in the tops. The majority of the top section has the same diameter as the drops. Plus if you really look they can be had in a 36cm width, which are great for female riders. Not sure why they stopped producing the 36cm version, I think with the growing tidal wave of women getting into cycling, they would be a hot seller. YES TOM, I'M TALKING TO YOUUUU:p

[srider]

Thomson carbon. 78.5 reach, drop proportional based on width. Price is more real world compared to Enve.

[sworcester]

Zipp Service Course SL 70mm

the non service course is 25 grams heavier (IIRC) and 1/2 the price. EC70s are a good buy and short reach/drop

[dolface]

Thanks all, really appreciate the suggestions.

[Fatty]

I bought a bar from Specialized straight from there website.
Quick search found this one.

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftb/road-components/handlebars/womens-expert-alloy-shallow-bend-handlebar

[kevinvc]

Not to be snarky, but seriously, are you definitely set on drop bars? I'm a (very) non-competitive cross racer and I'm much happier since I switched to straight bars. I see a few local men and women Cat 1 racers using them as well.