Handlebar Help 101

[scrooge]

Pardon my stupidity, but I'm trying to figure out what tilt I'm supposed to have my handlebars at and can't seem to get it right. To me, it seems like the flat part on the rear part of the bars should be perpandicular to the ground, but then it seems like the hoods will be way up in the air. My current setup is pictured below. Any suggestions?

While we're at it--how but a definition of handlebar terms that everyone should know (like I said--Handlebar 101).

[Ken Robb]

well if it feels good it must be right. I like my bars rotated to the ends point down a bit more (about pointing at the rear brake) to get a flatter area on top of the bars. To make that position work for you would have to also lower your brifters on the bars. OTOH, I don't use "anatomical" bars so I don't know if I wopuld like "my" positioning on your bars either.

With my bar ends pointing slightly down their angle matches my hands without bending my wrists down so this feels natural to me. It also effectively deepens the drop.

I think the set-up you show is more common.

[vaxn8r]

That looks pretty good to me. Those bars have a bit more bend at the elbow than some, some are pretty flat leading into the hoods. If you want the drops parallel to the ground you will in effect be lowering your stem as the hoods wil drop a bit more. I'd keep it there if it feels good.

[Kevan]

I would make the bar's last segment to the barend as near-parallel to the ground as possible. Reason, its the next ergo section of the bar that fits the hand position in a deeper drop position, keeping the wrist inline with the forearm. The brifters might then need 1/4" boost up on the bar, depending on your liking hoodwise.

I would not accentuate the tilt anymore for fear that your grip might slip from the barend, if you're in that position nearest it. Crudy roads, fast pace, sweat... you need certain assurances.

Maybe...just maybe..., if you can't rid that pea under the mattress feel, this bar might not be meant for you. (A radical notion perhaps, but put out there for you to ponder.)

[rpm]

They look pretty much like the way I have mine. One thing to consider is the reach to the brakes. If you rotate the bars up so that the tops are parallel to the ground, you may find that you can't easily reach the brakes from the drops. If you rotate them down to make the drops parallel, you may find that you're too far down to be comfortable in the tops. If you then move the brakes farther up, you get back to the problem of reaching them from the drops. If you can comfortably reach the brakes from both the tops and drops now, don't worry, be happy.

[eddief]

if it makes you happy it can't be that bad.

Which applies to many of life's endeavors.

[zank]

Mine are set up with the flat part of the drop nearly parallel to the ground. The bottom of the brake lever is level with the bottom of the bar. This is the way I have always set my bars. I can reach the brake lever from the drops very easily. I set up my cross bike bars the same way.

The key is to find what works best for you, your hands, and your overall bike fit. Are you putting the hoods up high because the bars are too low or because you are trying to correct some other fit/comfort problem?

[eddief]

what brand and model of bars are those? Looks like the drop dimension is relatively shallow.

[Dave]

The bend of these bars forces most people to rotate the bars up like you have them. I give top priority to a comfortable angle in the angled drop section since I do a lot mountain descending and don't worry about the angle near the ends. My Salsa Poco bars really don't have any significant straight section at the ends. The Poco bas require a 10-15 degree rotation.

The main problem with the bend of this bar and a great many others is the downward angle (ramp down) between the straight top section and the area where the STI levers are mounted. If the ends were adjusted parallel to the ground, the brake hoods would be way below the top of the bars. Then you'd probably need a lot more spacer under the stem.

More modern bends are eliminating most of the "ramp down". Some bars, like the Deda 215 can be mounted with the ends parallel to the ground, yet position the brake hoods high, with a comfortable angle in the drop section. These bars don't work well at all with ends angled.

The picture posted by Zank is another example of an older design. The angle of the brake hood looks good (level or up a few degrees). but the hoods are well below the top of the bars. Apprarently this works on this particular bike, since there is not a big stack of spacer or a high rise stem, but it would be interesting to know what the saddle to brake hood height difference is. For instance, I can tolerate the top of my bars being 9cm below the saddle, but my brake hoods are very close to the top of the bar, probably 2cm higher than shown is this picture.

[zank]

Ritchey WCS Classic shallow. I think they are 135 mm drop. As similar to Cinelli 64 as I could find.

[Headwinds]

Scrooge,

Today, if you look at 1000 bikes, you will see 1000 and one bar positions.... The rules of yesterday no longer apply as it is no longer the case of just the "Bars with the (deep) Belgian bend" or the (shallow) "Italian bend...." and the venerable quill stem.

Today anatomic and non-anatomic bars vary greatly from brand to brand. So is the degree of rise of a stem, which has a great impact on how you will ultimatelly set your bars.

I like to set my bars as flat on the top so I can aling the hoods almost parallel to the ground. The reason is that I like to ride as flat and low as my back can possibly bend and I rest my fore arms and wrists on this area, especially after I have been riding for a while. I don't think everyone would be as comfortable as I would be in this position, but that is just what I am used today. I use anatomic bars because the brand I like does not make regular bars, but I don't care much about the bend on these bars these days. I really don't think they do a lot for me.

In the "old" days, I rode on the hoods esporadically and on the tops mostly when climbing; I rode mostly on the drops. Furthernore, I think the brake levers would not permit one to flat on them as today's hoods, because of their shape....

So my advice: put your bike on a trainer and see where it feels the most confortable position to set your bars. When you find the sweet spot, use it! Most likely you will like it better on the road...