Randonneur Handlebars? Input appreciated.

[donevwil]

I'd appreciate input from those who have ridden rando-style drop bars:

- how the top upsweep feels or what it offers,
- how the extreme flare at the hooks feels,
- how you chose a width.

... all relative to "standard" road bars. For me FWIW that means:

- 46 Nitto Noodles
- 44 Zipp SL-88
- 44 Ritchey EvoCurve

I've never tried dirt drops due to the extremely short reach.

I have a quasi-rando/adventure/whatever bike in the queue and need to make the decision if I go with road drops (80-90mm reach) or a rando or Maes bar (100-120 reach) since that will obviously dictate design to some extent. I'm currently looking at the SimWorks Wild Honey (https://sim.works/collections/handle-bars-simworks-by-nitto/products/wild-honey-bar?variant=16530943171)(31.8 x 105 reach).

I did a couple loops around the block on the framebuilder's bike which had Wild Honeys (and was too small), but couldn't really develop an opinion. They did not feel natural, but weren't offensive either.

I would likely buy a pair to try on a road bike prior to committing, but need to pick a width (and bar for that matter) and decide if $100+ is a worthwhile expense vs. the safe pic (Noodles). All my drop bars are 43-45cm at the hooks, any more or less feels wrong.

Thanks in advance.

[bicycletricycle]

I spent some time on the regular nitto rando bars. The ones that they made in the 90's when nobody cared, 135's maybe? I ride a lot of noodles now and have ridden the compass maes bars as well.

I don't like the upsweep very much on the traditional rando bars, I think it was just to get the bars higher but if you are getting a custom you can do that lots of other ways. The best thing about them is the long flat area behind the hoods. That is why I switched to the nooddles, they have less shaping on the straight area and the nice long and level ramps. The little bit of back and down sweep isn't a big deal to me on the noodles but I think I could do without it. I think the reason to have the backsweep on both of these bars is so the long ramps/longer reach doesn't push the hoods out too far. All of this doesn't matter when getting a custom because you can tune the reach with the top tube and stem to match the deeper reach bars.

I like a little flare on my handlebars for wrist clearance in the drops and more leverage when things get rough. The problem with a lot of flare is that sometimes it makes the hoods too narrow.

The compass Maes bars are perfect IMHO, that is, if they would make them wider. The 46cm bar is 42cms at the hoods which a little to narrow for me. I would like a 48/44cm maes parallel but I do not think they will ever make it :( The 25.4mm think is a little annoying as well.

I have been mostly riding noodle 48's for a bit now and I like them a lot, I got some nitto 176's in 48s and I like those as well (no flare, straight tops, similar ramps) but I think I will run the Maes on my next build. I have one bike that has 3T ergonova bars that are about 43 at the hoods and 46 at the drops and I do like the way they feel as well.

Another thing to consider on a rando build is what kind of bag you want to run. Some big bags on small bikes with some racks can interfere with some bars. I like big bags though.

[donevwil]

Biketrike you hit on many of my concerns/curiosities and raise some interesting points. I thought Maes bars would be a long reach fallback to rando bars, but the width is an issue (no SimWorks Maes bars, only V-O, ugh.).

I ran 44cm Zipp SCs on my short Hunter Gatherer experiment with a porteur rack and Swift porteur bag. Bag was awesome but ergo shift blade and bag occupied the same space when shifting. I'm keeping the porteur bag as it's perfect for what I use it for and am not ditching the ergos for bar ends. I though some flare would provide clearance and, of course, a typical for rando shorter stem would help as well (the H/G req'd a 130).

[bicycletricycle]

Ya, I started running the noodle 48's just so that I could run a huge bag. I ended up liking the extra width anyways.


Biketrike you hit on many of my concerns/curiosities and raise some interesting points. I thought Maes bars would be a long reach fallback to rando bars, but the width is an issue (no SimWorks Maes bars, only V-O, ugh.).

I ran 44cm Zipp SCs on my short Hunter Gatherer experiment with a porteur rack and Swift porteur bag. Bag was awesome but ergo shift blade and bag occupied the same space when shifting. I'm keeping the porteur bag as it's perfect for what I use it for and am not ditching the ergos for bar ends. I though some flare would provide clearance and, of course, a typical for rando shorter stem would help as well (the H/G req'd a 130).

[HTupolev]

I don't like the upsweep very much on the traditional rando bars, I think it was just to get the bars higher
Some folks who swear by them claim that it's a consequence of achieving the shape of the ramps.

The 25.4mm think is a little annoying as well.
Compass bars come in 31.8mm clamps as well.

[72gmc]

I'm not a randonneur, but I have a randoneurring bike ...

I've tried and liked Nitto 115 (Maes bend, flared drops) and Ritchey EvoCurve on my Davidson. I have ~3cm drop from saddle to bars. Rides between 2 and 6 hours.

The EvoCurve feels great with the larger cross section on the top. Very comfortable and the grip feels secure with my hands relaxed. I keep my hands closer to the stem when I'm not on the hoods or the drops, so the funky curve is neither here nor there for me.

I really like the flared drops on each of these bars, but they do narrow noticeably at the hoods. I'm currently running 42cm EvoCurves with a front rack, basket, and basket bag, and I wouldn't be able to shift ergos without bag interference.

One aspect you didn't mention that matters to me is the reach to the tops. It's the reason I switched away from the Nittos. That bar is so deep front to back (more than 10cm) that I had to run a shorter stem than I prefer, and I felt like a praying mantis with my hands on the tops. I can run 2cm more stem with the Ritchey and it's comfortable in all positions.

[donevwil]

I'm not a randonneur, but I have a randoneurring bike ...

I've tried and liked Nitto 115 (Maes bend, flared drops) and Ritchey EvoCurve on my Davidson. I have ~3cm drop from saddle to bars. Rides between 2 and 6 hours.

The EvoCurve feels great with the larger cross section on the top. Very comfortable and the grip feels secure with my hands relaxed. I keep my hands closer to the stem when I'm not on the hoods or the drops, so the funky curve is neither here nor there for me.

I really like the flared drops on each of these bars, but they do narrow noticeably at the hoods. I'm currently running 42cm EvoCurves with a front rack, basket, and basket bag, and I wouldn't be able to shift ergos without bag interference.

One aspect you didn't mention that matters to me is the reach to the tops. It's the reason I switched away from the Nittos. That bar is so deep front to back (more than 10cm) that I had to run a shorter stem than I prefer, and I felt like a praying mantis with my hands on the tops. I can run 2cm more stem with the Ritchey and it's comfortable in all positions.

I installed some EvoCurves on a road bike recently and love them for all the reasons you mention. I am, however, an ape with a 62"+ saddle to bar reach so the reduction in reach of road bars over the last couple decades has not served me well. An EvoCurve type bar with 100mm reach would be awesome, but Maes bars are about as close as it gets without going the rando route.

I typically run a 130-140 stem on a road bike, but that didn't play well with a front bag. I'd happily trade 20-30mm of stem length for bar reach.

[steamer]

Hated my Nitto rando bars. Missed the tops too much, and the had excessive reach to the hoods, which required a stubby stem. I also didn't like how narrow the bars were at the hoods, which made out of the saddle climbing awkward.

I am much happier on Nitto noodles. The ramps in those are long enough and the position on the tops of those is perfect, with its ergo sweepback.

[PacNW2Ford]

I installed some EvoCurves on a road bike recently and love them for all the reasons you mention. I am, however, an ape with a 62"+ saddle to bar reach so the reduction in reach of road bars over the last couple decades has not served me well. An EvoCurve type bar with 100mm reach would be awesome, but Maes bars are about as close as it gets without going the rando route.

I typically run a 130-140 stem on a road bike, but that didn't play well with a front bag. I'd happily trade 20-30mm of stem length for bar reach.

62”+ Saddle to bar reach! You must ride like Superman 😀

[OtayBW]

The slight backsweep of the tops on the Noodle can be welcome if you want an optional position with a a little less reach on the tops. The longer, flatter ramps also can be welcome, but these are minor things and are dependent your particular geometry, setup, and needs. I run Noodles on a '90's DeRosa Primato, and for that particular bike, it works well for me.

[eddief]

https://www.reddit.com/r/bikepacking/comments/6sloae/jones_hbar_handlebars_who_uses_them_like_or/

Maybe you'd really miss the drops for randonneuring?

This photo with Hbar overlayed on top of drops suggests good hand positions. Just no aero in the drops.

http://biketouringnews.com/components-touring-bicycles/cockpit/touring-bike-handlebars/h-bar-setup-guide/

[72gmc]

I really like H bars on my Jones. They do seem like they would be good for long rides because they have a surprising number of hand positions and options for upper body lean. I'd be interested in adding a gnarwal for distance riding. Might not interfere with the front bag.

[bicycletricycle]

A custom stem like this could get you a wider maes bar. I have been thinking about it.....

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ8jjtmFQ-g/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

[donevwil]

62”+ Saddle to bar reach! You must ride like Superman 😀

Oops, cm of course, but the Superman thing still applies.:hello:

[donevwil]

I think I'd really like to try Hbars on my MTB, I've been looking for more sweep.

I'll stick to drops on the Rando bike for now, I ordered some Wild Honeys in 47 from Jeremy Sycip figuring I need to try them myself. I've got a pair of spare set of 46 Noodles just in case and may also try a set of the 46 Compass Maes bars.