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View Full Version : Slammed my handlebars; suprising results...

dd74
08-15-2009, 10:32 PM
That's right; I lowered them as far as they could (as well as raised the seat a bit), just to see what it would feel like. It was actually a bit more comfortable for my hands and shoulders. However, the bike's handling went to poo -- well, not really the handling as much as the "feel." It felt as if the bike gained an inch in wheelbase, the fork lost its composure, and the tires were deflated by about 15-20 lbs of pressure.

Can lowering the handlebars effect a bike's handling this much?
caleb
08-15-2009, 10:37 PM
Stick with it for 10 rides. Reevaluate then.
dd74
08-15-2009, 10:52 PM
Stick with it for 10 rides. Reevaluate then.
Good advice. Thx. :beer:
cody.wms
08-16-2009, 01:55 PM
Funny. I was thinking the opposite happened on my bike the other day.

Ive been able to drop the bars quite a bit ,and it handles tons better than before. Much more stable/intuitive in turns.

caleb's advise goes for any bike change. Ive made the mistake of changing adjustments after one ride. The sample size is too small to really evaluate the adjustment.
Charles M
08-16-2009, 02:07 PM
A lot depends on the rider / fit relative to geometry in the first place...

Tossing more weight over the front wheel can have a pretty big effect.

It can also unsettle you because you're now using (again depending on fit and rider) your arms to support yourself.


Just like the "longer stems are better" thing is complete bull****, so is the "low front / high rear is about performance" thing.
Dave
08-16-2009, 03:10 PM
No mention of how low the bars really are. I used a 9-10cm drop for many years and increased the drop another 2cm last year. It's caused me no problems at all. The key is to have the saddle back far enough so you're balanced over the saddle and not putting much weight on your hands. I'm not a large rider with gorilla arms either. I ride a 51cm LOOK 585.

I keep preaching this to newbs who all seem to think that a nonsetback post is "normal" and KOP is some kind of perfect position. I'm never that far forward.

If the bars are lowered by removing spacers or flipping a stem down, either method will increase the reach by about 3mm for each 10mm the bars are lowered.