Handlebar recommendations

[elvish presley]

Not sure if this is the proper way to ask a question or if there is a question thread. I'm new to this forum and to road bikes, so please excuse me n00bness.

Anywho, I'm building up my first road bike and I need help finding handlebars/stems that will go well with my bike/fit me well. As mentioned in the "Who are you?" thread, I just purchased a Casati Monza but it's only a frame and fork. My plan is to build it up with a 10 Speed Campy Record group, Reynolds Attacks on Continental GP4000S, old school Selle Italia Ti and probably LOOK Keo Carbons.

This brings me to the handlebar situation. I'm not familiar with road bars and am unsure with what options I have. I've talked to my co-worker and forum member Dimsy, and he recommended FSA Compacts. They look like a great option but they have a 31.8 clamp. The only way they'll work with my bike is if I got a threadless-quill adapter and used a modern stem.

I need recommendations for other options that fit the following: I have small hands (size small gloves), needs to work well with campy 10 sp levers, and on the narrow side (I use 38cm Specialized track drops on my tarck bike. They're similar to Nitto B125s so I think that have a 125 drop.

I'm not a total weight weenie yet, so carbon/aluminum are OK, but prefer non-steel. I just need help with bar/stem combos for 25.4, 26.0 and 26.4 stems. Thanks in advance!

[rugbysecondrow]

I am a fan of nitto noodle bars, but not sure how they will work with small hands.

[SpeedyChix]

Any strong preference for shape?
Ergo, traditional round or curve more like the 3T compact ergonova shape?
The Oval S700s are a compact bar and have been avail in 26.0
Salsa Pocos are great for short reach/drop/small hands but some don't like the ergo bump in them.
I've got smaller hands and have been using a couple of the 3T bars as well as the Deda bars, their non-OS is the Newton 215 The 26mm clamp section 215 is available in anatomic, shallow or deep drop versions.
They also have the Deda Zero 100.

[buldogge]

Noodles (Nitto 177) or Deda 215 are both 26.0 and should do the trick...

-Mark in St. Louis

[dekindy]

Most folks don't like ergo style bars, compact is the usual preference. Round surface near the stem to mount computers, lights, etc., flat surfaces on the tops. The FSA compacts are the real deal for me. A girlfriend of mine, serious rider, got a new bike and simply raved about her handlebars of all things. I now see what she means. Go 31.8 and adapter since the larger diameter is the new standard.

[swg]

Like the Nitto Noodles as well.

[tsarpepe]

There are many good bars available in 26.0. No need to do complicated setups. My current favorite is the Ritchey Pro Biomax.

[FlashUNC]

Have the FSA Compacts on my cross bike. Love them.

My main road bike has a 1inch threaded headset, but I also converted with an adapter to 1 1/8th threadless. Just easier to source stems/bars that I prefer that way.

[Scott Shire]

Nitto Noodle or B115 (you will need the Nitto shim to go from 25/4-26.0 if you're rocking a 26 stem)

Velo Orange Grand Cru

Cinelli Campione Del Monde or Giro D'Italia

3TTT Competitzione

Of course, the first two are completely unacceptable on a Casati with all Campy Record. Don't ball out on the bike and skimp on the bar/stem combo. IF you are going to push the modern/classic thing, something integrated like a Cinelli Integralter or Ram might be interesting.

38 is pretty wide for track bars, so don't look for anything too narrow.

AND DON'T KNOCK THE STEEL BARS!! (http://prollyisnotprobably.com/assets_c/2011/04/Nago-14860.php)

[sjbraun]

I have a new Nitto shim if you need one. I'll sell for my cost.

[jmoore]

I will never ride anything but Nitto Noodles on my steel bikes. They go perfectly with my Nitto Technomic quill stem. They fit my hands perfectly.

With the Casati and Campy, I'd seriously look at Oval Concepts with the trad round bends. They are about the best looking new bar I've seen in a while. I know a guy with a Sachs and IIRC eRitchey rec'd them, so that's gotta tell you something.

[elvish presley]

So I checked out all the recommendations and figured I post the list in case anyone in the future may be in the same boat...

I'm listing them with the model, minimum available width, drop, clamp diameter and approx. price. I probably should have included reach but I got lazy.

-Nitto Noodle Bars: 42, 140, 26.0, $50
-3T Ergonova: 38, 123, 31.8, $100
-Deda 215: 42, 135, 26.0 $80
-Deda Zero 100: 40, 128, 31.8, $90
-Salsa Poco: 40, 140, 31.8, $50
-Ritchey Pro Biomax: 42, 130, 21.8, $50
-Cinelli Giro d'Italia: 38, 144, 26.4, $100
-3T Competizione: 40, 155, 26.0, $70
-Cinelli Intergraltar/Ram expensive and didn't bother looking at the details
-Velo Orange Grand Cru: 42, 125, 26.0, $50
-FSA Omega Compact: 38, 125, 31.8, $35

Process of elimination: I knocked out any bars greater than 40. I tried a friends bike with 42s and they felt pretty wide. Next I eliminated anything wtih a drop over 130. I have a hunch that deep drops for my small size won't be so comfortable. My remaining options all had a 31.8 clamp, so this pretty much forces me to stick with my original idea of using a threadless-quill adapter. I think I'm gonna try the FSA Omega Compacts, based on meeting my needs and fairly inexpensive. These bars paired with a decent stem (maybe Thomson), and adapter should keep my cockpit at the price of the Deda Zero 100s or the 3T Ergonova.

Thanks for all the recommendations! :beer:

[dekindy]

I can say that I absolutely love my FSA Omega Compacts. They feel so good that everything else seems downright akward. Great discovery for me anyway.

[modernfuturist]

I got the Deda 215 Shallow at ProBikeKit for cheaper than you suggested and I'm really enjoying these bars right now. Allowed me to keep my 3T quill stem and keep the semi-classic look on my Gios.

[buldogge]

Also...Deda bars are measured outside to outside...so...they 42s are <40cm c-c.

-Mark in St. Louis

I got the Deda 215 Shallow at ProBikeKit for cheaper than you suggested and I'm really enjoying these bars right now. Allowed me to keep my 3T quill stem and keep the semi-classic look on my Gios.

[11.4]

It's hard to find narrow road bars these days. The one that really stands out, and it's a very good bar, is the 3T Ergonova compact in aluminum in a 38 cm c-c width. Yes, it's 31.8, but if you buy 26.0 you're just investing in Betamax and eight-track tapes. Everything has pretty much centered on 31.8.

Your fit problem isn't going to be affected much by hand size (at least as far as bar choice is concerned). I also have small hands and have ridden most of the key versions of most of the brands. You get small constraints on lever positioning with any bar, but the only bars that create a serious reach issue for small hands are the older Deda-style ergo bars where the bar bends away from the levers right where you want access. Presumably you are overall small in build, given the width you're seeking, so not having too much reach or drop gives you a better chance of fitting in the various positions on the bars. Most of the compact bends, including the Ergonova, have a fairly effective curved profile -- not quite a round bend but certainly not one of the weird super-ergo bends like Ritchey, Deda, and others have gone through (and that are hard on small hands).

You'll probably find that precise lever position is going to be more critical to your overall fit than the actual equipment you choose. Plan on allowing a little bit of extra cable and get some extra bar tape so you can shift levers a centimeter or so up or down without having to redo the whole cabling system.

A couple things: First, the Ergonovas have a fairly broad flattened top, which makes them easier on small hands (we tend to have more hand problems than riders with big paws). Second, bear in mind that alloy bars from 3-4 years ago were being made with extremely thin walls and extremely brittle alloys. They've had to become heavier and thicker more recently with new European safety standards, which is entirely a good thing, but you might avoid going to an older bar, either second hand or on closeout. The Ergonova is a new, standard-compliant design.