Ultra narrow bars in Giro Victory-Any Experience

[Tommasini53]

Taco van der Hoorn used the new ultra narrow bars. I think the description is 27 to 30cm in width.

Any Forumites tried these out? Cyclingtips discussed them. Does not look like they are produced by a major brand (yet?).

https://cyclingtips.com/2021/04/new-...ad-handlebars/

[prototoast]

His bars didn't look that narrow to me. I know he had the shifters pointed in, but is there any confirmation that he was actually on narrow bars?

[Mark McM]

His handlebars look narrower than traditional, but not super-narrow. He has his lever pointed in, which makes the handlebars look narrower then then are.

I've been using narrow handlebars in criteriums for a short time. My Enve SES aero bars flare from 35mm at the hoods to 38mm at the drops. At first, the narrow bars felt a bit unstable on the hoods, but after a short time I got used to them. Handling isn't much different when in the saddle. The big difference is when riding out of the saddle on the hoods - the narrow bars make it more difficult to rock the bike and get leverage on the pedals. The drops are a more traditional width, so they feel more 'normal' when in the drops.

[KJMUNC]

this just looks crazy to me.....betting the UCI will shut this down and do it by ruling that lever have to be within a certain degree of vertical

[lavi]

I gotta say that I just don't get this narrow stuff. I can maybe understand the aero benefit for RACERS. Real racers. For recreational riders/club racers: why?

My real world experience is not great with narrow bars. I had some on a bike I bought used. I typically ride a 44. I can maybe get away with a 42. I have wide shoulders (jacket size is a 44). The bars I had were 40's I think, or maybe a 38. Seated riding was fine. Anything out of the saddle was just plain weird. It felt like my power was cut as I had such a narrow grip. Leverage on the bars was much less. Like riding while standing with hands on the tops.

So what gives? How do folks that like this compensate for going hard out of the saddle whether climbing or just getting after it on the flats?

[David Kirk]

Has anyone seen how people using these bars ride out of the saddle? Either climbing or sprinting?

dave

[Tommasini53]

Originally Posted by David Kirk

Has anyone seen how people using these bars ride out of the saddle? Either climbing or sprinting?

dave

Yeah, I can't visualize any out of the saddle positions on the narrow bars. I think the leverage matters in those situations.

[unterhausen]

I have some bars on my gravel bike that are a little narrower than I'm used to. At least 40cm, I'm not sure of the exact width. It takes me a while to get used to standing up if I have been riding another bike a lot.

[RoosterCogset]

“Handling is actually very similar to wider bars,” Bigham said.


Seriously? How could it be?

[nooneline]

Originally Posted by David Kirk

Has anyone seen how people using these bars ride out of the saddle? Either climbing or sprinting?

dave

Very narrow handlebars have been common in track cycling, especially sprinting, for a while.

It definitely feels a little weird at first but the brain adapts quickly and there's no penalty on out-of-the-saddle sprinting.

[m_sasso]

Originally Posted by nooneline

Very narrow handlebars have been common in track cycling, especially sprinting, for a while.

It definitely feels a little weird at first but the brain adapts quickly and there's no penalty on out-of-the-saddle sprinting.

At 10K per handle bar for the average "Joe" these are not exactly common and you are not going to see too many of those on the track unless you are on the Malaysian National Team or attend a lot of World Cups.

https://www.wx-r.com/shop/tokyo-track-edition-handlebar

[nooneline]

The picture is just one example; the point is that people can sprint on narrow bars, not that that particular model is common. Scattos and Velo Flyer bars are everywhere from local racing to Olympic podiums.

[defspace]

One need not spend more than $50:
https://www.fouriers-bike.com/en/HAN.../44814663.html

I'm on 32s at the track, 38s on the road. My power data indicates no difference in power production between the two. (actually higher on the track, but that's probably more a factor of the type of efforts than anything else)

Yes, narrow bars feel different than 42cm bars. It's not a big deal.

[KJMUNC]

Originally Posted by lavi

I gotta say that I just don't get this narrow stuff. I can maybe understand the aero benefit for RACERS. Real racers. For recreational riders/club racers: why?

Shhh! you're going to spoil their ability to create a new product that is completely unnecessary for 99.99999% of people who ride bikes, but they're so PRO that you will be a Fred if you don't show up for the Wednesday Worlds ride without them

[charliedid]

I ride 40's and I'd be afraid to stand up with bars that narrow.