Wide Handlebar for Road Bike

I like wide bars and have found that Salsa Bell lap has the longest top of any I have, or have ever
seen. They also flair. Longer by far than Nitto Dirt Drop, or what ever Riv. now sells. Not sure of
Noodle though. I have been told that Ritchie also makes a bar with a long top. If you are
interested in Salsa and concerned with weight, be aware that there are two similar models with
different weights..

Gary Jacobson Rosendale, NY

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Does anyone have a suggestion for a wide road bike handlebar? I have

tried

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the one listed in the Rivendale catalog and is about the same on the top

and

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the wider part is where the drops flair out.

I have used a mountain bar, and bar ends, for so many years that when I switch to my road bike it
seems way too narrow and that I have less

control.

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It is particularly noticeable when I get out of the saddle to climb.

RWM --

How wide do you WANT the tops of your handlebars to be?

Joe

My best guess is about 50 -52 cm. The widest that I have seen is about 46
cm.

"Joseph Kubera" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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RWM --

How wide do you WANT the tops of your handlebars to be?

Joe

Thanks, I will look up both Salsa and Ritchie.

"Gary Jacobson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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I like wide bars and have found that Salsa Bell lap has the longest top of any I have, or have
ever seen. They also flair. Longer by far than Nitto Dirt Drop, or what ever Riv. now sells.
Not sure

of

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Noodle though. I have been told that Ritchie also makes a bar with a long top. If you are
interested in Salsa and concerned with weight, be aware that there are two similar models with
different weights..

Gary Jacobson Rosendale, NY

Quoted message said:

"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Does anyone have a suggestion for a wide road bike handlebar? I have

tried

Quoted message said:

the one listed in the Rivendale catalog and is about the same on the top

and

Quoted message said:

the wider part is where the drops flair out.

I have used a mountain bar, and bar ends, for so many years that when I switch to my road bike
it seems way too narrow and that I have less

control.

Quoted message said:

It is particularly noticeable when I get out of the saddle to climb.

The widest that I could find from both companies is 46 cm. Is there something else that I should be
looking at?

"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thanks, I will look up both Salsa and Ritchie.

"Gary Jacobson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I like wide bars and have found that Salsa Bell lap has the longest top

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

any I have, or have ever seen. They also flair. Longer by far than Nitto Dirt Drop, or what ever
Riv. now sells. Not

sure

Quoted message said:

of

Quoted message said:

Noodle though. I have been told that Ritchie also makes a bar with a long top. If you are
interested in Salsa and concerned with weight, be aware that there are two similar models with
different weights..

Gary Jacobson Rosendale, NY

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Does anyone have a suggestion for a wide road bike handlebar? I have

tried

Quoted message said:

the one listed in the Rivendale catalog and is about the same on the

top

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and

Quoted message said:

the wider part is where the drops flair out.

I have used a mountain bar, and bar ends, for so many years that when

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

switch to my road bike it seems way too narrow and that I have less

control.

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It is particularly noticeable when I get out of the saddle to climb.

The length of the top is what I thought you had the most interest in, and that can be different with
the same width bars. I suppose that the less the angle of flare, the longer the tops will be. There
probably are other factors too. Anyway, I have very wide shoulders and find the Salsa plenty wide.
At first the widest Nitto Dirt Drop seemed wide to me. But it's nothing like the Salsa 46 bell lap.
Now the Dirt Drop seems almost puny. I'd like to see the widest Nitto Noodle, and the widest Ritchie
side by side with the Salsa Bell lap.

GJ

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"Joseph Kubera" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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The widest that I could find from both companies is 46 cm. Is there something else that I
should be looking at?

RWM --

I think you mentioned in your first post that you are coming to road

biking

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from mtn biking.

I admit that I am not a mtb rider, and not so familiar with that

equipment, but

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may I suggest that a shorter bar might be one of the main

characteristics

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differentiating road from mtn bikes? 46 cm is pretty darn wide for a

road

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bar

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(I have 45 on mine).

It would make sense to think that trail riding, downhilling, etc. would

require

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the kind of control that a wide mtb bar (with bar-ends?) would

give...issues

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that are not so important in road bikes.

The (quite approximate) rule of thumb on road bar width is that they

should be

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as wide as the distance between your shoulder bones. Of course, you

might

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be

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built exceptionally wide there.

If you are partial to bar-ends, I might also suggest looking for

something

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called a "Newk" bar -- a road bar with mtb-style bar ends in addition to

the

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drops.

Joe

I am not new to riding on the road as I have averaged 3,500 miles per year for the last seven
years and so far this year I have done 5,700 miles.

Most

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of that mileage has been on flat bar road bikes, but I have a road bike

with

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regular drop bars. I do have really wide shoulders and when I ride the

drop

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bar bike it feels way too narrow.

From the lack of ideas about wide bars it sounds like I should just put

more

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miles on the drop bar bike and see if I can get more comfortable. I will also look for a Newk bar.

"Gary Jacobson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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The length of the top is what I thought you had the most interest in, and that can be different
with the same width bars. I suppose that the less the angle of flare, the longer the tops will be.
There probably are other factors too. Anyway, I have very wide shoulders and find the Salsa plenty
wide. At

first

Quoted message said:

the widest Nitto Dirt Drop seemed wide to me. But it's nothing like the Salsa 46 bell lap. Now the
Dirt Drop seems almost puny. I'd like to see

the

Quoted message said:

widest Nitto Noodle, and the widest Ritchie side by side with the Salsa

Bell

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lap.

GJ

I am going to try the Salsa Bell Lap 46.

I, like you, like the wider grip for road riding. I also don't like the bar ends pople put in their
straight bars (I don't like gripping the joint).

You may be interested in a Brahma Bar from Zoom. I have one on my mountain bike and have been riding
raod for several years. It has a smooth bend like a bull's horns - very comfortable. They're hard to
find, but here's a link showing the bar:

bikepro.comzoom brahm comb.htmlOpen ↗

As you can see, it's like a trial bar, but much wider. You can get them as wide as 59 cm. Pretty
cool, huh?

One question I have is if you have any adverse effects from riding with such a wide grip? I have
been having some soreness lately in my shoulders, but I think it's just me getting older and not the
handlebars.

Hope this helps. If you find anything else that looks good, lt me know. I'm going to buy a new bike
and am considering a new handlebar as well.

Regards,

Warren

Quoted message said:

"Gary Jacobson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

The length of the top is what I thought you had the most interest in, and that can be different
with the same width bars. I suppose that the less the angle of flare, the longer the tops will
be. There probably are other factors too. Anyway, I have very wide shoulders and find the Salsa
plenty wide. At

first

Quoted message said:

the widest Nitto Dirt Drop seemed wide to me. But it's nothing like the Salsa 46 bell lap. Now
the Dirt Drop seems almost puny. I'd like to see

the

Quoted message said:

widest Nitto Noodle, and the widest Ritchie side by side with the Salsa

Bell

Quoted message said:

lap.

GJ

I am going to try the Salsa Bell Lap 46.

"Warren Ginn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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I don't like gripping the joint.

Yeah, like we're supposed to let a line like THAT go unnoticed!

"Warren Ginn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

You may be interested in a Brahma Bar from Zoom. I have one on my mountain bike and have been
riding raod for several years. It has a smooth bend like a bull's horns - very comfortable.
They're hard to find, but here's a link showing the bar:

bikepro.comzoom brahm comb.htmlOpen ↗

As you can see, it's like a trial bar, but much wider. You can get them as wide as 59 cm. Pretty
cool, huh?

If you like these, one of our local shops has a whole bunch of 'em lying around. I noticed because I
used to ride one, liked it a lot, and haven't seen one in years. They have a nice, tight radius
bend, unlike other bars of this type. Another nice one was the Klein Stratum 185, but those are
practically impossible to find these days. I'm sure Dave would be happy to sell you one. Try
www.hokiespokes.com

To get back on topic, I don't think there's anything wrong with using wider than normal road bars. A
lot of it is just tradition -- 38-44cm bars are just the way it's always been done. Even 44cm bars
have become popular only recently. Now with so many mountain bikers coming back to road bikes, wider
road bars are becoming more and more popular. I certainly don't have wide shoulders for being 6'
tall, and for me, the wider the better for road bars. A 46 feels great to
me. Also keep in mind that the difference between a 44 and a 46 is less than half an inch
(1cm) a side.

Matt O.

Very funny....

Actually, gripping the joint where the handles are attached really isn't all that comfortable.

W

"Sorni" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

"Warren Ginn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I don't like gripping the joint.

Yeah, like we're supposed to let a line like THAT go unnoticed!

Thanks Matt,

I did manage to find a few (I bought two).

I agree with you, I think this (having intrgral bend handlebar ends) is a trend. I'm seeing more
"hybrid" bikes available where it's set up like a mountain bike with a beefier frame and 700 x 35
tires for more stability than a traditional road bike. I'm always noticing how when I'm on a tour,
almost every guy I see on the side of the road fixing flats have road bikes with little narrow
tires. Some may say that my wider tires are slower, but how fast can you be if you're on the side of
the road changing a flat?...

But I digress...

I think that you'll start seeing more handlebars with integrated barends as opposed to the add-ons
we're used to seeing. When you're on a long ride, the more variation you can have on grips, the
better. Plus I thing the wider grip is more comforatble and allows me to breath better.

The only question I have is whether a wider grip can have any negative effect on your shoulders?
I've had some soreness in both shoulders (in my rotator cuffs), but maybe I'm just getting older
(37)... Just curious if there is any evidence that this type of setup can be a bad thing?

Thanks again,

Warren

"Matt O'Toole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

"Warren Ginn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

You may be interested in a Brahma Bar from Zoom. I have one on my mountain bike and have been
riding raod for several years. It has a smooth bend like a bull's horns - very comfortable.
They're hard to find, but here's a link showing the bar:

bikepro.comzoom brahm comb.htmlOpen ↗

As you can see, it's like a trial bar, but much wider. You can get them as wide as 59 cm. Pretty
cool, huh?

If you like these, one of our local shops has a whole bunch of 'em lying around. I noticed because
I used to ride one, liked it a lot, and haven't seen one in years. They have a nice, tight radius
bend, unlike other bars of this type. Another nice one was the Klein Stratum 185, but those are
practically impossible to find these days. I'm sure Dave would be happy to sell you one. Try
www.hokiespokes.com

To get back on topic, I don't think there's anything wrong with using wider than normal road bars.
A lot of it is just tradition -- 38-44cm bars are just the way it's always been done. Even 44cm
bars have become popular only recently. Now with so many mountain bikers coming back to road
bikes, wider road bars are becoming more and more popular. I certainly don't have wide shoulders
for being 6' tall, and for me, the wider the better for road bars. A 46 feels great to
me. Also keep in mind that the difference between a 44 and a 46 is less than half an inch (1cm) a
side.

Matt O.

"Warren Ginn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

The only question I have is whether a wider grip can have any negative effect on your shoulders?
I've had some soreness in both shoulders (in my rotator cuffs), but maybe I'm just getting older
(37)... Just curious if there is any evidence that this type of setup can be a bad thing?

It seems to me people are going wider because it's more comfortable and hurts less. Previously, bars
were narrower for better aerodynamics. It probably is sleeker to have a narrower grip. But newer
thinking is that wider lets you breathe better, besides being more comfortable.

As I get older (39), I like bigger bikes, where I'm able to stretch out, relax, and move around a
little more, rather than be locked into one position, tucked up into a tight little ball.

Matt O.

Totally agree. Glad to hear that I'm not the only one.

Thanks,

Warren

"Matt O'Toole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

"Warren Ginn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

The only question I have is whether a wider grip can have any negative effect on your shoulders?
I've had some soreness in both shoulders (in my rotator cuffs), but maybe I'm just getting older
(37)... Just curious if there is any evidence that this type of setup can be a bad thing?

It seems to me people are going wider because it's more comfortable and hurts less. Previously,
bars were narrower for better aerodynamics. It probably is sleeker to have a narrower grip. But
newer thinking is that wider lets you breathe better, besides being more comfortable.

As I get older (39), I like bigger bikes, where I'm able to stretch out, relax, and move around a
little more, rather than be locked into one position, tucked up into a tight little ball.

Matt O.