NeoY2k

Hi, I am looking for a new handlebar.

I love the Salsa Cowbell on my girlfriend's bike. Well, I love the shape of the drops, with the long "drop bottom". which comes almost parallel to the ground with the ramps making a nice flat and nearly horizontal transition to the hoods, and the shape of the hook going to the brakes.

However I'd like a handlebar of the same shape but with less flare (0-6° would be okay), and more reach.

I am currently using a 3T Ergonova Team and am not fond of it. When I have the ramps in the position I like, the drops have too much angle to the ground. And I find the drops too short (bottom portion not long enough). I love the oval tops.

What would be your suggestions?

Thank you,
Nicolas

fietsbob

I put the original Bridgestone US MB1 drop bars from Nitto on my Road & Cross bike

which like that original drop bar mountain bike build, uses bar end shifters ..

the bar end shifter pods add a little length To the drops ..

maybe Nitto 'Noodles ' you may just like regular drop bars , though then you may have a problem wit brake lever location
brifters are long ... bodied to then short ramped (top forward bend) bars were developed in response..

noI don't have a 'just buy an X bar' answer to hand to you.. with a seller link.

NeoY2k

I do use STIs and not bar ends.
Question still is pretty specific, as cowbell's shape is not the most ubiquitous. Maybe some people having ridden them have found other comparable bars, but with less flare and more reach.

fietsbob

Salsa is a Brand, (QBP Importer) not a manufacturer


Why not look around on some online retail sites and see what they have ?

https://www.universalcycles.com/ is one out here physically in Portland Oregon..

NeoY2k

Of course I have, but judging handlebar shapes from online websites is almost impossible, hence my question here for first hand knowledge. An outline comparison online tool could help, but there is none to be found. Physical stores only care to have at best 2-3 models of handelbars in stock even for the largest, at least here in France.

I don't see the point in stating that Salsa is a brand and not a manufacturer. They had handlebars made to their specifications.
I never asked "I need handlebars that fit me", I asked a specific question.

Fietsbob, I hate to have to say that as you have been more than helpful in many occasions, but your latest interventions have been very condescending, assuming OP never did their due diligence, were plain lazy or had no idea about how to use internet or zero knowledge of bike mechanics and industry. It sure might happen and probably does too frequently, but using this postulate as a pattern might not be the most constructive.

So back to the question, looking for a handlebar:
- With comparable drop/hook shape as the Salsa Cowbell (long flat bottom drop, flat ramps, compact but with a somewhat rounder hook)
- With less flare
- With more reach

Thank you,
NIcolas

fietsbob

Nitto, say through Rivendell or Grand Bois, Japan, or the bars Compass cycles carries renamed Rene Herse,
in Seattle .

somebody in the computer tech code writing sector (driving the housing cost bubble of the San Francisco bay ) wrote a comparison program ,
it must be posted on the web, to be searched for...
I never went there..


...

DrIsotope

Salsa Cowbell: 68mm reach, 115mm drop, 12º flare
Whisky No.7 6F: 67mm reach, 125mm drop, 6º flare (also available as the Whisky No.9 in carbon, if you're throwing money around)

115mm drop is super compact, the closest I could find with a 6º sweep is the Whisky. Good pics from Whisky to see if it's close to what you'd like.

aggiegrads

The FSA Omega compact may be the bar that you are looking for. 80mm reach, 125mm drop, 4° flare. Cheap, relatively speaking.

https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...7&category=637

Ironfish653

SilverRubicon

Have you not looked a whatbars dot com? (can't post links yet). You can select and compare bars. It's a great resource.

djb

I realize that all of this is completely personal in terms of what you like, but I can say having ridden cowbells a lot on one of my touring bikes, that the 12 degree flare really becomes almost unnoticeable, and as someone pointed out, going from the hoods to the drops is a natural easy motion.
One of my other dropbar bikes has traditional drops, and always feels funny going back to it after the cowbells.

is the more narrow flare interest from an aero point of view?

again, this talk can't really help you, as its personal. Also, with my cowbell bike, it is used mostly touring, so with front panniers or even just a handlebar bag, the slight flare gives a really nice edge in drops maneuverability---and also, my bike is set up with bars pretty much at seat level, so a conservative setting in that regard compared to a road bike perhaps (makes a diff in the drops use for longer periods of time,again personal I know)

that 6 or 4 degree bar that is reasonably priced seems the way to go, given that you cannot try out bars other than holding them in a store, although at least you can sit and roll along on your girlfriends bike, which is a big advantage over just seeing them in a store or on a webpage.

redlude97

Dada newton?

HillRider

+1 . I have these on four different bikes and they are very comfortable. Not particularly light but durable and inexpensive. The curve allows the hooks to be nearly horizontal while the tops allow the brifter/brake hoods to extend in a straight line.

djb

the cowbells are like this, and I presume many other bars also, but I also really like how comfortable it is in the drops. I made very slight bar angle changes to get just the right angle so that my hands have even pressure on them in the drops--again, just really nice when dealing with pain in the keester annoying head/side winds while touring that go on for hours, and nice to be reasonably comfortable in the drops for medium extended times.