Andy_K 

I mostly ignored the thread about Shimano Metrea when it first popped up, and then I poked my head in when it reached 10 pages to see what in the world people could still be talking about. Seeing that the discussion had devolved into something that was only tangentially related to the original topic. I went back to see when it had jumped the rails and was dismayed to find that it had happened within the first one or two responses.

So I have a request: if you want to discuss (ahem!) the pros and cons of various styles of bicycling, please keep it in that other thread, but if you are interested in actually talking about the Shimano Metrea components please add your thoughts here. If you said anything after page 1 in the other thread, you can safely assume I didn't read it, but I leave it to your discretion to either repeat yourself here or not.

Now with that out of the way....

I'm going to start by cherry-picking one of the few helpful posts I saw on the other thread, mostly for its links:

I'm not the least bit excited about the H-bar idea, but I don't often ride in city traffic so I guess I'm not the target demographic.

What I am really excited about is the fact that someone (anyone at all) is showing an interest in the kind of bike riding I do most often. You may remember my recent rant about the unsuitability of 50-34 cranks for commuting. Styling aside, I think Shimano nailed it with the Metrea cranks -- a 42T one ring option for people with flat commutes (or strong legs) and a 46-32 option for people like me who have some climbs that need something lower. I wish they had used standard bolt patterns so that I could get maybe a 44T ring (or a ramped 42) and a 30T or smaller granny gear, but 46-32 is a nice start.

The hydraulic brakes look nice, and I have no doubt that they'll perform up to Shimano standards. The wide range rear derailleur also checks a box on my wish list.

I think it's worth noting that Shimano is not the first company to pick up the scent of this market. SRAM's VIA groups offer most of what I'm excited about with Metrea except that (a) they aimed it at flat bar bikes, (b) they kind of phoned it in on the styling and, most importantly, (c) the manufacturers and distributers alike have mostly ignored VIA.

One thing I feel kind of ambivalent about with Metrea is the styling. It looks nice if you're into the modern look. I imagine it will be great on carbon fiber frames. I'd like to see a nice shiny silver group that would look good on a vintage steel frame. But obviously I'll take what I can get and I see this as a positive sign. I hope the manufacturers do some good things with it.

ThermionicScott 

I think there's a lot to like about it in concept, even if a person doesn't dig the looks directly. I'm still scratching my head over calling bullhorns "H-type bars", though -- there is already an "H-bar" on the market, and these things don't resemble an "H" in any way I can think of.

Andy_K 

The release on the Shimano website (and this may be quoted in the other articles, most of which I haven't looked at) says this: "H-type handlebars are a new concept in cycling, designed to position the rider’s forearms in a natural position, mimicking the position of hands on the brake hoods of drop handlebars."

So basically, they're like drop bars without the drops. Honestly, that maps pretty well to the way I ride my bike 90% of the time. Of course, the other 10% of the time (generally fighting a head wind) I'd be really annoyed not to have another option. The wrist orientation is the main reason (by far) that I prefer drop bars over flat bars. The Metrea levers look like they could address the inferior leverage you get when braking from the hoods (as compared to braking from the drops or using flat bar brake levers). It's hard, especially for people with small hands, to produce a lot of hand force with your fingers as close to the brake lever's pivot as they are when your hands are on the hoods.

The prototype picture gives the impression that they will be just like bullhorns, but I think that's a case of marketing guys screwing up what the engineers are trying to achieve. The description reads like they are intended to have a much more upright orientation.

ThermionicScott 

That sounds a lot like bullhorns or base bars to me. But good point on the levers, themselves. I'm used to thinking of bullhorns with a little bit of kick up toward the ends, which causes the levers to also kick out a little more. Perhaps with hydraulic brakes, the short lever travel won't be an issue with these bars.

Yeah, sort of like with MTB bar-ends, it'll be up to the user to angle them forward for more of a sporty TT angle, or upward to jive with a more upright posture.

Andy_K 

I always picture bullhorns with a more stretched out position, but I guess they can be used either way.


MTB bar ends are pretty much exactly what I was thinking of.



Move the brakes and shifters to the bars ends and bring them in toward the center a bit and I'd spend all day there.

KonAaron Snake 

Like you, they lost me with the bars. My aesthetic sensibility is defined by an earlier era, so it's just another variant of weird looking to me. I'm probably not the target audience...I doubt I'd lay out a whole lot of money for a bike that's primary purpose is commuting. I do like the 1x part of this, especially given Shimano's turd FD trim.

You'll pry my drop bar MTB commuter... No worry about chipped paint, or corrosion. Ample chain stay length and rack (I have big dawgs), great tire selection (including studded), reasonable weight when it has to be carried. Comfortable as heck.

Darth Lefty 

I really, really like the styling of the crankset. The colors and shapes are really good. The main feature of interest is the brushed center and the polished guard, which form a starship-and-sun or orbit, like a Star Trek TNG communicator or a stylized Eiffel Tower. The rest of it, the inner part of the guard and the forward arms of the spider, are taken to the background by their enamel black. This is all a lot more coherent in the single than the double, which is still ok but a little compromised. I think this is the most attractive of these odd-angle four-arm spiders we have seen and it's mainly because it's hidden.

The next feature of interest is the RD and it's ok. I think it could have been styled more.

I really, really wish the same design effort had gone to the rest of it but the new brifters are clearly more of an engineering exercise, and the styling on them and all the other parts appears only paint and decal deep. (Edit - I've since recanted... read on.)

The mechanical quality level appears somewhere in between Tiagra and 105. I think that's pretty appropriate to the way it's being marketed. At this level you don't have a lot of effort being spent on weight savings but the materials and platings are solid.

acidfast7

A lot of commuter bikes already running up 1x11 set-ups with flat bars, so I don't see anything really new or interesting here.

Many examples:

Whyte Bikes

Expensive example:

Whyte Bikes

Cheap example:

https://www.whyte.bike/#!carnaby-16/i0mcz

I don't really see what the hype is about.

blakcloud

Like Andy_K says I like the fact that a manufacturer is actually producing something for the commuter market. I like the 1 by setup, the gear range, the 140 mm disks and the built in pant guard, all this points to a nice commuter group. The H bar would work for some but not my style but at least they have a flat handlebar setup. It is a little too modern in style for me considering the bikes I ride but if it worked well I would certainly consider it.

KonAaron Snake 

I think this may be what's throwing me...

It might be a bunch of things packaged into one gruppo and marketed as commuter friendly, but all of these options already existed piece meal in other ways. I guess the main advantage is taking a bunch of things seen as advantageous for commuters, sticking them in the same bucket and saying voila for the person who wants the same sticker with Shimano's seal of approval?

fietsbob

Buy and report .. its for the well heeled Only obviously .. You Know who You Are.

Darth Lefty 

Tell us again about your Rohloffs? I think this stuff will have a premium over Tiagra but not a big one.

Darth Lefty 

Yes. Maybe not "seal of approval," I think only old Schwinn was that arrogant or tone deaf, but into a consistent quality level and styling.

Maybe it's also a way to sell more cranksets, because this one is really distinctive and attractive, not a gray flame-surfaced blob that's not missed when replaced by an FSA.

jfowler85

Been waiting for a component set like this for years. As soon as it drops and becomes affordable then the Metrea shifter on a tt bar (what the hell is an "h-bar"?) will replace the drop-bar 105s on my Devinci.

Andy_K 

I guess technically there are other 46x32 cranks available, but they aren't common and they definitely aren't Shimano. The fact that Shimano is thinking about the commuter market is a good first step. Even if there's nothing revolutionary here, the fact that they've started to think about it makes future improvement more likely.

Darth Lefty 

The "H-Bar" in the press release is also a Shimano product, that has no turn-up at the tips like bullhorns have. I guess we'll see if it's the only option for the brifters or if they'd be happy on other handlebars too.

Bike Gremlin

I like the double 46-32, although I'd always rather take a triple - 44-32-22 for (uni)versatility. While I'm at it, I'd always opt for a more durable, cheaper, more robust 7, or 8 speed cassette for commuting purpouses.

Hauling groceries, kids seat, trailer, etc - 32 chainring can be too big for some steep climbs when commuting, not training.

I'd also always take drop bars for versatility, or flat bars for convenience. Bull horns look like fashion over function to me.

mrchaotica

I really like the concept of bullhorn bars and a time-trial-style brifter, but I want it to have a version with more traditional styling (something that wouldn't look out of place on a lugged steel frame) and I want it to work with internal gear hubs (edit: and rim brakes, for that vintage compatibility).

Darth Lefty 

tl;dr the crankset is pretty unique and has to use the supplied rings

I was just looking at the tech volume.

The crank arms are the same between the double and single versions. The bash guard and chain ring(s) are stacked and bolted on the back side of the spider. The spacing of the double is created by dishing the rings. There are two BCD's. One with smaller bolts goes through the single or outer ring and the bash guard, the other goes through the single or both rings with normal sized chain ring bolts. All this is pretty unusual. It should be pretty strong, due to more and firmer attachment points for everything, but it means that a "standard" chain ring isn't really going to work, even with the same BCD; and so there are only the two options for ring sizes (42, or 46/32). It also means it's possible to strip the blind threaded holes in the crank, where a normal crank would just have through-holes and be in no such danger. The single ring is not narrow-wide.

noglider 

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to address the question again. I've decided I like the concept. As @ThermionicScott says, we don't have to like the styling.

I agree that grabbing the name H bars is annoying, but companies do that. They muddy up the industry standard terms. Not that it's OK, but the product matters more than the nomenclature. This stuff looks like it will work well and either create or fit a niche. Time will tell.

Darth Lefty 

I have found Metrea parts for sale for the first time at Bike 24, a German site. Prices are compared directly other Shimano pieces they have for sale. Not a comprehensive list.
https://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=13&search=metrea

FC 46-32 double is 151€, about par with Ultegra. This seems like a lot!
RD short cage is 31€, par with 105
Wheelset is 235€, 35€ more than the WH-RX31 for 105-level disks, 35€ less than WH-6800 Ultegra wheels

The flatbar shifters, calipers, and rotors are there, but not the flatbar brake levers, and no sign of the bullhorn brifters, yet.

Listed weights
FC double 1036 grams - compare to 670g for Ultegra CX, 3/4 lb higher is no bueno
FC single 912
RD short 281 - Tiagra is 260, 105 is 230, Ultegra is 195
Wheelset 1093+1287=2380 for QR version, compare 899+1093=1992 for RX31. Yuck! But the Metrea wheels are much deeper section.

So far on a weight savings per dollar basis it's not looking like a great deal. I hope we can get more pricing for a fairer comparison.

sb88

Oldish thread, but...

I note it hasn't been mentioned that (as far as I know) the metrea group uses flat mount disc calipers, so any hope you have of putting it on a post mount/ I.S. mount disc frame will be dashed unless you can use the levers with MTB calipers

Darth Lefty 

Interesting note. Actually it seems like the styling elements extend to the levers only as decals, the flat bars look like standard MTB units and the brifters are dominated by the ergonomic concept. But the calipers are really differently styled than the ones in the road bike line. The R405, 505, 805 (Tiagra, 105, Ultegra) all look about the same with a sort of teardrop shape around the piston but the Metrea has styling that goes with the RD.

I still haven't found any of this stuff for sale except on bike24, but I don't know websites on the continent, perhaps someone else does.

RubeRad

Interesting look. I kinda like the crankset, it borrows from the design aesthetic of current road groups. The disc brake calipers have an interesting new design too. But 46-32 -- isn't that basically just a CX crankset? I do like the 1x option too.

I'm confused about the bar-end brifters:



I see one trapezoidal button in there, presumably you push it to the left to downshift, then how do you upshift again? Is there a release button on the other side?

RubeRad

Whoa, 2 grand for commuter wheels?? I paid $400 for handbuilt 105 + butted spokes + dyad rims. Or maybe they're not really 'commuter' wheels. What does 'urban sport' really mean? Criterium?