peterws

Well; the low down racing position beloved of you lot, simply ain`t for me; never has been. But I have this bull bars approach for general touring and hill climbing. Hill climbing demands it for convenience and comfort whilst out of the saddle.

Come the day when I hit one pothole too many (there are loads where I live; can`t avoid them all) and your neck really knows about it. It was sore for days afterwards, so I got to thinking my bars needed raising a few inches.

So I does it. Sat down, nice and comfy. Apart from the fact I`m not used to sitting down on a bike much. So my arse suffers! And so I stand up for The Hills only to find it`s not working for me any more.

So I`m in this position of needing higher bars for general riding, and lower ones for hill climbing . . .on the same bike! I hate complicated things . . . and becoming old is just that. . . .

Any thoughts/ solutions?

andr0id

If there only existed some type of handlebar that had a several positions you could grab with some being high and some low.

Biker395 

lol.

If the difference between the tops and the drops of your handlebars is too much, there are other designs that minimize that.

I had an interesting epiphany recently. I've always felt more comfortable with stems on the shortish side (90mm or so). In one case, the bike was essentially a racing bike with a longish top tube, so that explained it. But I also liked the 90mm length on every other bike I tried, leaving me to believe that I didn't know what a proper bike fit was, even after all these years.

On the Southern Inyo Double, a friend of mine (someone I've ridden many miles with and diddles with his bikes even more than I do) told me to hold my arms straight out. We compared wingspans, and even though I'm a good 3-4 inches taller, my wingspan is a good 3-4 inches shorter!

Well, I guess that explains it. Just call me Rex.

David Bierbaum

I'm always a proponent of Trekking Bars, since I got one, and have enjoyed it, once I got it dialed in for my own tastes. With my setup, I can ride any angle from full Prairiedog position, with fingertips on the near bars, to wrist-saver normal modes along the sides and outer elbows of the bars, to "lean into the wind" on the far bars, to "tucked in ersatz aero" gripping the inner elbows, and sometimes resting my wrists on the near bars/brake levers.

Watershed Nature Center by goofus_maximus, on Flickr

For the picture of your bicycle, one thing that springs out at me, is that you may want an adjustable stem, to swing those bars up to a more comfortable position. Are those bullhorn style bars? It's hard to tell from that angle.

For the bumps in the road, my little trick is to raise my... er... "seat" off of the seat, so my legs can act as shock absorbers.

tongueriver

Those trekking bars are intriguing. I have a Specialized Crossroads Elite 2013 which I enjoy riding, with stock bars and an adjustable stem, which gets things up to where they are tolerable for me. I have received in the mail a Nitto Albatross bar which I will install, if I don't use it on a Surly Long Haul Trucker, which I am considering buying. But the trekking bars could be an option?

andr0id

Looking at Peter's bike photo, it appears the bars are about level with the saddle. I've seen lots of recreational riders with a much higher bar position than that. He could try going higher and using a compact road handlebar. The stem looks really long, but without seeing him on the bike, that's hard to say for sure.

There are certainly a variety of options here. I just dont think a bullhorn bar is the best choice for a road bike if you're going for any distance. Not enough positions leads to early fatigue.

fietsbob

Trekking Bars ... Ditto : WB Bicycle Gallery: Robert Clark's Koga Miyata WTR a bit higher than the saddle .

BigAura

• Trekking bars are the fuglyest bars you can get.
• Tried them for pure function on a tour and found that I only used two hand positions, one main that felt good and an alternate that felt OK.
• Switched to Northroad bars, slightly higher than my saddle, for touring.
• Bullhorns level with my saddle for my fun riding for a couple hours.
• Only use drop-bars, below saddle, on my go fast bike, that I ride once in a while.
• Me at 62 yo agrees --> ageing complicates things

jyl

Drop bars are what you want. Relaxed upright on the tops, riding harder on the hoods, low and fast on the hooks and drops. Of course, the coolest way to climb is in the drops.

Rick@OCRR

I was going to say the same thing, essentally, but now I don't have to! And yes, I can climb, standing, on the drops . . . but I look rather awkward compared to Pantani!

Rick / OCRR

TGT1

in the Rock climbing world we call this the "ape index"

One friend of mine and a prolific route developer that illicits complaints of the long reaches on his routes is two inches shorter than me, but can reach about four inches higher.

I've just switched to a 90mm stem and it does put me more on the hoods than the tops and the biggest difference is I'm much more comfortable out of the saddle.

3/4" made a bigger difference than I thought it would. I'm also much more comfortable on the drops now too.

I have a neutral "ape index" my reach tip to tip is equal to my height.

peterws

Ha ha that most assuredly, doesn`t work for me! First thing to go on my bike when I got it 6 y ago, were the drops . . . but them funny looking bars look like they make sense . . . .thanks guys! Here`s a marginally better photo, on Wrynose Pass. Believe me when I say low bars are a pain - when descending! Some o` these hills are 1:3 . . .

OldTryGuy

Put a pair of these on, Airstryke.

Keeping the bars now on the bike......

.....with the arm pads up, the top of bars can be held

.....with hands on the arm pads in the down position, a more upright riding position is achieved and can be very comfortable, I ride this way often

.....forearm on pads in the down position is aero = FASTER

David Bierbaum

Another tip to ease head/neck stress, is to arch one's shoulders forward while riding, to keep your head less tilted on your neck, and add some shock absorption in addition to the bent elbows. I learned this one from Sheldon Brown's site.

Handlebar styles are a matter of personal choice, and there are so many choices out there! How BigAura feels about Trekking Bars looks, are about how I feel about most Drop Bars looks! If bullhorns work for you, don't take any guff from us.

I really would look into changing that stem though. A bit shorter, and/or with adjustable angle, so you can change the bars to be up/nearer for downhills and slow-paced sightseeing, or down/farther for riding into heavy headwinds or climbing steep hills.

Gerryattrick

The more I read the thread the more obvious it becomes that there is not one "best" type of bar. The best is what suits you and your riding style and experimentation and practice is the only way to find it. I don't particularly like the look of them, but can imagine those trekking bars have the flexibility to suit a lot of people.

I can can ride for hours on flat bars with no aches or tiredness at all but have real problems with drops due to neck problems - although I am still experimenting with them in the hope of getting it right.

big john

There are so many variations of drop bars, different shapes, different sizes and depths, not to mention stiffness. Some bars are so stiff that they transfer every jolt and some are much more flexible.
Then there's the stem height and length, more variables.
I can't see why one would limit hand positions by using flat bars or even bull horns.

jppe

Too funny. What's interesting is that you're just now figuring that out!

My brother and I are just the opposite. We got our maternal grandfather's build. We have a photo of him standing upright and his hands hang below his knees. My Mom called it the Steven's reach (her maiden name) that always came in handy at meal times (big family + big table).

jppe

My brother had a very similar issue. He is a long time rider but was having neck discomfort to the point he backed way off on his riding. He decided to raise his bars to a neutral position with his saddle and now rides a lot more in the drops than he did before. He loves it and it has resolved his discomfort. Finding the right drop bars might be part of the solution. I use some Easton Ergo bars where the drops are more shallow and angled perfectly for my hand position. They work a lot better for me that the more traditional curved drops.

BluesDawg

To each his own, but my solution would be (is) short reach/shallow drop bars set up so the hoods position is level or slightly above saddle height.

BobbyG

I did this to my former main commuter and love the extra positions and the unexpected upright by holding three elbow rests.

Retro Grouch 

The very first thing that I do when I get into a different car is to adjust the driver's seat, steering wheel and mirrors. Sometimes it takes a few tries before I get it the way that I like it. I do the same thing with my bicycles. If it takes me a few tries - oh well.

There is one thing that has amused me - how strongly some riders react to other rider's cockpits and riding positions.

peterws

A lot of good info here. Trying out some drop handlebar bikes in the shop, they feel OK on the hoods which would be my only position. But in practice, the bars weren't wide enough for me, and the bullbars, Raleigh steel ones from the 80s, old stock lol enabled the retention of those wonderful brake and gear levers.
Now, I tried an adjustable stem. Made a hash of fitting it. First bump (hit a kerb full tilt) and the damn thing swung downwards. Seriously scary, and was binned shortly after.
Next was the Stem zExtender which gave me 3 inches extra height. Ok whilst sat down. For five minutes only. Too much weight on me bum.
So back to saddle height,. Went out today and it was fine. . . . .a shorter stem is next. That could be good. . . .
Maybe my necks getting a bit better. . . .hope so!

Gerryattrick

It would seem that many others can!

It's not just about hand position, it's about body position. If you have back or neck problems that make riding in the drops a pain, then what is the purpose of having drops if you are not riding against the clock. If you spend all or nearly all the time on the hoods or the tops of the bars then you are no different to riding flat bars with bar-ends.

What I perhaps should have said is there is no "best" type of handlebar that covers all types of riding, although there are undoubtedly bars that are better for specific types of riding. For example, I ride a lot of mixed cross-country and road/trail trips and drops on a hardtail MTB would be, IMO, ridiculous and dangerous.

BluesDawg

Many would disagree...
Drop Bars For Off Road: Why?

big john

My thought is that you can set up your bars so you can use the drops when you need to, like riding into the wind or chasing your group, then you can stay on the hoods or tops when that suits you.
When I have ridden my mtb on the road (flat bars) I always think it would be nice to have drops. I wouldn't use drops on a mountain bike, but others have, including John Tomac and Jaquie Phelan, both champions.