SamSpade1941 

Ok I have a Salsa Short N Shallow drop bar and the Mod Fiamme bars that came with my early Allez are very narrow like for a small adult or child narrow. So I thinking of using my 44cm Salsa bars...

Should I buy some vintage bars my width or go with this???

plonz 

First, you'll need a clamp area that is compatible with the stem you intend to use.

After that, it's aesthetics for me and eventually feel after I determine whether or not I can tolerate them. If the current bars are black, then I think it's a non-issue to use the Salsa bars provided they fit.

SamSpade1941 

The original Italian Mod. Fiamme drop bars are not black, they are polished. The Salsa drop bars are the same diameter bars so the stem is not the issue. I just was trying to decide whether or not its going to look OK because I really like the Salsa bars quite a bit. They are comfortable and I already have this set which is my size. Someone I know has some vintage 44cm Modolo bars they will let me have reasonably to preserve the original vintage look. At this point its just my trying to decide if the Salsa bars look appropriate on the bike. Part of me wants to keep everything looking era appropriate, but part of me is also really interested in function and ergonomics.

Kevindale

I think the functionality and comfort of handlebars is very important. You have the bars, you like them, they fit - tighten things up, wrap 'em, and ride it. If you find over time that the look bothers you too much (and I don't think it'll look quite right, with the polished stem and seat post), then look to source a polished bar you like. Or, if you don't want to waste a tape job, and you already know the look is going to bug you no end, then see if your friend will lend you the Modolos to try out. Vintage bars seem to be pretty inexpensive and there seem to be plenty out there.

Just for curiosity, what size are the current bars? I've switched my bikes from 42 or 44cm to 40, and am curious to try 38cm sometime.

merziac

Go with the Salsa's, I have a set on the Merz in my avatar and agree they are great, was going to change them when I got it but like them so they stay. Obviously keep the Fiamme's and you could strip the Salsa's down where they show to make them look a little more correct. You also could get the Modolo's to have more option's.

SamSpade1941 

The Mod. Fiamme bars are 38cm if i recall correctly. I'll measure them again later and let you know .

The Golden Boy 

Back in the day, bars were just narrower.

I've used 2 sets of 44cm Nitto B177 bars on old bikes- IMO they go perfectly.

plonz 

Ok, I see the pic now. Love that Allez by the way.

What color are your rims? If black, I'm good with the bars. If silver, I think you should stick with silver bars too. Just my 2c.

SamSpade1941 

The wheels are silver Campagnolo nuovo record 36 spoke hubs laced into weinmann concave hookless rims

gugie 

Wider mo bettah, IMO. Bars are the last thing you want to compromise look vs comfort, since drop bars all look about the same.

top506

I also vote for silver bars, whatever the width.
Do I spy an LC-1 ruck in the background?

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SamSpade1941 

Yep I've had that Large Alice since my Army days . I think I acquired that ruck in 86 at clothing sales right before going to West Germany if i recall correctly. There's a Graf jacket in a box some where. You will have to forgive the mess in the background I have been going through old boxes with me donating / throwing away crap that moved that really should have been tossed before moving .

Slightspeed

I've got 3 modern bikes with black 44s, and they felt fine, till I got more into vintage riding. My two vintage bikes have the original narrow 38s. I ride them so much that the modern bikes feel wierd, like I have to stretch to reach them. I'm 6' tall with wide shoulders. The body is adaptable, but do what you feel good on.

Wildwood 

Some of us still like 38s and 40s. Even tho' measurements say 44s 'fit' better. In my case, I reckon it's what I learned on that still feels right. YMMV

The right handlebar makes the ride enjoyable. Go with it, screw convention.

Wildwood 

Missed your post before responding above. Concur 100%. (Except my modern bikes have narrow bars as well)

Same with a narrow Q-factor. I have a triple chainring bike that gets few miles because of the wide feel.

SamSpade1941 

I'm beginning to get that idea . The bars on my Super Mirage are very narrow . One of the reasons I don't ride it as much as I originally thought I'd ride it when I started restoring it.

zze86

Why not strip the bars and polish the bars up? At least just the center section.

plonz 

+1. This is actually a very good idea. You'd lose the logos in the process but I'd think that would be okay on that bike.

The Golden Boy 

When Junior was looking for a "hiking" backpack to go up to the Boundary Waters- I was going to suggest a Large Ruck. But packs these days are just BETTER than what we had when we were kids. Lighter, stronger, less waste for weight, distributes the weight better and more breathable under the straps and back... Hell, everything is better. I believed Jungle Boots to be the ultimate boots for pretty much everything. In the 2 inf. units I was in EVERYONE wore Jungle Boots- These days, the boots the kids have and the stuff that's available is just better- more comfortable, lighter, more breathable, dries faster, maybe not as rugged though and less ankle support.

The Golden Boy 

The difference is, back in the day, there wasn't much of an option to get actual 44s. Convention was 38s and 40s and that's what you had.

I'm not a big guy but, 44 Nitto B177s feel right to me. I've got 2 bikes with narrow vintage bars (SR World Champion and SR Grand Randnner), one with a set of traditional Nitto B132 rando bars (that are still narrow at the hoods), and 2 bikes with 44 B177s. Someday, when I have that kind of money just sitting around I'll replace some of those narrower bars that I have. It's got nothing to do with convention- it's about what bars are actually comfortable.

SamSpade1941 

I agree on the Jungle boots, they were as good as it got back in the day. I felt the same way about Jungle Fatigues when I was stationed in Panama. In 1988 they were de authorized for wear and I remember going down to clothing sales at Ft Clayton and buying a duffle bag full of them ( for what I have no idea now) because they were $8 a set. I still consider the Jungle Fatigue and wide brim Panama boonie hat to be the best uniform ever issued.

The Golden Boy 

Hey, I was in 1/508 at Ft Kobbe from 88-90.

That pic was taken at Howard.

I got issued OG107s, I kept 2, turned in the other 3. I'm pretty sure the only reason I got them was because I was a little guy back then. Most people were getting BDUs. I liked the OG107s, but didn't like that anything above your name tape was under your collar. They were great for he field, but if you didn't starch them in garrison they didn't look "professional."

After I went to Ft Bragg, I got everything sewn on one set-





The trousers haven't fit me since 1994, but the shirts are somewhere in the neighborhood of fitting. I still have one top that still has my SP/4 and 1/508 patch- they might even still be starched.

goatalope

I have a 1988 Trek 400. I put some Soma Highway 1 bars on it (which you can buy polished or black) that were 44cm, which is what I usually ride on my modern bikes. They looked really wide on the vintage bike. I just couldn't deal with the aesthetics, and ended up getting some 42s instead. Fit is fine and the 42s look much better.

Pompiere

I have a pair of black shallow drop Bontrager bars that I put on my Miyata with a polished Technomic stem. With the bike computer on one side and a light on the other side of the stem, you can barely see the little bit of black showing before the tape starts. I'm not a big guy, either, but after a few miles the 44s feel natural.

I had a pair of jungle boots that I wore in the Navy, because the canvas was a lot more comfortable in the hot engine room. As long as the toes were black, nobody ever said anything about them.

top506

This picture makes my knees hurt......

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