Polaris OBark

Today I had a wee spill and the net result was one of the "brifters/shrakes" moved about 10° or 15° inward, relative to my (non-flare) drop bars. Previously, both were parallel with the drops (i.e., 0°). I decided to ride home that way, rather than mess it up further with a multi-tool. Most of the ride home was climbing, with my hands on the hoods. The difference was a lot less than I had suspected, but the one tilted inward slightly actually felt a bit more comfortable.

I've noticed on gravel bikes with flared drops, there is a tendency to align the levers with the drops, so that they point inward. I assume this is to make the reach to the brake lever from the bend in the drop as short as possible.

But for those who ride mainly on the hoods, how do you have your levers positioned?

Koyote

I've always positioned them straight on -- in line with the drops. But I've never tried any other position.

I'm a big fan of the "If it feels good, do it" approach. Seems like your impromptu experiment might lead you to further experimentation and maybe more comfort.

btw, I hope the spill was nothing serious and that you are okay.

Polaris OBark

Thanks. I am fine. Much more importantly, the new $50 Silca bar tape survived unscathed.

79pmooney

I've been riding all my bikes with the hoods angled in a little for many years. Feels more natural.

delbiker1 

I have angled brake/STI levers inward for a long time. I recently switched two of my bikes to Ritchey Beacon bars and the angle is even more than on traditionally shaped drop bars. The Beacon, for me, is very high in the comfort factor. The sort of extreme angle makes for a really nice platform for the hands, and gives much relief to my arthritic thumbs. It also provides a lot of hand positions and easy access to shifting/braking with little movement.

Branko D

Slightly inwards on all my bikes.

I used to ride it parallel to the bars but tried tilted inwards once for some reason - either it was someone advocating it or something, I really don't remember - but I liked it slightly better that way.

Just slightly about 10 degrees inwards, though, the more dramatic angles don't feel comfortable and I don't see the point.

delbiker1 

I was a bit leery of the angle and width of the drops on the Beacon bar, and hesitated purchasing one. Excel Sports had them on sale, so I bought one. It took a very short time to realize that it worked very well for me. The point for me is overall comfort, with the relief on my thumbs making a huge difference. Also, with chronic spinal and shoulder issues, the shallow and angled drop make for a platform that allows me to stay in the drops for long periods. I can no longer do that with the usual shaped and compact drop bars. Almost certainly, they are not for everyone.

datlas 

Slightly inward, but like most things fit, you have to tweak it to fit your body.