thook

with a couple of my larger frames, i'm looking to put a classic bend bar on at least one of them. i'm trying to shave the amount of reach off and i know there's several approaches i could take.
as it is, the one i'm currently tweaking on seems to be pretty good with an 80mm quill and SR road champion with 95mm of reach. i could either go a little shorter on the stem or on the bars. the nitto 151 with 75mm feels great, but looks kinda weird to me within the entire context of the ensemble. besides, i'm thinking i'd rather use them on the other large frame.
anyway, i'm wondering if there isn't a classic bend bar i'm not aware of that has a reach within the 80-85mm range. the nitto noodle comes darnn close. any ideas? also, looking for at least 40-42mm CTC width and either 25.4 or 26mm clamp

thanks!!

noobinsf 

I would have suggested the Soma Highway One, but it looks like it has very similar dimensions to the Nitto 151. FWIW, I had Velo Orange's Dalia short reach bars (again, similar to Soma Hwy 1 and Nitto 151) on my Campania, and they felt great, and I didn't think they detracted from the classic look at all.

denaffen

I've got Highway Ones on my Bianchi and think they look OK and feel great. They don't look like the vintage bars, but I don't think they look funky, either. I have it paired with a 90mm stem.

On my Trek I'm experimenting with a pair of vintage Nitto Olympiad bars. They appear to be, at least for a vintage bar, pretty flat and short-reach. Just slightly longer reach than the Somas, but I've paired them with an 80mm stem. I haven't been able to try that combo out, but i'm looking forward to trying it.

thook

thank you two for the input. let me clarify "classic bend". like i said, i have th M151....and i have a hwy 1. those are compact bends. i'm more interested in a classic or maes bend. you know, like the road champions, nitto B115, or the M177 (sans the swept back tops). it's not escaped me i might be looking for a unicorn, but still....i'm curious.

speaking of the M115...aka the olympiade, i'm pretty sure the reach is the same or a little more than the M177 (noodle). i'd looked them up some time ago when i'd run across mr. noobinsf's univega competizione build. i do like the shape. i just don't think they're what i'm hoping for

CMAW 

There's a great Fairweather/Nitto bar with a classic shape but compact drop/reach dimensions, basically a compact version of the noodle (some curve-back and 25,4 clamp):


https://www.santucci-cycles.com/prod...v=3a52f3c22ed6

Unfortunately, these seem to be sold out everywhere. I ordered two some time ago and regret not having ordered a couple more, they're the perfect fit for me. Fairweather is the house brand of a Japanese shop, Blue Lug. Might be worth asking them if they're considering putting in a new order with Nitto in the near future.

noobinsf 

Wow -- so I guess that's called the B174. It looks like a fantastic bar. I'm subscribing to see what other stuff folks suggest.

thook

i just looked it up. one source says 115mm for reach and the other says 100mm on the B115. however, it appears "olympiade" is not so much a model as it a badge. kinda like SR road champion. there's different models within that badging. i have three pairs of "road champs"...each with a different bend and dimension

thook

i've been aware of those for a few years now!! yeah, they look great. last time i looked for them i could only get them out of japan and it was super expensive with shipping

squarenoise 

I have a set of these and love them! Highly recommend.

RiddleOfSteel

Classic profile bars with short reach are almost impossible to come by. The easiest solution is to roll the brake levers up/back on the bars to reduce reach. Works like a charm and one can chop 1/2" easy off the reach, or more depending on where they started. Cinelli 64/Giro bars, certainly by the time they offered them in 26.0mm clamp, had incredibly steep ramps, which led to a shorter reach than normal (already pretty tidy IMO). It looked a little goofy to me and didn't work with the levers I was using, so I sent them along.

ofajen

It’s 100mm reach for the B115.

Otto

thook

Almost impossible? Meaning they are out there, though?

I've had some of those Cinelli's and didn't like them. IIRC, the drips kinda cambered in a tad and felt awkward. I sold mine, too...relunctantly. They still looked nice and....you know....bling points

I hear you on the brake levers. It's not a great solution for me as I have tried that. By the time I get the levers up there I've completely compromised my ability to comfortably operate the brakes from the drops. I know....trade offs...lol! I

I have tried a few different levers for their length. Still no cigar. Short fingers, I guess, because I do wear a men's M size glove. I know also there are levers (ie. Tektro) with short reach for small hands. I haven't tried that because I've already invested in the rather nice levers I have. Not to sound difficult towards a solution, but I would have to sell them before acquiring anything else. And, there's other reasons I really like them....ie. nice flat transition riding on the hoods

thook

Thanks, Otto

RiddleOfSteel

Well, aside from the aforementioned Cinellis, which would qualify, I don't know, but I'm leaving the door open for others who know of other models. Cinelli 64s notwithstanding, from what I've seen and not seen, my inclination is heavily toward "There are really no short reach classic bend bars". I understand wanting to operate from both the hoods and the drops, as I do as well. I would start researching yourself and get ready for some trips down many rabbit holes. Specific problems need specific solutions (and/or compromises on certain things), and the burden to furnish those solutions is often on the person with the problem/situation. I'd take a real good run at all Nitto's offerings, ones sold both here and abroad. They don't list all they sell on their website, and neither does anyone else, but everywhere I turn I keep finding out more Nitto bar models I didn't think existed or were sold/available.

What bikes (aka photos) are they going on? Sometimes a different perspective can help get us to be ok with changing an element that we didn't want to on a bike. [This is not some hippy, deferential-to-a-fault, it's-all-good suggestion--sticking to principle is important and all too fleeting today, but if one is in a jam like this, something has to give]

ofajen

Actually, I measured 95mm just now, which is what I kinda thought it was.

Otto

thook

Lol...well, like I said, I'm probably searching for a unicorn. Perhaps I could revisit the Cinelli if I knew what the specs are on it. And, if it's in the range as you say, maybe I could tweak that camber on it. <<shhh!!>> (Pretty sure Bruce Gordon and Cunningham had done that) I did like how they looked. Just not how they felt.
Actually, I've been researching this curiosity for some time now even before these larger frames I"m currently trying to outfit. That's how I'd come across the compact "noodle" B174 (as seen above) maybe two or three years ago. I'd have those already if I could even afford them. Someday maybe I can. I know the simplest solution here, though; is just get a short reach technomic...like 70mm. And, I did shoot for that on ebay about a month ago. The seller advertised it as 70mm, but turns out to be an 80mm. Trading that 80mm out with someone here on BF is on the table.

The one I'm targeting at the moment is a '85 Super Le Tour with a 57cm top tube, so I'd really like the classic bar look for it. The other one, on the back burner, is a '93 Mongoose Cross Way hybrid/drop bar conversion and will likely get that Nitto B151 compact I'd mentioned above. It'd look better on there than the Schwinn, to me. Anyway, I'm 5'6 and long legged. So, I realize one aspect of the fit is iffy, but the other aspects work in getting the bars up to the saddle top level. Even a technomic is near maxed vertically. (32.5 in PBH and a toe dipper, at that)

These frames have been an ongoing back and forth since I've had them, so I'm not hard up for a handlebar being the fit solution. It's just one of those curiosities I keep coming back to and hadn't been willing to give up on. Like you with Nitto offerings, I'm sometimes surprised something's out there I didn't know existed. It's why I started the thread....reaching out after a few years of looking into it mostly on my own before "bothering" anyone with my obsession....lol!

ps. I'll check out the link you posted. And, I'll keep looking at Nitto's stuff, too. Thanks!!
pps. Yeah...pics. My only way to photograph is an old android. Not very good..meh

RiddleOfSteel

Sounds like you've been in the trenches for a while on this. I think the M151 on the newer Mongoose would work well as it doesn't conform to vintage lugged steel norms. Hybrid indeed. Finding out about the B714 compact Noodle was really cool for me as well (and I was trying to remember it the other day). A 75mm reach is as good as any compact profile bar on the market, so to me that sounds like the best option. I love the Noodle shape.

noobinsf 

My question for anyone who has the Nitto 174 (the "mini-noodles") -- Does the slight bend back toward the rider make that corner between the top and the ramp gradual enough to make it easy to thread through a quill stem clamp?

The Dalia short reach bars I have are great, but it was a bear to get them through the quill stem because of that sharp corner, and it's not exactly transferable unless I want to inflict more scratches on the bar. It's essentially mated to that 95mm stem, as far as I'm concerned.

ThermionicScott 

I could have sworn that the B105 was a smaller version of the B115 -- shorter reach and less drop but otherwise the same shape, seemingly perfect for what you want. But when I look at stuff on sale right now, both are described as having the same 95mm reach and 140mm drop, and Nitto's page doesn't even list the B115.

I'm having a Mandela Effect moment here.

RiddleOfSteel

I remember my M151s allowing that to happen (26.0 clamp) and seeing Nitto's inner curve 'dimpling' (more of a pressed crease) to allow a stem to make its way around that tight of a bend without getting creative with things. I would imagine the 174s being a comparative cake walk. If I run into issues, I'll take the clamping bolt out and gently employ some spreaders (pliers, but in reverse) to help things, with the tapered, bolt-side of the stem clamp on the inside of the curve. Often a stems quill length (into the head tube) interferes with my ability to spin the stem around to orient it optimally. It's a bit of a dance.

mstateglfr 

Soma Hwy1.
Yes yes I know its been mentioned multiple times and I know its a compact bend bar. Thats sorta how you get a shorter reach- compact bar.

I will see my way out now.

RiddleOfSteel

So I went and did some CAD work because I was bored and curious to see what a 75mm-reach, classic-profiled drop bar would look like, and if so, would it look any good. Stats are as follows: 75mm reach, 125mm drop, 26.0mm clamp, 42cm CTC at the hoods/ramps, 45cm CTC in the drops (some tasty flare!). It took a few iterations and massaging of profiles and curves, but I got something with a nice side profile and shallower ramp angle (no steep Cinelli stuff here). Looks good in perspective as well, which can be tricky.

ThermionicScott 

Okay, I wasn't crazy, at least in this instance. Nitto made "LD" and "RD" versions of the B105, which had only 65mm reach. I wonder if these are what I have seen for sale in the past?

Scroll down about half-way to page 10: The catalogs of Japanese vintage bicycle

P.S. Universal Cycles's mfg number for the 37cm B105 is "B105-RD-370MM" -- if you're interested in a bar that narrow, you could contact them and see if it has the shorter reach: https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...s.php?id=10113

ThermionicScott 

BTW, I think there's something to be said for a short stem and long-reach bars. Yes, it looks a bit goofy, or at least not very modern. But the longer ramps can give you a very comfortable position behind the hoods, assuming the bars don't have a weird shape that precludes it. And when you have chosen the right stem extension to put the hoods and drops in the right place, having the bar tops a little further back lets you sit up a little more when you want that. I'm really happy with the 80mm stem + B115 handlebars on my rando bike for those reasons.

thook

<<ehem>>

https://www.ebay.com/itm/37262854981...40dbb4e560b8e4

(quietly leaves computer to go get another cup of coffee...)