bar width?
03-19-14, 05:21 PM
#51
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 111
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
03-19-14, 07:19 PM
#52
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Alpenrose - Portland
Posts: 361
Bikes: Veloforma for my primary.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I understand your thoughts that it doesn't matter how long the stem is, it is all about hand placement so a 13/14 stem with a short bar is the same as a 10/11 stem with a long bar. I am going to be very relieved when I just get over this hurdle and can go ride my bike. Thanks for the extra info to ponder as I figure out my new bars. I will post a pic in the bike section when all done ... hopefully in action.
03-19-14, 08:24 PM
#53
Senior Member
I'm not a Scatto owner, but I will add that for a lot of more normally sized riders (I'm 5'10" with typical arm/leg/torso lengths) the currently in vogue lo-pro frames with a big-reach/drop sprint bar yields a shortish stem and a lot of spacers. On my road bike I ride a slammed 120mm stem with Pro Vibe 7S bars, but on my Dolan it's 100mm flipped upside down stem on top of 25mm of spacers to my Easton EC90. So a Scatto would actually make sense in my case. Anybody wanna donate theirs?
03-19-14, 08:35 PM
#54
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Hollywood
Posts: 956
Bikes: Bianchi Pista, Bianchi Vigorelli
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
03-19-14, 08:38 PM
#55
Senior Member
07-22-22, 10:50 AM
#56
Newbie
I was a disciple of Rory O'Reilly, a long time ago. One of the tenets was huge gears. I raced, for a while, in a 114 inch gear. And I once beat a very competent racer to the line while standing up and throwing my bike back and forth like a road sprinter. The fellow who I beat made a comment to the effect that he'd never seen that before and never expected to see it again. And I put that down in print just to show Carleton that he doesn't know everything. 
WRT to the OP, I argue that you are worrying about a whole lot of nothing. When I was young and fast, I used 42 cm bars, just like on my road bike. That worked fine, just like it did for about a zillion other "endurance" track riders. Later, when I wasn't as young and wasn't as fit, and tried to hide it as short distance rider, I used 38 cm bars, just like all the other short distance guys. That worked fine too. Hmm...
Short version: the width of your handlebars just isn't going to make a difference in your results. Find a pair that feels right to you (don't tell your girlfriend I said that) and then train your ass off. That's all there really is to it.
WRT to the OP, I argue that you are worrying about a whole lot of nothing. When I was young and fast, I used 42 cm bars, just like on my road bike. That worked fine, just like it did for about a zillion other "endurance" track riders. Later, when I wasn't as young and wasn't as fit, and tried to hide it as short distance rider, I used 38 cm bars, just like all the other short distance guys. That worked fine too. Hmm...
Short version: the width of your handlebars just isn't going to make a difference in your results. Find a pair that feels right to you (don't tell your girlfriend I said that) and then train your ass off. That's all there really is to it.
Well in the end racing results doesn't matter. But I thought narrower bars would be better for long distance. It's certainly true for Time trial and hour records. Also 114in ya must of have had beast legs. Were you also able to get the cadence up in the big gear?
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Allegheny Jet
Track Cycling: Velodrome Racing and Training Area
8
12-19-12 03:35 PM
Phydiox
Track Cycling: Velodrome Racing and Training Area
3
06-12-12 02:49 PM
okrieger
Track Cycling: Velodrome Racing and Training Area
3
11-01-11 05:22 PM
