38cm bars... going too far?

[TobinHatesYou]

Off-road on steep, loose terrain you scoot up on the saddle with your body pressed against the frame. If you stand up, you lose traction. It's the same at least at my weight with extremely steep tarmac.

[nulldreiundreissig]

This thread is very interesting!

I have ditched the aero bike, because I never felt comfortable on it and now I need to adapt my SL6 to racing, which led me to looking into both a new wheelset and new / narrower bars. Currently I'm riding 40cm Fizik snake bars, with the STIs tilted inwards and I really like shape of those. I do like the 40s for climbing, but they have always felt a tad wide for me, especially going into the aero-hoods-position.

Do you guys have any recommendation for me? Currently, I'm looking at either the Enve aero bars or Aeroly IIs, should either of them becomne available again.

I think the designers have chosen the most consequent design they could have chosen, unfortunately I am struggling with the idea of purchasing a 400€ bar that is said to be rather fragile, should anything go wrong. Its price and the sharp target customer group have made it impossble to find a shop where I could get my hands on one or even testride it.

On the other hand, the Aerfoly IIs are not only impossible to find, but also equipped with a reduced reach and drop in 38cm. Does either of you know ho noticeable the reduction in reach and drop is when comparing the 38s to 40s?

[Hexsense]

That's the situation where people can safely feel how grippy their tire is.
If it spinout easily and you need to keep super smooth pedaling motion with weight way back on the rear wheel, then it's not.
If you can stand and surge even when it's wet. Then you know you have very good tire, or road isn't that wet and steep.

Adding to above reply, I now much prefer aero road bar than round one for comfort reason.
I find aero road bar way more comfortable than round one.
Either resting hands on top of the bar with thumb beside 4 other fingers, or just gripping behind the hood I much prefer flat and broad surface.
I find round/circular shape dig into my palm which is uncomfortable. I'm about to change handlebar on my gravel bike with winged shape one because I can't tolerate round bar any more. It just feel bad in hand. Originally I looked at Prime Primavera one at $199. But being a gravel bike with often abusive mishandle, I think Prime Doyenne Aero is a better fit, as cheap aero shaped alloy bar at $64.99.

[themidge]

Off-road on steep, loose terrain you scoot up on the saddle with your body pressed against the frame. If you stand up, you lose traction. It's the same at least at my weight with extremely steep tarmac.

Sure, but before you get to that point, there are definitely gradients where you're gonna want a bit of leverage to power up the climb.

[spartacus]

Off-road on steep, loose terrain you scoot up on the saddle with your body pressed against the frame. If you stand up, you lose traction. It's the same at least at my weight with extremely steep tarmac.

Eh first of all I'm talking about road bikes not gravel / MTB. Second of all I've ridden up plenty of steep hills and never once had the tire slip on dry pavement so that's a non issue for me Maybe you're talking about some stupid % like 25-30% or something but I literally never ride up hills that steep so it's irrelevant.

What I'm talking about is like, the top of Mt. Baldy for example. Feels good to ride out of the saddle. Slightly less good on narrow bars. That's all.

[Hellgate]

This^^^

I've preferred wider bars for a long time. When out of the saddle I feel stable on them vs a narrow bar. My modern road bike has a Deda 44, my Peugeot Super Comp has a 38. When I stand up to climb on the Peugeot, which I do because it has period correct gearing, I don't feel as stable as on my modern bike.

As far as sitting vs standing when climbing, when I was 20 YO and 138 lbs I could sit and climb with some very good fell known riders. Today, 36 years later and 162, I climb better than my peers, but I get out of the saddle much more to stretch my lower back use different muscles and relax my arms, go figure, and I channel my inner Alberto Contador!

[TobinHatesYou]

Yes, I’m taking about probably 23% and up is where I either have wheel slip out of the saddle on chipseal or start popping wheelies if in a normal seated position. I live on a 15% grade, so while I consider that steep, it’s not dramatically so. 15% certainly isn’t an incline that forces me out of the saddle.

[spartacus]

I think the only hills I've ridden up that are that steep and longer than 1 block or something, were off road, where luckily I have very low gearing and of course will sit down and try not to pop a wheelie.

On the road bike I don't "have" to get out of the saddle I just like how it feels. It just feels like it takes more energy to climb that way with narrower bars because you have less leverage.

[TheRich]

Off-road on steep, loose terrain you scoot up on the saddle with your body pressed against the frame. If you stand up, you lose traction. It's the same at least at my weight with extremely steep tarmac.

Sure, but before you get to that point, there are definitely gradients where you're gonna want a bit of leverage to power up the climb.

That's when the smoothness of your pedal stroke really matters. No matter what you may have thought about it before, those situations will let you know exactly how smooth it is.

[themidge]

I can count on one finger the number of hills I ever ride where I'm likely to lose traction uphill, but I agree at that gradient you've just got to sit there and concentrate on turning the pedals over smoothly and powerfully.. or just get off and push .

Anyway, handlebars! I'm tempted to get some 36cm ones just to try out, are there any I should be looking at in particular? Someone already mentioned Specialized short reach, any other good budget ones?

[spartacus]

I can count on one finger the number of hills I ever ride where I'm likely to lose traction uphill, but I agree at that gradient you've just got to sit there and concentrate on turning the pedals over smoothly and powerfully.. or just get off and push .

Anyway, handlebars! I'm tempted to get some 36cm ones just to try out, are there any I should be looking at in particular? Someone already mentioned Specialized short reach, any other good budget ones?

Zipp SL-80 alloy 36 cm c-c. They are light. I haven't weighed them but there's a set in my parts bin. Not sure that I'm down to try them.

[shimmeD]

I use 36cm alloy bars; Bontrager (sissy bars to a certain ex multi time TdF winner) which is light for alloy, and Deda has a range of 38cm o-o from very cheap

[TheRich]

This thread wouild be a lot more clear if people mentioned the standard size vs. smaller sized or simply -Xcm.

[Pierre86]

I can count on one finger the number of hills I ever ride where I'm likely to lose traction uphill, but I agree at that gradient you've just got to sit there and concentrate on turning the pedals over smoothly and powerfully.. or just get off and push .

Anyway, handlebars! I'm tempted to get some 36cm ones just to try out, are there any I should be looking at in particular? Someone already mentioned Specialized short reach, any other good budget ones?

Deda Zero1 (not 100) are about the cheapest you'll get, they're 38cm o-o so 36cm c-c

[LOWIEV]

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