Road Cycling - Reach to hoods

The fit on my bike is nearly perfect, except for the reach to the hoods. The reach to the top of the bar is fine, but to the hoods is just a *tiny* bit too long...I'm probably nitpicking, but I want the best fit possible.

My current bar is a Deda 250, stem is a 110mm 3T Forgie. Are there any bars out there with a smaller profile maybe? In other words, less space from the top of the bar to the hoods...

Got to be some way to do it other than a shorter stem? I'm thinking that would alter the steering slightly as well as bringing the top of the bar too close to me.

Maybe you just need to move the brake levers higher, and re-wrap the bars? One possible consequence is that it will increase the reach to the brake levers when you're in the drops.

Well...that would work, but it wouldn't look good having the brakes sticking up. lol

Aha....found this:


Now for the handlebar itself. One of my main problems with drop bars is that although the position on the flat part of the bars near the stem is pretty comfy, it's a long reach to the hoods where I do my braking. However, not all handlebars are created equal. The 3T Morphe handlebar has a shorter forward pointing section than most other handlebars I've seen. In fact I've only seen one other bar (an old racers bar found in the back room of my local bike shop) that had as short a reach.

I've recently installed a Easton ec90 bar. I really like the coolness factor, and the shape creates a lot of comfy positions. But, the reach to the brake levers while in the drops is just a wee bit much.

I guess it falls into the 'fine tune for taste' catagory. do you spend more time on the hoods or in the drops?

Much more time on the hoods...so maybe i'm not nitpicking too much :)

For what it's worth, 3t seems to have the shortest reach out of most of the big-name brands.

I had the same problem. I had already found the shortest quill stem I could, but found the reach to the hoods still too long. I eventually found a 3T bar (I can't remember which model) which had the shortest reach I could find locally. I have been much happier since. As I measured it, the 3T bar was something like 10 cm as opposed to 12.5 cm on a standard bar. One thing I found most frustrating was how hard it was to get "reach" information on bars. I had to got to shops and actually measure them.

One other suggestion: If you do good stretching, especially the touch your toes stretch, it will make your reach to the hoods more comfortable.

Cheers,
Jamie

Gee, a 110mm stem is kinda long, dont'cha think? I'd bet that a 60 or 70mm stem would be better for you, especially if you do a lot of riding on the hoods.

One thing I found most frustrating was how hard it was to get "reach" information on bars. I had to got to shops and actually measure them.


Exactly...It took some digging to even find out that there is a reach measurement for handlebars.

Originally posted by palooka


Exactly...It took some digging to even find out that there is a reach measurement for handlebars. they are all listed in the QBP caalogue

Just a thought.
Are your drops in line with the top bar? I perfer mine dropped down more twards the chain stays which raises the hoods. If you do change stems you may want to consider using a stem with more rise, droping the drop ends which raises the hoods with out making them too low.

I think if rolling the bars some doesn't help. Get a 10mm shorter stem I went from a 135 mm 5 degree rise to a 120 mm 7 degree rise and it is like riding a new bike.

You say the reach to the bar is ok...what about your comfort when all the way into the drops? The third major position on this type of handle bar?

If you are comfortable in the drops the handle bar and stem are the right ones and you just need to move the brifters up to a comfort level.

Remember comfort has to come before looks on a road bike.

Have you been to wrenchscience (http://www.wrenchscience.com) to double check all the measurements?


I agree with D*Alex. Maybe a shorter stem is what you need.

When I bought my Litespeed the stem was the only thing that had to be changed. Went from a 120mm to a 100mm to make everything perfect. :)

Turns out I can exchange my Deda for a 3t, so that is going to be my first step. Won't cost me a dime, so pretty hard to lose.

After that I'll look into a shorter stem...although I'm still not convinced I need it. The 3t is considerably smaller than the Deda.

go to www.rivendellbicycles.com and read about the Nitto Noodle Bar. You will like it.


Also, try raising your handlebar- that will shorten the reach and make a big difference. Bar height is actually more important than stem length.

go to www.rivendellbicycles.com and read about the Nitto Noodle Bar
Then, go to Harris Cyclery (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/head.html) , and get them for a lot less...

That's interesting... and good to know. I thought Rivendell was the only importer of Nitto stuff.

Originally posted by cycletourist
go to [url]


Also, try raising your handlebar- that will shorten the reach and make a big difference. Bar height is actually more important than stem length. Bull sauce.

Originally posted by cycletourist
That's interesting... and good to know. I thought Rivendell was the only importer of Nitto stuff. also listed in the QBP catalogue and availavle thru branfordbike.com

Pokey see my post in the other thread.

Measure for yourself and you'll see that I am right.

Originally posted by cycletourist
Pokey see my post in the other thread.

Measure for yourself and you'll see that I am right. Yeah,sure , just try that with a threadless setup. And, it's all part of a fit equation.If one does not want high bars, then one has to deal with TT length,stem length and bar reach.....More to it than 'JUST RAISE THE BARS'. LAME,IMHO.

Nothing lame about it. And yes, you CAN test this even with a threadless stem. True, you don't have infinite adjustability, but can flip the stem which gives you two different bars heights to work with. That's better than nothing. If you measure both, you will find that the higher one has a shorter reach.

And I DO realize there is more to bike fit than bar height- but bar height is much more important than most cyclists give it credit for. It is at least as important as most other factors.

Yep! A thredless stem with a 5 degree rise and 110 length has a different reach than the same length,110 mm, with a 15 degree rise!:D