Touring - Widest Drop Bars you can get?

O.K. I told you all there would more questions.

I'm going to get the touring bike built and I have to decide between flat bars and drops. I've always found drop bars too low and somewhat squirelly(sp) to ride. The person who is going to build my bike has said that's because the bikes I have ridden were too small and the bars too low. He thinks drop bars are the way to go but will build for flat bars (I presenly use the Nashbar trecking bar) I guess you can change later but you need to change stems because of the different frame length for drop bars.

Anyway I think that I am going to try using drop bars but there is a problem, I have massive shoulders (I wear a 54 inch jacket) and drop bars seem to be built for little racers and are very narrow. Does anyone know where I can find some really wide bars?

Thanks for the help, I think the planning is as much fun as the riding.

The Nitto Noodle Bar (http://www.rivbike.com/webalog/handlebars_stems_tape/16111.html) comes in a 48cm width. thats about as wide as i've seen.

Robert Beckman mentions having used his own custom bars up to 60 cm wide.

I think the widest commercial bars are 48 cm from Nitto.

There was something by Wilderness called Dirt drops that are designed to provided added control for those wanting to use drops on an MTB where leverage is an issue. They appear to have been much loved by the few people that bought them... Here is a URL - http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/membership_atlantis2.html
I'm not a fan of moustache configuration bars so I am not sure if these really are drops or somewhere between regular wide, flat, bars and drops.

I started several threads on making chromoly bars, and got some interesting answers, though none to the touring point. I'm pressing ahead with my hopes to make my own bars. But it's one of many projects that may or may not really happen.

I'm real wide in the shoulders and I have 44 or 46 cm bars depending on whether one measures from maximum centerline or OAW. I don't find they are uncomfortable, and if you end up touring in the wind you want to hide as much as possible... I have ridden my 700c bike on some sandy trails and did not like the control of the narrow bars almost as though some clip on bars to the side would have been an aid...

I'm sure this doesn't apply here, but one sees some really unsafe and not effective stuff relative to bars. Compare the kind of person who isn't comfortable on their bike and is riding with their body braced to the bars, wants a wide platform for comfort, to someone who has bent arms is a little tucked (even if they are in a touring upright position, has a supple movement with the bars. On any longer tours even a couch potato will probably morph into proper bar use as the body adapts.

Son of a gun the WTB DD s are back!

Robert Beckman mentions having used his own custom bars up to 60 cm wide.

I think the widest commercial bars are 48 cm from Nitto.

There was something by Wilderness called Dirt drops that are designed to provided added control for those wanting to use drops on an MTB where leverage is an issue. They appear to have been much loved by the few people that bought them... Here is a URL - http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/membership_atlantis2.html
I'm not a fan of moustache configuration bars so I am not sure if these really are drops or somewhere between regular wide, flat, bars and drops.

Rivendell at one time sold a Nitto bar that they referred to as the Dirt Drop, not quite as wide as the WTB bars in your picture, but with a deeper drop. They are more like a drop bar with a little flare instead of the moustache bars with a little drop in your picture. I have a pair that I tour and commute with, they're really good for steep climbs and heavy loads. They're no longer in the Rivendell catalog or website, but you could always call and ask if they are still available.

Apart from that, Salsa sells some 46-cm bars.

The 46-cm measurement seams relatively common, except Salsa measures bars centre-centre while many others measure bars outside-outside. So Salsa's 46-cm are 2-cm wider than DDD or 3Ts 46-cm handlebars.

Check out On One Midge Bars.

Just FYI, handlebar width is determined more by clavicle lengths, not by shoulder width.

The 48cm Nitto Noodles are pretty wide. I have one of those on one of my bikes, and it gives plenty of
top bar room. I wear a size 48 jacket and find the bar to be at the outer limit of my preference; I favor the 46cm to that 48. So for you, the 48cm bar might be fine.

45 mm ctr to ctr randorreire (sp) h/b with grab-on padding have worked best for me! nitto has them (bars), lbs had h/b padding. good luck in your search!

The 48cm Nitto Noodles are not only wide, but the flat section behind the hoods makes them the most comfortable drop bars I've ever used.

Ditto for the 48 Nitto Noodles--best bar Ive had so far. Several people in my area switched to them after seeing them on my bike.

I second the Midge bars. I have them on 2 of my rides and one of them I use for my offroad riding. The tops are not that wide(37.5cm) but the ends of the drops are 58cm w/c is pretty wide and it angles outwards which makes riding in the drops very comfortable. Check the picture out to see how shallow the drops are compared to traditional bars.

http://home.comcast.net/~mitschiener/wsb/media/141116/site1049.JPG

just this weekend i wrapped and mounted some Salsa "BellLap Moto Ace" in 46cm (these are the rando/cross bar that have some flare in the drops); they measure 52cm, center-to-center, at the barcons. these puppies are WIDE.

I also use 46cm Salsa Moto Ace Bell Lap bars on my LHT commuter. They have been great for me since March. Nice and wide, and comfortable too. I don't know how they are with brifters, but I think they are great with barcons.

Hey Hoss, I also wear a 54" jacket. I actually run 44cm width bars which I find pretty comfortable. I rarely go in the drops though. I always wanted to try those mustache bars, but haven't seen the need to change since mine are doing fine. Here's the moustache bar:

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=7117&category=1678

This set runs at 51.5cm width.

Good luck with your bike!

just this weekend i wrapped and mounted some Salsa "BellLap Moto Ace" in 46cm (these are the rando/cross bar that have some flare in the drops); they measure 52cm, center-to-center, at the barcons. these puppies are WIDE.

I think I would like them!

Two questions :

- Are the drops (i.e. the lower horizontal part of the bars) flaring out?

- How long is the lower horizontal part of the bars?

mike,

the salsa bell lap moto ace are ergo, so they have a palm bulge in the drops, not a flat.
the flare of the drops starts at the initial bend, the bar flares from the start of the bends and out to the ends, like ram horns.

80 mm forward reach in the bars, a shallow 140mm drop, and 140mm bend to end. (all estimated after taping) but the ergo palm bulge is in there, only 6 cm of the ends of the bars are straight.

they are comfy, and very powerful climbing, i did some singletracking with them yesterday. nice on the steep uphills, lots of comfy, ergo leverage. maybe many would like them a bit narrower, the 46s (52cm at the ends) is a honking wide bar.....i think i will try a set of 42 or 44s on a new road bike i am building.

Thanks for all the measurements. It beats catalogue photos!

I'll have to think about it. My favourite bars are the ones I have on my 2000 Trek 520. They are straight ergo bars, 46-cm wide c-c, but the bottom part has about 9 cm of straight section. I sometimes wish for flared drops, especially on very long days on the tandem + trailercycle, but I know I have problems if the straight section of the drops isn't long enough. Or maybe I woudn't have problems with flared drops?

BTW, my top of my handlebars is about level with my saddle and I ride about 80% of the time on the drops, which is why I look for comfortable drops...

If you ride 80% of the time on your drops, do you ever feel the bars are too high?

I just ordered the WTB 60cm bars. They are a little bit wacky wide, not sure I will like them, but I think it will turn out cheaper than what I was planing to make myself, then I can move on.

No; the height is perfect for me.

I actually prefer the drops for the wrist angle and position. On the drops, I feel that my wrists don't need to be bent. I also don't need to grab the bars tightly because my weight is "trapped" in the bend of the bars. Therefore, even if my hands were to slide a bit in a pothole, they will stay put.

The tops is relatively comfortable, but because hands are closer to eachother, I need to grab the bars a bit more securely. Not a real problem when riding solo (unless a truck zooms by), but it's a bit more problematic on a fully loaded touring tandem + trailercycle.

As for the hoods, it is, to put it simply, a position I can't tolerate at all. It hurts my wrists and hands (the place between thumb and 2nd finger), and I always feel like I'll loose my grip and fall down each time I hit a pothole... which happens at least every 100-150 m.

Interesting. I ride the hoods 80s of the time. The drops in a headwind, and the tops as a change of pace or in a tailwind. I never ride without gloves. I don't find anything about drop bars comfortable unless I have my gloves.