Hi,

This last weekend while riding the Seattle To Portland double century I discovered that my handlebars may be cracked. When I push or pull hard on the STI lever or the bottom of the bar drop I can hear a "click" and the right side visibly bends down a small amount. I plan to remove the bar, unwrap it and take a look to be sure, but assuming it's toast I was hoping for a replacement recommendation.

I did like the fit and feel of the Bontrager Select bars that were stock on my LeMond, but I see no reason to replace with the same if only to have another failure in a year.

Here's my criteria:

* I'm a larger rider, 6'3", 210lbs with a lot of upper body weight on the bars.
* I live and ride in hilly terrain, and I do like slightly wider bars.
* A little shock absorbing is appreciated for long distance rides over bad country roads.
* I'd like to keep it a bit on the lighter side, but nothing flimsy

Thanks
-Sean

6'6", 240 pounds, and I need a wider bar. I've been very happy with the Salsa Moto-Ace Bell Lap 46cm which came stock on my Cross Check. It flares a bit from the top of the bend, like the On-One Midge, but not nearly that much. It gives about a 48.5cm c-c measure at the bottom of the drops.

I have no idea about lightweight, etc. All I know is durable; over 2300mi for the year on it, and STP on Saturday, all without a flaw.

I recently replaced the stock handlebar on my Roubaix. On longer rides my left two fingers had a tendancy to go numb. So, I put on a FSA Wing Pro 44". The top of the bar is an aero type so it's flatter than a typical round bar. The thought was to spread out the pressure on the hands. I also put Fizik bar gel on the bar under the cork wrap. This was all on the recommendation from Eric Moen at Corpore Sano. This year I did STP one day and had no issues with numbness in the hands. Last year on the same ride, my left pinky was numb for days.

Good luck.

I recently installed On One Midges on my Kona Dew. A bit weird, but I like them on a heavy bike - very stable. Next year I plan on doing some more aggressive distance rides: STP 1 day, RAMROD, etc.

I'll look at the FSA wing pro - not sure if I want cross style stuff on my LeMond, even if only for aesthetic reasons.

Thanks

Try the Fizik Bar Gels for a little more shock absorption. Should work with most bars.

I'd also try to find bars that match the size & shape of your current ones. But really, they're all coming from the same shops in Taiwan, and manufacturers change vendors left and right. Today's Ritchie bars could easily be made by the same guys who did your Bontrager 6 months ago....