Road Cycling - screwing around with my position on the bike

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Phatman
03-08-04, 04:44 PM
Jut a bit of backround. I have a lemond alpe d'huez with a TTT the stem and bar combo. its pretty standard stuff all around. I was hoping that maybe I could mess with my fit a bit though.

I really like the reach to the hoods on my bike and the reach to the drops is perfect. however, the reach to the bar tops is a bit closer then I would like. I was thinking that if I went with a slightly longer stem and a shorter reach bar, it would make for a similar position in the drops and hoods. however, I'd have that farther-away bar top.

heres my dilemma. there are no shortage of short-reach bars out there, but almost all of them are shallow drop too. I don't want that. if I'm in the drops, I want to be aero, otherwise, I'd be on the hoods. so what I was looking for was a bar that would have a short reach horizontally, but a standard drop. I'd also like it to be of the ergo bend style. I don't know how the pros stand those constant curve bars...I get hand cramps like crazy from them.

OneTinSloth
03-08-04, 04:47 PM
you could maybe look for some anatomic, short-reach track bars...i know nitto makes some, but i'm not sure how many different reach sizes they come in.

edit: here's (http://www.businesscycles.com/tbars-nitto.htm) a link to them on business cycles. the b-127 cro-mo's at the top and the b-127-EAI's at the bottom of the drop-bar section. again, i'm not sure if they come in the right size for you, and how they'd look on a road bike with levers and such, but that was the first thing that came to my mind.

OH!! you could also maybe consider getting a longer, track-style stem (the ones that angle downward), and then go for some of the bars you were talking about (that have the short reach, but shallow drops). but again, it would probably look kinda funky, and then you'd lower your position on the hoods and the flat...
Phatman
03-08-04, 04:52 PM
the though of cromo on my high-tech road steed kinda scares me...

OneTinSloth
03-08-04, 05:01 PM
isn't your bike 853 reynolds cro-mo already? i take it your bars are aluminum?

you probably wouldn't be able to notice the weight difference on the bike, not many will know the difference once they're under all that bar tape, and who cares if it works, right? plus, those bars are STIFF.

i'd do it in a heartbeat if it meant i was going to be more comfortable in the saddle.

you might just have to get used to sitting more upright if you want to use the flats. :)