Tandem Cycling - Drop bars for big hands?

We've been getting some miles in on our new-to-us Cannondale. Its setup for the road, with drop bars front & rear. I like the drop bars, and particularly riding on the drops. However, my hands don't fit very well. I'm usually trying to grab the diagonal-ish portion below the brake levers, but my hands are too wide, so the grip isn't very comfortable. Anyone run into this kind of problem? Can you recommend bars with a longer 'diagonal' section under the brake levers?

brian

We've been getting some miles in on our new-to-us Cannondale. Its setup for the road, with drop bars front & rear. I like the drop bars, and particularly riding on the drops. However, my hands don't fit very well. I'm usually trying to grab the diagonal-ish portion below the brake levers, but my hands are too wide, so the grip isn't very comfortable. Anyone run into this kind of problem? Can you recommend bars with a longer 'diagonal' section under the brake levers?

brian

You might like the deep drop Cinelli bars. I liked the older ones without the 'ergo' flats best but they are no longer produced. If you go to the individual manufacturer's web sites you may find the exact drop measurements. Here is a link to a Deda deep drop bar with the drop measurement.

http://store.airbomb.com/ba/asp/ic.HB5827/ab/Itemdesc.htm

Perhaps adding a couple extra layers of handlebar tape could help?

We've been getting some miles in on our new-to-us Cannondale. Its setup for the road, with drop bars front & rear. I like the drop bars, and particularly riding on the drops. However, my hands don't fit very well. I'm usually trying to grab the diagonal-ish portion below the brake levers, but my hands are too wide, so the grip isn't very comfortable. Anyone run into this kind of problem? Can you recommend bars with a longer 'diagonal' section under the brake levers?

brian

You might want to try a bar with an anatomical bend. I have one on my Devinci (not tandem) and I really like it. Mine is a Ritchey bar http://www.ritcheylogic.com/bars.htm the bar I am using is the WCS™ Road Bar O/S. The over size is nice if you tend to pull hard on the bars however if you are adding bar bags or anything like that to your tandem for touring you may want to go with the regular size bar as it is more universal to add ons.

Look at the "Nitto Noodle Bar" sold by Rivendell bikes. These bars are ultra comfortable and also come in a wide 48cm size. I started off with one pair of these bars for my tandem, and have since put them on my two other road bikes. I do not think that Rivendell list the 48cm bars on their website, but they do stock them. Rivbike.com

Salsa has a few models with non-anatomic curve and a longer drop section. Salsa models are also measured centre to centre (and they have 46-cm c-c), while the Deda are measured outside to outside.