Alternative handlebars, racing?
01-21-12, 11:54 AM
#1
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Alternative handlebars, racing?
Anyone every raced on something other than drop bars? I've just never really liked drops all that much and was wondering about alternatives, particularly swept back bars.
01-21-12, 12:12 PM
#2
Throw the stick!!!!
Need to check the rules before you change the bars if you intend to race. Most of the time drop bars are the only bars allowed for safety reasons.
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01-21-12, 12:14 PM
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Actually I've never seen anyone racing with other than drop bars (except from years ago with some of the crazy bar ends and curved in or spinacci's). You would be fine with something like swept back bars in a pack but at a disadvantage in the open. You could mimick an aero position for a while but it would be tiring.
01-21-12, 12:17 PM
#4
out walking the earth
the rule is that you can't have any part of the bar that points forward so I'm pretty sure, if I'm thinking of what you're thinking of, it would be a no go.
01-21-12, 01:11 PM
#5
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What is it you don't like about drops? They provide a wider variety of hand positions than any other type of bar I can think of. Maybe the ones you have tried are just shaped and/or positioned suboptimally. Road bars come in a lot of different sizes and shapes and there are a lot of ways they can be adjusted. Have you ever considered raising/lowering them, rotating them to a different position, shorter stem, flipping the stem, and/or adjusting the position of the shifters. Maybe you just don't have them in your comfort zone. It could also be that you are riding the wrong sized bike?
