djb

The cowbells I have, the cheaper version, about 60 bucks, has just a slight splay out, but I like it.
I was lucky in that a store here had all three variations,so I could actually hold all three, no internet opinions will really help you unless you have them in hand.

And I can ride in drops in head winds for a reasonable time, short distance drops help, shallow I mean, but specific bike setup is the main factor as most of us are not 25 year old racers body and flexibility wise...

jefnvk

All the bikes in my signature line have different types of handlebars. With the exception of the Univega, which has aggressive straight up and down drop bars (no flare), I'd take any touring in a heartbeat. Those include old Sakae Randonneur, an even wider flared drop than the Salsas (probably my favorite), flat bars and trekking/figure-8.

It is a personal choice. There is no objective "best", only opinion. The only opinion that matters is your own, because you are the one subjected to using whatever you choose.

Old lady

I agree. I've ridden for many years with drops (which I hardly ever used in the lower position) and straight bars but would never use anything but figure 8/butterfly/trekking bars now that I've tried them. They give so many options for positions and if used very flat (which I don't) they can be used to rest your forearms on which is as good as a drop position but IMO more comfortable.

bikenh

Decided to add more in and scenario I figured I would post this way.since it is in the same idea I figured I would post it this way.

To give an example of what I mean. I have one bike for thewinter months and another bike for summer/touring. The winter bike I have used in the past for touring,never really had any kind of problems with it. The new bike, both have dropbars, I only have to ride 5-6 miles and the back side of the upper right arm will be aching me...at the same the the right hand will be falling asleep. No change in how I'm riding the bike, but the frame geometry isn't the same between the bikes.

For comfort you want a properly fitted bike, its far more important than what kind of handlebars you are using. The kind of handlebars will depend of what kind of riding you are going to be doing, on/off road. Focus on the bike fit...that will do more to solve aches and pains long before changing handlebars will. The quickest way to look sexy, is to be seen...if you don't want to riding the bike because it doesn't feel comfortable will keep you off the bike and as a result you won't look sexy.

RobSN

Renyk aka Dark Newt Dark Newt: Koga Atalanta Handlebars & Bontrager Wrap with Bike Ribbon inserts, Steve Peel https://www.facebook.com/MrStephenJohnPeel/ and I have corresponded about Koga Atalanta bars - we all love them as they have so many hand positions. There's a picture of mine in the Ergotec thread. The only problem that I know of is that they are unavailable in the US, so I had to have mine sent over from the UK, although it was surprisingly inexpensive - no doubt due to shipping discounts for the bike shop!

mstateglfr 

No, i dont realize that its like saying i cant use folding bike tires on a car because it isnt like that.
Just because you insert the word 'like' doesnt mean a simile makes sense.

JaccoW

I'm sorry if I offended you with that.
Let me rephrase that;

Your reasoning is that STI's, a system specifically designed for drop bars, doesn't fit on trekking bars (a.k.a. not drop bars) and that it is somehow... what?
I'm trying to make sense of what you are saying here. Right now it doesn't make any sense and is just going in circles.
For some reason many people in Europe put straight bars on their touring bikes and with bar end grips they too get lots of positions. Straight bars give you trigger/rapidfire shifters, twist-shifters, thumbshifters and bar-ends to name a few and you can pick and choose your brake levers separately.

mstateglfr 

you didnt offend me.

Ill clarify for you since you are are confused.

TO RECAP-
- BigAura said that he thinks drops are a waste for touring.
- I mentioned drops are great for touring due to multiple hand positions. I also said that trekking bars are great for that same thing, but they dont allow for STI shifter, which many people use.
- you pop in and sling some stuff about how my post was like me saying folding bike tires cant be used for a car.

My point was two-fold.
- that drop bars arent just for riding in the drop position and that the shape gives a lot of other hand positions, so it doesnt matter if people rarely ride in the drops.
- that trekking bars are great for the same reason(versatile hand position), but an inherent disadvantage is that they dont fit the shifting setup that many people use when riding(STIs).

Basically, I was disagreeing with BigAura's comment, stated why I disagree, stated the validity for using what he doesnt like, and offered up a solid option that is in line with what he would like while pointing out the common limiting reason for not using them.




I hope this has helped you make sense of my post.

jefnvk

Man, I'm always amused when people get so upset that the equipment that works for them doesn't work for someone else

djb

Oh yeah, well you're an a.....e.!
;-)

jefnvk

Thats not how you spell drunkard

djb

Chuckle, although I sincerely hope not, for the wife to be's sake anyway.

So in the end, did you decide what bike you will take?

Or to keep on topic, what handlebar?

jefnvk

Heh. At the cost of the beer I like to drink, I'm nowhere near rich enough to be a drunkard, and I never really enjoyed the being drunk part of drinking anyways.

Handlebars on the bike going to France will likely be these, despite them being not really flared, they still aren't as aggressive as the ones I complained about above: https://www.bikenashbar.com/cycling/...lebar-nb-gc-42. If I can find a set of Sakae Randonneurs (or equivalent) wide enough, I would like them.

Found a nice GT Peace Tour touring bike cheap on my local CL that I was ready to pull the trigger on, but I was warned if I wasn't taking a C&V bike, she expected a new bike too. I'm just settling for buying a new set of wheels for my Miyata Triplecross project that never got finished and running an 8/9 speed bar end drivetrain, then giving her the 7 speed brifter setup that I put on it last fall but never fell in love with.

cyccommute 

I would agree that those are Woodchippers. I don't usually take pictures of my handlebars...computer, yes, but not the handlebars. I do happen to have a couple of straight on pictures to show what I like about the Bell Laps, however.

Here you can kind of see how the Bell Laps (and Cowbells which are similar) flare out on the drops.

2015-05-09 16.50.31 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

This picture shows how the bend in my wrist is more natural when riding on the hoods

IMGP1059 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

The STI are angled just about right for all day riding. Compare that to the original Ritchey bars

93980024 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

While the tops are wider, the hood position...which is where I ride most of the time...is too straight up and down to be comfortable. It puts my wrists at an odd angle.

Leebo

My touring/bikepacking rigs are mt bikes. So I use riser bars with 15-20 degrees of sweep and bar ends. Works great, lots of hand positions, YRMV.

chrisx

+ 1
I wrap the bar ends thick. With thick tape I use the bar ends a lot. No tape and just used for short stretches. Tennis racket handle wrap makes a good bar end wrap, and lasts a lot longer than cork bicycle tape.

Those flared drop bars above are for a Fargo with 2.1 inch wide off road tires, or similar. Salsa says the wood chippers are for decending steep hills, in the drops, non paved.

They are for off road touring bikes. The flares are ment to give you more leverage on the bumps and ruts. Go with a wider size than your commuter bike. Road bars are narrow to imitate a race bike, and for smoth roads.