Originally Posted by
carleton
No doubt.
But, Alpinas have no flat top. They are designed from the ground up as sprint bars without a nod to The Madison. The original Alpina sprint bars came in 38 and 40cm and were very similar to in shape, reach, and depth to Nitto B123 and Easton EC90. The 33cm bars showed up around the time Team GB was experimenting with gear AND they were still riding Dolan bikes. I think Hoy and/or Pendleton were the first to have some unbranded 33cm Alpinas. Methinks that Team GB asked Alpina to make them. Before that, Hoy was seen riding 34cm Nitto B123.
The reason I was told that road bars were preferred for the Madison is because riders wanted the wid flat/horizontal grip area for the left hand to hold on to for the exchange.
Apparently the amount of area needed for the left hand to grip isn't as much as people thought
EDIT:
Also, there's nothing like seeing people win with a novel idea that inspires others to try it as well. I wouldn't be surprised if we started seeing more "super narrow" (not just narrow) bars in all levels in all events.
I think most Madison riders still prefer a flat horizontal grip. But it's a question of being able to adapt to inconveniences for a perceived advantage. A narrower bar is often preferable in a Madison in order to do a proper throw where you want the two riders as close as possible. That 2nd photo is pretty text book. It's not so good if it cuts down on stability by decreasing reach or makes the grip on the tops questionable. I've adapted to doing madison's on my scattos despite the questionable top section, but I would definitely prefer a different shape near the stem. It's an interesting idea.