seem pretty good so far, don't have huge mileage on them. the also run true to size, I normally get the biggest possible gloves to fit my paws (stubbish fingers, huge palms) but in this case xxl worked and xxxl was too big

interestingly (to me anyway) I use these with my vintage set ups and they feel just right with vintage shimano and campy, I use "modern" giro gloves with my 11 speed ultegra sti and giros feel better for that application

Let me share my knowledge of bicycle fit and frame geopmetry from my nearly 50 years of building custom frames. Basically it is not a good idea to swap drop bars for north road handlebars on typical American road frame. I’m the kind of builder that bases a frame design on a person’s preferred seat/handlebar/pedal position. That means I do a fit that establishs the design. My knowledge of upright handlebars got augmented with our Ukraine Bicycle Project where I needed to carefully study Dutch transportation bicycles for the kind of bicycle we make there.

As we age it is natural that we want/need our drop handlebars to be higher and closer to our saddle. This changing position usually requires the seat to go further back at the same time. We also slow down and that allows us consider a kind of bicycle we would never have wanted earlier in our lives. Our image no longer suffers from a change. Enter north road handlebars with fatter tires.

I converted my very fit wife (who has no trouble riding any kind of bicycle) to preferring upright handlebars a couple of years ago. I was going to make her a gravel bike but 1st she tried mine and loved the way it rode. When I made her a frame designed specifically for her she loves upright bars even more. This kind of bicycle frame needs slacker angles and a longer top tube (because your hands are now coming back from the stem instead of going forward). As you get more upright, you butt needs to go further back (usually more than what a 73º seat angle allows). Now the problem is toe overlap and a slacker head angle helps get the front wheel away from your rotating feet. This positioning becomes more obvious when upright handlebars are placed on a stationary fitting bike that has total adjustability.

One doesn’t have to give up their road frame when longer distances and faster speeds are still possible. Having an upright bike can just make the transition easier.

Here is my bicycle with upright handlebars I made for myself that I use to ride with my wife.It was made as an example of how to braze in one of my framebuilding classes.It has 71º parallel angels with a 58 cm top tube. The brand I put on the down tube is “Messenger” because that is the name of the bicycles we make in Ukraine.


My fun way to get around and not just to get groceries.

Setting up a helmet mirror has a lot of subtle details, and this might be one of them.
Properly set up, the mirror is far enough to the side to not require any turn of the head to see behind you.
In fact, this has the secondary benefit of moving the mirror further out of your forward view, reducing the chance of blocking the view of something important.

The Hubbub mirror that you use is based on the mirror that Chuck Harris used to make and sell. The structure is made from a bike spoke, and permits bending to achieve the proper mirror position and orientation. Chuck used to sell mirrors at bike rides, and often performed the installation and set-up for the customer. I grabbed a quick photo of him doing this once...



One of the goals of the set-up was that the customer should be able to look forward and still be able to glance up to the mirror and see to the rear.
I wonder if anyone actually has instructions online to tell customers how to set up their mirror like this?

Steve in Peoria

[QUOTE=fender1;23316067]I use the berthoud also and it is discreet and works well once you get it adjusted..... it is small (discreet) and i envision some thing helmet mounted in the future

Steve, you make good points. I tried it, and I was not able to see the mirror well enough once it was position for a perfect rear view. Maybe my eye muscles are not strong enough. My compromise is good enough for me. But you're right that people should try to get a proper rear view, if possible.

When I was racing, I had a tremendous bar drop on my 66 cm frames, and used to pass the bars under my raised leg like that all the time to dismount. It would get a double-take from people who didn't know me.

I picked this up after seeing Quicksilver for the first time (back when I rode with bars low enoigh).

As someone who did not start riding with an interest in racing or emulating racing, I have always had my drop bars at saddle level.

I have used Nitto Noodle drop bars for the last 20 years or so, since I find that straight and North Road style bars cause wrist pain and numbness on longer rides.

The Noodles have a nice flat ramp, shallow drop and a straight/top portion that in larger sizes, can feel like a more traditional straight bar..

Visuals here:

https://www.rivbike.com/products/nitto-noodle-handlebar

I rarely ride in the drops but when I do, (headwind/ downhill etc.) they feel more accessible/usable than some of the vintage drop bars I have ridden in the past. YMMV.

I know what you mean, but really, to each his own. I think I like my bars about an inch below my saddle. I still don't really know what I like best, though. When dialing things in, I don't know whether I want a longer reach or for the bars to be lower. I'm still experimenting.

And I never wanted to race, either. I tried it twice, many years apart. Nope, it's not for me. Too much pain, and for what?

I've been lurking on the classic forums for several years. Why? Because I am not a collector, or a restorer, or a perfectionist, or an expert. I am however a rider. I ride old steel frankenbikes, all double or triple butted. If they need painting, I paint them, with a brush. If they need new or adjusted fittings I silver braze them because I don't have a torch hot enough for brass.

I will turn 76 this month. I am still riding the bikes that I rode in triathlons, including Ironmans, during the last 33 years. Admittedly they all have triple cranks now. This year I have done two 75 km rides, two 100 km rides and one 140 km ride and numerous shorter rides.

How you ask? Because 40 years ago, after an unwise heavy lift, a physiotherapist told me I now had scar tissue in my back and would need to do daily stretching for the rest of my life or suffer more torn tissue and subsequent pain. It only took 3 recurrences to convince me. Moral of the story, work on flexibility. When a new problem crops up go to a physiotherapist or GO ONLINE and find the stretches that will work to fix the problem. If they cause sharp pain when you start then ease into them gradually. Your body will respond. These days I'm doing daily stretches for my lower back, hips, knees, plantar facia (feet), arms, shoulders (swimming), and neck. Takes about 1/2 hour and gives me not only immediate relief but I'm still riding the drops and am more flexible than any of the people I ride with all of whom are younger than me.

I won't lie, I'm significantly slower than I was in my 30's and 40's but I'm still having fun and that's good enough for me.

Cheers, and good luck.

I am very happy. Last week, I saw the physiatrist who arranged for PT at her office. This week, I went to two PT sessions this week. The first one was for the therapist to evaluate me in her view. She's brilliant. She asked a lot of excellent questions and very observant of my body and movement. I am in good hands. She exceeds my expectations. She noticed I have a bit of scoliosis. That's bad to have, but it's not severe. There is no cure, but there are ways of dealing with it, and we've begun them.

Yesterday at my second PT session, two of the therapist's underlings worked on me under her watchful eye. The various touching and exercises gave me a vigorous workout. I didn't realize that a lot of my difficulties comes from stiffness in my hips. I have known that my back is stiff and weak, but this was a bit of a surprise. Already I feel like I'm standing straighter and have more strength to give. I took five short commuting bike rides, and I was able to put more into it and got my heart going.

Today I had to do some lifting and hauling in the house. I'm a little weak and sore from the PT workouts, but I'm OK. I'm happy to be making progress of any kind.

Time to see how I fair on the Voyageur, the 27 X 1-3/8" Conti Ride Tours came yesterday, I'll get it down off the hooks tomorrow and start the rehab on it. It shouldn't need much other than the new rubber, a good cleaning, lubrication and some TLC, it has hardly ever been ridden.

I like these; not much padding, but they're comfortable, if you can get over the branding.

the Planet Bike gloves are on my list of gloves to try. I'd like to have synthetic gloves, just because leather rots when I'm sweating all over it, but the options are limited.
The branding on the PB gloves is better than the Specialized shoes that I've got. A black Sharpie does help with some of it.

Steve in Peoria

I've been using those Planet Bike gloves for years. What's bad about the branding?

I have to hang them to dry after I ride, but I think I have to do that with gloves of any material.

Just a bit gaudy for my taste. TBH I took off the hook & loop some time ago. I keep meaning to sew on a bit of elastic; one of these days.

Congrats on getting PT. It's the best kind of pain.