Inpd

One of the side benefits of trying out lots of bikes is you get exposure to lots of variations you weren't aware of.

When riding an Allez E5 this particular bike came with compact bars which I had not ridden before. I really like that when in the drops my arms were closer.

So I bought these bars https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and the difference is quite pronounced.

I'm curious what bars other people use. I've always just rode the bars the bike came with.

PepeM

Buying stuff > Riding

PepeM

This is the one you want btw.

redfooj

178cm i like narrow, smallish bars , and fine with a slight ergo bent

Inpd

That's the other thing I forgot to mention. Most guides say to buy bars as wide as the distance b/w the boney parts of each shoulder. For me that's a 44cm bar but this time around I tried a 38cm bar and am liking it. It feels tiny compared to the 44cm bar.

redfooj

riding bars equal to my shoulder width feels like MTB or trying to hold onto a bull's horns

noodle soup

Zipp SL70 Aero.

apaulson714

Whisky Parts Co. No. 7 Carbon Road Bar in Tree Fort Bikes Drop Handlebars

Hunted forever for bars, got these off ebay for a steal and never want to buy a different set again. Rather light, comfy as hell and i prefer a short drop, so these are perfect for me.

MagicHour

Deda Rhm02 - compact and comfortable in hoods, drops and flat and fat on tops, just the right amount of drop and reach; stiff when cranking on trainer. <$20 from UK somewhat heavy though.

Ritchey WCS Neoclassic - modern short reach version of classic handlebar shape, enjoy riding multiple drop positions available. Again, just the right amount of drop/reach for me. Well-made bar looks great on my steel all-road build. Light.

Seattle Forrest

Enve road bar. I wanted to try the aero/wings bar instead, but didn't want to pay to bleed my brakes in order to route the cables. The traditional road bar doesn't require that. So it's what I have. I like it very much.

texaspandj

I've got several different road bars on all my bikes. I get why so many like the shallow/compact drop bars, it allows them to ride the drops and not be so low/uncomfortable for them and still keep the stem low. I also get the short reach bars that allow a longer stem/tt. I get that some prefer the narrower bars for more control and wider bars for climbing.
I prefer these, they require you to stay in the drops when climbing so they're not for everyone. Riding the tops (holding the bars right above the brake hoods) is for when you want to sit up. However they are so comfortable especially in the aero position.

joejack951

Put these on my classic Trek and they look and feel great:

silversx80

I put those on my Lynskey, and I agree.

On my CAAD10 I put on some FSA Gossamer Compacts in 42cm width. Super comfortable too.

I've used carbon bars before, but didn't experience the cost v. feel, weight & performance. That, and Al bars always feel sturdier to me.

FeltF2Tarmac

3T Ergonova LTD Ergosum have served me well. i like the shape of the tops on the Ergonova.

cycledogg

Traditional bend, 44 c-to-c. Carbon.

WhyFi

I like neo/classic bend bars. Currently using 3T Rotundos. I like neither the feel nor the look of ergo bars.

79pmooney

The old test was to take the handlebars with now plugs on them and place the open ends over the balls of your shoulder. East test and quite exact. Now many lie a cm or two wider. For me, the exact fit is fast, but on gravel bikes and fix gears that will be ridden down very fast hills, I like wider for control. Road racing - exact - for both fit/aero and fitting into tight spaces.

Ben

Sy Reene

Zipp SC SL-80s. I like 'em. 80mm reach, 125mm drop.

practical

I like the wider bars. I put on a mountain bar, inverted it so that my hands were lower than the stem, then cut it so that it was the same width as my shoulders. Changed the shifters and brakes. I love how it rides. Aggressive and stable.

79pmooney

My favorite bars are the old TTTs and Japanese copies like SR. Less good for my hands but now much easier to find are the classic shaped Nittos (B117 as I recall) that are closer to a Cinelli bend.

The classic TTT was a "<" shape with a fairly tight radius rounding out the point of the "V" whereas the classic Cinelli bend was more of a "U" with near parallel bar tops and bottoms. My Fuji Pro had TTT copies and my Mooney started its life with TTT Superleggero bars. Both had a sweet, sweet feel in my hands.

Now, if Nitto would make some TTT bends, I would be in heaven. (One doesn't think of Nitto as being high end but their Pearl stems are works of machined art that make the best Cinellis look crude. Their bars are made with good decisions throughout. I raced their top of the line bar and stem in the '70s. They were looked down on by the Italian crowd which was 90% of any race of the day but they worked as well as anything out there.)

Ben

growlerdinky

Zipp SL80 44cm on one bike, Soma Highway 1 44cm on the other.

fietsbob

Way Back While at a shop that sold Bridgestones , I Got the 'Take Off 'Dirt Drops from MB1 MTB bar retrofits ..

Because I still like bar end shifters ... That is just the thing, on my RB1.

kbarch

These


these


and these (or something much like them, unbranded)


Riding in the drops on the latter is a real treat, but that bike is otherwise unsuitable for longer, hilly rides.

Marcus_Ti

3T Aeronova.

jordanair45

The handlebars my Spec. came with were too narrow, so I got some Zipp road courses, shallow drop, love them. Good fitting handlebars are essential. Just like good fitting everything else. Some people have smaller hands, etc.