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-   -   New drop bar design coming soon to a peloton near you. (https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/1218915-new-drop-bar-design-coming-soon-peloton-near-you.html)

mstateglfr 12-05-20 10:31 AM

New drop bar design coming soon to a peloton near you.
 
https://road.cc/content/tech-news/ra...79199#comments
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...75ac1d653d.jpg


UCI legal under current rules.
Custom fit to your arm length and reach.
Yours for a cool $2Kusd.

Certainly a unique design that addresses a common fit/comfort issue for the most talented among us.

Cyclist0108 12-05-20 10:39 AM

A real aesthetic leap forward as well.

Someone should invent the stem.

WhyFi 12-05-20 11:43 AM

It's been discussed a bit here - https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...l#post21816488

As rubiksoval points out, there are some interesting aspects, but I'd be concerned with smacking my knee when standing as the "stem" section is pretty stubby.

mcours2006 12-05-20 12:46 PM

So you lay your forearms on that flat section, is that the idea?

mcours2006 12-05-20 12:48 PM

It's definitely interesting. I often put my forearms on the tops right now, which is okay for a short period, but not comfortable for more than ten minutes.

Carbonfiberboy 12-05-20 01:18 PM

Besides whacking your knees when climbing OOS, there's a reach issue. You'd spec the same reach to the hoods as normal, but that obviously moves the head tube way back, thus the knee smacking issue, but it also moves the front wheel back with it, so the front wheel is more heavily weighted and one's brifters are then cantilevered out way in front of the wheel. That might make hard braking even more interesting. I'd think it would be fine for flat courses with the possibility of having to get used to different cornering and braking behavior. You'd want to lean back a bit OOS and break yourself of weighting the brifters, which is pretty common. There are also no drops to sprint from, so there's that, too.

sfrider 12-05-20 01:28 PM

The custom geometry should be very attractive to a multi-million dollar racing business like many pro teams, as it would allow them to have a stable of bars specifically for climbing, flats, windy conditions, etc - to match course/stage specifics and the team's race plan. $2k is probably perfectly justifiable for a single custom bar (that's just an asking price anyway, a starting point that will only come down when you need 20-25). When there's a pot of gold in the form of prizes and sponsorships or partnerships, it's pretty easy to justify expenses that even slightly skew odds in your favor. I think the UCI will end up blocking it off though, at least until it's well established in cycling with multiple suppliers - one of the great things about cycling is that there is nothing in the pro circuit any one of us couldn't go buy if we didn't object to spending the money.

datlas 12-05-20 01:34 PM

Pass

sfrider 12-05-20 01:36 PM


Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy (Post 21819731)
Besides whacking your knees when climbing OOS, there's a reach issue. You'd spec the same reach to the hoods as normal, but that obviously moves the head tube way back, thus the knee smacking issue, but it also moves the front wheel back with it, so the front wheel is more heavily weighted and one's brifters are then cantilevered out way in front of the wheel. That might make hard braking even more interesting. I'd think it would be fine for flat courses with the possibility of having to get used to different cornering and braking behavior. You'd want to lean back a bit OOS and break yourself of weighting the brifters, which is pretty common. There are also no drops to sprint from, so there's that, too.

I think the image only illustrates the extent to which you can customize the geometry. As shown I have a hard time picturing how it would be practical, but if it's custom you could shift things around to your liking.

I personally don't think I'd like the sharp top bends or the flat top of the section behind the hoods. But it might work for someone who prefers the drops, which is probably the idea, and might be reflected in how low they've mounted the shifters.

rubiksoval 12-05-20 02:11 PM


Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy (Post 21819731)
Besides whacking your knees when climbing OOS, there's a reach issue. You'd spec the same reach to the hoods as normal, but that obviously moves the head tube way back, thus the knee smacking issue, but it also moves the front wheel back with it, so the front wheel is more heavily weighted and one's brifters are then cantilevered out way in front of the wheel. That might make hard braking even more interesting. I'd think it would be fine for flat courses with the possibility of having to get used to different cornering and braking behavior. You'd want to lean back a bit OOS and break yourself of weighting the brifters, which is pretty common. There are also no drops to sprint from, so there's that, too.

There isn't a reach issue. The bike geometry doesn't change a bit. All you're doing is extending the area where your forearms would be by shortening the area where your stem would be. Nothing else changes.

And there are drops. They're under the shifters. Plus the drops can flare out to the width of your choice, so you could have 34cm at the hoods and 40cm at the drops, or whichever other combination you'd like.

GlennR 12-05-20 02:35 PM

Isn't that what clip on aero bars are for?

https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/fi...ounted%202.jpg

rubiksoval 12-05-20 02:42 PM


Originally Posted by GlennR (Post 21819836)
Isn't that what clip on aero bars are for?

No. You can't do mass start events with clip bars. Or steer. Or brake. Or shift (at least with those).

znomit 12-05-20 03:06 PM


Originally Posted by wgscott (Post 21819533)
A real aesthetic leap forward as well.

I think it is if you have a Canyon Hover bar.

Carbonfiberboy 12-05-20 03:37 PM


Originally Posted by rubiksoval (Post 21819794)
There isn't a reach issue. The bike geometry doesn't change a bit. All you're doing is extending the area where your forearms would be by shortening the area where your stem would be. Nothing else changes.

And there are drops. They're under the shifters. Plus the drops can flare out to the width of your choice, so you could have 34cm at the hoods and 40cm at the drops, or whichever other combination you'd like.

I meant "reach," as in the reach and stack dimensions of a frame. As can be seen in these photos:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...968ea97e92.jpg
the rider's hands and elbows are in the same position as they would be while in the low hoods position on a frame with normal bars and reach. The reach on this frame has been much shortened, or perhaps it's just a very small frame for this rider. In any case, the reach is so short that, as you put it in the other thread, "until the moment I stood up and crushed my knee cap on the bar". The front wheel is obviously not in the normal location. I question as to whether one could rock the bike normally when sprinting from these drops.

GlennR 12-05-20 03:57 PM


Originally Posted by rubiksoval (Post 21819846)
No. You can't do mass start events with clip bars. Or steer. Or brake. Or shift (at least with those).

Let me understand, both bars have the shifter and brakes on the drops, so why is the other bar able to shift or brake if you're laying on the tops?

BTW. if you have electronic shifting you can add shifters to the end of aero bars.

znomit 12-05-20 03:58 PM


Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy (Post 21819902)
I question as to whether one could rock the bike normally when sprinting from these drops.

With this amazing design you'll be so far in front of the peloton that you won't ever need to sprint.

genejockey 12-05-20 04:38 PM


Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy (Post 21819902)
I meant "reach," as in the reach and stack dimensions of a frame. As can be seen in these photos:

the rider's hands and elbows are in the same position as they would be while in the low hoods position on a frame with normal bars and reach. The reach on this frame has been much shortened, or perhaps it's just a very small frame for this rider. In any case, the reach is so short that, as you put it in the other thread, "until the moment I stood up and crushed my knee cap on the bar". The front wheel is obviously not in the normal location. I question as to whether one could rock the bike normally when sprinting from these drops.

That looks like A Bad Idea, in addition to just looking bad generally.

WhyFi 12-05-20 05:39 PM


Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy (Post 21819902)
I meant "reach," as in the reach and stack dimensions of a frame. As can be seen in these photos:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...968ea97e92.jpg
the rider's hands and elbows are in the same position as they would be while in the low hoods position on a frame with normal bars and reach. The reach on this frame has been much shortened, or perhaps it's just a very small frame for this rider. In any case, the reach is so short that, as you put it in the other thread, "until the moment I stood up and crushed my knee cap on the bar". The front wheel is obviously not in the normal location. I question as to whether one could rock the bike normally when sprinting from these drops.

The bars are a drop-in replacement for a conventional bar/stem combo; it doesn't alter frame stack/reach. The tops are further back, but that's not "reach."

rubiksoval 12-05-20 08:39 PM


Originally Posted by GlennR (Post 21819921)
Let me understand, both bars have the shifter and brakes on the drops, so why is the other bar able to shift or brake if you're laying on the tops?

BTW. if you have electronic shifting you can add shifters to the end of aero bars.

The picture you posted is of clip on bars. You can not ride those clip on bars in a mass start event. You also can't steer, brake, or shift from those clip on bars.

Road bars and the newer "aero bars" of this discussion are not like clip on bars in the least because your hands are never away from your brakes or shifters and you can still steer the bike.

rubiksoval 12-05-20 08:42 PM


Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy (Post 21819902)
I meant "reach," as in the reach and stack dimensions of a frame. As can be seen in these photos:

the rider's hands and elbows are in the same position as they would be while in the low hoods position on a frame with normal bars and reach. The reach on this frame has been much shortened, or perhaps it's just a very small frame for this rider. In any case, the reach is so short that, as you put it in the other thread, "until the moment I stood up and crushed my knee cap on the bar". The front wheel is obviously not in the normal location. I question as to whether one could rock the bike normally when sprinting from these drops.

Nothing about the frame has been touched. All they've done is taken space normally taken up by the stem and added it to the bar.

I'm not sure why you think the reach of the frame has been altered. You can put those bars on any frame, and you can switch them out and put regular handlebars and a stem on it as well. Neither of which have any affect on the frame whatsoever. That's just a regular road frame.

GlennR 12-05-20 08:44 PM


Originally Posted by rubiksoval (Post 21820266)
Road bars and the newer "aero bars" of this discussion are not like clip on bars in the least because your hands are never away from your brakes or shifters and you can still steer the bike.

So what's the purpose?

rubiksoval 12-05-20 08:46 PM


Originally Posted by GlennR (Post 21820272)
So what's the purpose?

Holding a more aerodynamic position.

I feel like this is all readily explained in the article. Have you not read it?

Here, this one is much better anyway: https://cyclingtips.com/2020/12/the-...d-ultra-weird/

rubiksoval 12-05-20 08:50 PM


Rather than use a long stem and a handlebar with a relatively short reach and shallow drop (as is common even in the pro ranks), the ABB instead uses a stubby 70 mm-long stem with the rest of the length incorporated into the radically-shaped bar. Speeco says the lever position is actually the same as usual, but with that long section of level handlebar behind them — along with a subtly concave upper profile — you can now comfortably rest your forearms in a pseudo-TT position. This theoretically not only earns the rider better control relative to just draping your hands out on the hood tops, but might even allow for a more stable platform for producing power.


Also mentioned, the rider using this was previously using 32mm track bars...


https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QsOS8Z1lC1g/maxresdefault.jpg

Carbonfiberboy 12-05-20 09:46 PM


Originally Posted by WhyFi (Post 21820043)
The bars are a drop-in replacement for a conventional bar/stem combo; it doesn't alter frame stack/reach. The tops are further back, but that's not "reach."

Bicycle frame reach is the horizontal distance from the center of the bottom bracket to the center top of the head tube: https://bike.bikegremlin.com/5481/st...le-frame-size/

No, the type of bars which one chooses for one's bicycle of course does not affect the reach of the frame on which they are mounted. However, the type of bars one installs on the bicycle and the frame reach both affect the handlebar reach of the rider: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/videos...it-right-video

Thus the frame reach plus the reach from the head tube to the hoods determines the location of one's hands. It's fairly well known in the bike fitting community that perfect handlebar reach is when one's upper arms are at about 90° to one's torso when one is in the low hoods position. We see this very clearly in the photo of the rider on the Koga bike.

Therefore increasing the reach from the head tube to the hoods while maintaining the same handlebar reach necessitates having a shorter frame reach. In the case of the rider in the photo, his proper handlebar reach could only be provided by selecting a frame with a reach which is much shorter than would be selected had the rider been using conventional handlebars. In fact, his head tube is only about 2" from his knees. Comparing wheel size in the photo to rider size, it appears that this rider is well over 6' tall and his normal frame reach with conventional handlebars would put his headtube about 8" in front of his knees.

Thus as you say, choosing to use the bars in the photo "doesn't alter frame stack/reach" however it does determine the reach of the frame on which they are to be mounted. Similarly, my total height does not determine the leg length of my pants, only the length of my legs does.

Carbonfiberboy 12-05-20 09:48 PM


Originally Posted by rubiksoval (Post 21820270)
Nothing about the frame has been touched. All they've done is taken space normally taken up by the stem and added it to the bar.

I'm not sure why you think the reach of the frame has been altered. You can put those bars on any frame, and you can switch them out and put regular handlebars and a stem on it as well. Neither of which have any affect on the frame whatsoever. That's just a regular road frame.

See post 24.


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