Changing my Drops
 

The Easton EA70 drops I have right now are not comfortable when riding in the drop. The brake is too far, and my wrists aren't straight.

I read a few reviews about the FSA Omega compact (shallow) drops and they do look very comfortable.

Has anyone tried them/have them? Any other bars that you would recommend I look at?

I have the FSA wing compact...which are the same bars but the tops are flat instead of round. Love it. I believe the 3t ergonova bars are pretty similar as well.

Not really sure what to attribute the extra comfort to, because my back is just about as flat as using a bar with a larger drop. Guess it allows me to use a bit more elbow bend while hitting the same back angle.

+1 on the FSA compact wing, I have it on 2 bikes. I like the short drop length of the bar. The reach is fairly short too.

i have the fsa omega compacts and love them. I get the feeling I'd have been almost as happy with a higher rise (blasphemy!) on my stem and a little more of a downward angle on the bars... or buying a set of levers I can adjust closer to the bar.

good stuff. They're almost *too* shallow because i prefer standing from the drops over doing so on the hoods. that just seems...not right

Check out 3T Ergonova or Ergosum bars. Both are shallow drops bars, the ergonova's have flat tops and the drop is the shallowest of the two.

What he said.

If someone has small hands resulting in difficulty reaching the brakes/shifters while in the drops, is new bars usually the first recommendation, as opposed to shims?

OP, there was a thread here a bit ago where lots of people said they were very happy with the FSA compacts.

I recently bought the FSA Omega Compact after reading a lot of reviews and threads here. I haven't installed them yet but I can tell I'm going to like them much better.

The FSA compact may work OK with Shimano levers, but with Campy, the bend creates a very long reach from the hooks to the brake levers. I used them for a season and sold mine. The Easton EC90-SLX3 is much better in that regard.

The EA70 bars have changed over the years. I bought a pair several years ago and found they had a large rampdown angle - off the tops to the brake hood. If the bars were rotated up to reduce that angle, the angle of the anatomic hook section became too-vertical and uncomfortable. I sent them back based on a workstand trial fit.

I always be sure that I can create a comfortable setup in the hooks first, then see what other problems are incurred. A large rampdown angle is an immediate reject.

Difficulty in reaching the brake levers from the hooks requires special shims for most Shimano levers that have no brake lever reach adjusment. Campy levers can be modified relatively easily to reduce the reach by 10-15mm.

ritchey wcs logic ii or ritchey wcs bend. the logic ii has different drop & reach depending on the size of the bar, the bend is shallow bar for all sizes

I had a pair of Ea70's and was looking at the FSA compact but was able to pick up some Deda Newton's (shallow) at a swap meet for $25. Put then on then didn't ride for a couple of weeks and totally forgot about the change. On my next ride, I was about 5 miles into it and moved down to the drops for the first time...SCHWEEEEEEET! Very comfy and such a difference in both comfort and ability to reach the shifter/brake more easily.

I was using some older Cinelli anatomic bars with Shimano 105 shifters (1998s) and couldn't reach the levers from the flats portion of the drops (not the ends, where the bar is flat behind the levers. I thought this was normal.

Last summer I put together a new bike with the 2009 Campag Ergo Centaur shifters and some shallow drop, traditional round Deda Newton bars. Wow, I can reach the levers! I also have some 2007 Centaur shifters with Deda Zero round bars. Same thing. I'm not all that big and have hands that fit my frame.

I feel like I've been given a key to a new world! The newly redesigned (09) Campag shifters with some shallow drop traditional bend bars work very very well for me.

ok I'm sold. I will start shopping around for the FSA Omega, hopefully I could find one or order it at a lbs.

look no further than the jenson moving sale.

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...+Drop+Bar.aspx

Great price but the only option is 40cm.