Looking for recommendations on a drop handlebar with shallow reach.
 

I got a mongoose cipressa (large) racer. The height is ok for me, but the reach is a bit to long. My legs are a bit long compared to my upper body.

I'm planning to fix my reach by getting a handlebar with a shallower reach. Currently I'm using a handlebar with 13cm drop and 13cm reach, but I figure I could probably go down to 7-8cm in reach. My current handlebar is 42cm in width, but my shoulder width is 38cm, so that could go abit down, although I don't find the extra 4cm to be a problem.

Also I'm going to try a stem with a bigger angle, the current one is 90 degrees.

Anyone care to give me some recommendations on good handlebars and adjustable stems?

I found these here:

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

Sound good to me, but I'm not so experienced in these matters, so any recommendations and hints are welcome :)

p.s. I'we never changed a steering wheel, so I'm not sure if I can reuse the handlebar tape. Should I get some of that to?

regards
Frímann

Post a pic. We'll be able to help you better. What's your current stem length? I have that FSA bar (wing pro compact) and love it. You should get new tape with your new bars.

I have the FSA Omega and love it.

3T Ergonova or Ergosum. Ergonova has the egg-shaped flats.

I like mine a lot. I can comfortably ride in the drops for a long time. It's not expensive, either.

Your tape will be stretched out where it passes the shifters, and will probably be hard to reuse on new bars. And some brands of tape have an adhesive strip that might make it hard to remove in one piece.

Deda Newton shallow is worth looking at, too.

http://www.dedaelementi.com/En/Produ...ctIDMaster=365

The FSA bars should work.

Deda 215 shallow is another option.

Thanks for your recommendations. I'll take a look at them later on. In the meantime, then here are some pics of my bike.

I'm a little bit worried that if I go for a handlebar with shorter reach, that it won't be as comfortable going down on the drops. But then again, I probably won't be doing that so much because I'm rather stiff.

I mostly feel safe with my hands on the top of the shifters, and my fingers on the breakes all the time. Especially since I ride with traffic sometimes and want to be able to react and break as fast as possible if something goes wrong.


http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...IMG_4343-1.jpg
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...IMG_4344-1.jpg

I test rode a bike with the FSA Wing Pro Compact and I spend more time in the drops than the hoods. I'm sold on those bars and will have a set within a very short time.

Looking at your bike you have a very short stem. If you go with a shorter reach, get a longer stem.
Also, I have a similar looking anatomic bar and it sucks compared to the FSA bar.

Deda, Specialized, Ritchey and Salsa all have what you seek. +Easton EC90 Aero is shallow reach if your wallet can take it.

I found a new Bontrager Race Lite handlebar really cheap at a local store. Around $30.

It looks perfect:

Reach: 75mm
Depth: 145mm
Width: 42cm
Weight 230g

I'm just going to grab that I think, unless anyone has any objections against that type?

It can be viewed here: http://bontrager.com/model/00280

the bontrager ones are a good compact bar, similar to Pro PLT compact which i have on both my bikes

Too much wrist contact on the Bontrager bar. The FSA sweeps out, eliminating that and allowing better control while in the drops. The Madone I test rode had the Bonti bars and I just didn't like them.
dreamspy: The bar you mention has a lot of drop.

Next time you mount those brake/shift levers, move them up a little higher on the bend. Even 5mm makes a big difference in how long the reach feels.

Shimano brake hoods have always been the longest and the new models are even longer, which isn't good for short torsoed riders.

I use Easton EC90-SLX3 short reach bars, but they're not cheap.

I switched to ec90 equipe slx3 also, great and still $100 at Jenson.

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...dlebar+09.aspx

The ea70 ergo has the same reach and drop listed as the ea90 equipe slx3 but I can't verify that.

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

Add: I see they only have the 44 and 46cm widths left for the EC90.