How much less aero going from 42cm to 44cm handlebars..?
06-24-10, 09:06 AM
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JoeWolcottCT
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How much less aero going from 42cm to 44cm handlebars..?
Hi All,
I ordered Pro Vibe 7s bars because I wanted a more traditional round drop than the FSA Wing Pro Compacts I was running. I thought my old bars were 44's and ordered 44s. Mounted up the Pro Vibes yesterday and boy did they feel wider. Turns out my old bars were 42cm.
I love the drops of the new bars....they're stiff as all get out....the increased width was really noticeable giving me extra leverage when climbing out of the saddle. So now I'm wondering if I should just keep them or exchange them for 42s. I didn't feel cramped per se on the 42s and I spend the majority of my time on the hoods when riding. I did notice on my old bars that when climbing on the tops my hands naturally were spread in a fashion where my pinkys were resting on the bend whereas on the new bars the same position has all four fingers fitting comfortable on the tops. I am 5'10" @ 180, normal proportions....Is there really a big aero penalty ??
I ordered Pro Vibe 7s bars because I wanted a more traditional round drop than the FSA Wing Pro Compacts I was running. I thought my old bars were 44's and ordered 44s. Mounted up the Pro Vibes yesterday and boy did they feel wider. Turns out my old bars were 42cm.
I love the drops of the new bars....they're stiff as all get out....the increased width was really noticeable giving me extra leverage when climbing out of the saddle. So now I'm wondering if I should just keep them or exchange them for 42s. I didn't feel cramped per se on the 42s and I spend the majority of my time on the hoods when riding. I did notice on my old bars that when climbing on the tops my hands naturally were spread in a fashion where my pinkys were resting on the bend whereas on the new bars the same position has all four fingers fitting comfortable on the tops. I am 5'10" @ 180, normal proportions....Is there really a big aero penalty ??
06-24-10, 11:16 AM
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JoeWolcottCT
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Ok...update. I just checked both my old & new bars again. They are actually both 44cm but the FSA Compacts are about an inch narrower where the hoods attach than the Pro Vibes. However they are both identical in width at the ends on the drops.....
06-24-10, 11:33 AM
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Sounds like you should've bought 42cm (drops 42 c-c) Vibes. I also have fsa k-force compacts 42cm and they feel like 40's since the hoods are 40 c-c. They felt alitte too narrow when riding on the hoods. Then I bought a few sets of 44's (deda zero 100's and fsa omega compact) and discovered the extra width between the hoods (44cm & 43cm) started to feel uncomfortable on rides longer than an hour or so. I ordered 42 cm omegas today (the hoods on these are actually only 41cm c-c) hoping to find the sweet spot.
I'm considering switching out stems and bars for rides of different length. Maybe easing up on the stretch/reach for rides longer than 3 hours.....
I'm considering switching out stems and bars for rides of different length. Maybe easing up on the stretch/reach for rides longer than 3 hours.....
Last edited by kneed2wrydemore; 06-24-10 at 11:37 AM.
06-24-10, 11:33 AM
#4
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I guess you've answered your own question. I prefer narrower bars for squeezing through holes, for what it's worth. I run 41s instead of 44s or even 45s.
cdr
cdr
