drop bar style / geometry
 

Anyone use round bars with brifters, ride the drops mostly & have the bike adjusted accordingly yet still ride the hoods comfortably?

I'm withholding judgement on the bars that came with my new used bike. I'm used to "traditional round" where the new ones are "anatomical".

I found this illustration:

http://ruedatropical.com/2009/03/roa...-bar-geometry/

I'm also used to riding in the drops but now trying to ride the hoods. I did get down into the drops for a good while last night, and it seemed OK, even though the lowest/last portion of the bar was not long enough for my whole palm. The other thing is I could not easily brake or shift while in the drops where the brifters are located. The traditional round bars seem easier to adjust so that one can ride the hoods and still operate in the drops.

Opinions about bar style/geometry & riding/operating the brifters?

stock positioning on my bike:
http://bikeshopwarehouse.com/cgi-bin...ails&ProdID=24

I have never really appreciated the ergo drop (with the bump). I really like the compact style as my hood to drop ability is relatively limited and I am not sprinting the Champs-Élysées any time soon... therefore I only need it for descending. if that...

I do have some full drops that are round and I don't mind them particularly but I still prefer the compact

I'm also a fan of compact bars. My bikes are set up so that I can ride comfortably either in the drops or on the hoods. My only set of ergo bars is going on the commuter I'm building, mostly because I have them and don't have to buy new ones.

I prefer a classic round bend myself. I had the same problem with compact bars where it felt like there wasn't enough room for my hand except when in the sweet spot. I prefer the versatile hand positioning that classic round bars offer. Everyone likes something different. Nothing wrong with that.

some compact bars work better than others if you like to have your palm in full contact with the 'hooks' while seated in the drops. fsa omega and sl-k both can do it.

3t ergonova can't. it makes a really tight bend, and that narrow included angle is inadequate for a hand to fit... especially a large hand. I own all three of these bars and I have big hands.

that said, I can get a good position in the drops on traditional bend bars. what I don't like on those is the ramp down then abrupt transition up to the hoods.

Funny you should mention the ergonovas because that is the specific bar I was referring to in my above post. Definitely not enough room for a decent sized paw. The flat top of the bar actually caused me numbness as well, which is ironic because it's supposed to be more comfortable. I'm using 3T Rotundo now and I haven't experienced any numbness in hundreds of miles. Handlebars make a huge difference in comfort so it's best for every individual to use what suits them best.

I come from the era of Cinelli 64 and 66 bars. I use the Ritchey Classic bars and love the fit, feels like the Cinelli 64. I also the Deda Pista bars on my track bike. Could never get comfortable with the anatomic bars and compact bars don't have enough drop for me. And yes my stem is slammed with the classic bars!

I just got a Shimano Pro Vibe 7s Round bar.
http://www.artscyclery.com/descpage-PRO7VBR.html
My hands are huge. My bike came with a compact handlebar. When I got my hands in the spot where I could reach the brakes from the drops, it just wasn't comfortable. Hard to explain, but it felt like my hands were crammed into the tight bend of the drops... if that makes any sense.

The Pro Vibe Round is still a shallow drop, but it's round. And it's designed to have a flat transition to the hoods. Very comfy in the hoods and the drops for me.

Makes perfect sense... I described it above, as well. :) The bend you are talking about is called the hooks. I rode an ergonova for at least 500 miles that way, until I finally realized I really disliked the bar.

I also run round bends (including some Ritchey classics mentioned above) on many of my bikes. I find them a bit more versatile I suppose...I also like a bit longer drop to allow a few inches of fore/aft hand positioning when pushing into a headwind or whatever. I also run my bars so the drops are horizontal with the ground and (on most of my bikes) mount the levers so the top of the hoods is as close to horizontal with the ground as possible (which, by comparison, is a bit lower on the bar than a lot of the setups I see on other bikes). It's all personal taste, I think & thankfully there are plenty of options + some decent message boards to help a guy or gal trade around til they find what they like.

Totally a matter of personal preference. I like compact bars, no anatomical bump, with a sharp bend where the ramps transition to more rounded drops. Daeda Zero-100 work well for me. FWIW, here's an article by Hick Legand (Velo News) on some bars.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/...dlebars_197289

i hate ergo/anatomic.

classic round or compact. no exceptions (at least yet).

check out FSA and Deda...and may more.

hot damn. well done
switched from anatomical to classic round b/c i had to tilt my shifters way up in order to grab them in the drops. That was two years ago, and i ain't looking back.

Since you asked for a photo

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8...0/IMG_0455.jpg

interesting. it looks weird only because of the contrasting angles of the compact sloping top tube and neg angled stem. but on further review its pretty much what a 80's roadbike would be like:

http://www.classicbikeshop.eu/afbeel...429%20copy.jpg