Fwiw, just a few observations in case they help someone find an ideal bar shape.
For a medium+ size American man (ideal level tt size is 60 c-c), I've got relatively short arms and small hands, and yet my favorite bar of all time is a long reach traditional bend Maes Parallel, precisely because of the long ramps. I install my bars with ends parallel to the ground, and that does effectively shorten the ramps somewhat, since I like my brake levers positioned rather higher than the old-fasiohned "ends of lever even with bottom of hooks" standard, but nonetheless it is the long ramps of the MP -- 115 mm, 20 mm longer than the Noodle. The difference is the relatively shallow drop: 125 mm versus 140 mm. I make up for the longer reach with a relatively short stem: 8 cm (typical effective length and not Nitto length). I switched from short reach (95 mm) large drop (140 mm) Nitto drop bar with agressive hooks* to the Maes Parallels. I compensated by raising the stem from 7.5 cm below saddle to the current 3-3.5 cm below saddle to accommodate an aging neck, but the longer ramps still allow a comfortable aero position on the hoods and in the hooks because of the longer reach, while the middle of the long ramps allow a more upright cruising position and the flats are closer, thanks to the higher stem, than with the earlier one. Altogether the best of all worlds, imo. * Nitto 165? IIRC the Nitto Dream Bar, #176, was a Rivendell modification of the one I have in mind. On Fri, Nov 17, 2023 at 12:46 PM Elisabeth Sherwood < elisabeth.sherw...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Modemmisuser, > > Just my $0.02, but as someone who could never figure out the attraction of > Nitto Noodles (I have relatively short arms and small hands, so any > remotely long-reach handlebar will just never work...), I find Soma's > Highway One (Hwy 1) handlebar to be just perfect -- short reach, > shallow-ish drop, comfortable bends. (Absence of pressure on hands in our > cases is probably the result of other aspects of the set-up, though.) > > I've had it on my Saluki, and it's currently on a Bianchi Volpe that's > done up with silver bits. My boyfriend uses it on his Sam Hillborne (2008 > or so vintage) and his Long Haul Trucker. I use STI levers with it; > boyfriend has bar ends, for the moment, on both of his set-ups. Super > comfortable. > > As they say, though, your mileage may vary! Good luck! > > -- Liz > Washington, DC > > > > > On Thursday, November 16, 2023 at 9:54:02 AM UTC-5 modemm...@gmail.com > wrote: > >> I have a 2016 Sam, from the batch of completes that year. I love the >> bike, and now that I'm riding a lot more (my wife was gifted with being >> able to ride again after not being able to for years; she has a '16 Sam >> too), I swapped bars from the stock (Nitto Noodle) to an Albastache. >> >> The Noodle was only giving me ONE hand position, on the hoods. The drops >> didn't feel usable to me and the flats are just too narrow for my comfort. >> The hoods position was putting a lot of pressure on the meaty part of my >> hands behind the thumbs. >> >> The 'Stache fixes that and gives me a lot of hand positions - on the >> "hoods" (but it's a big flat on the 'Stache of course), behind them, and >> pretty much all along the rest of the bar. I like it, but... >> >> I do miss the hand position that only comes from having a drop bar on >> being on those hoods in that orientation; I just need one that will put >> them in a spot that doesn't put all the weight on the meaty-hand-part >> behind the thumbs. >> >> I have to admit I also miss how the bike looks with a drop bar. O_o I >> dunno, I guess the bike just "wants" that look, to me. >> >> I'd also like to not run the shifters as barend shifters... So I'd go >> thumbie or some type of (SHHHH DON'T TELL GRANT) brifter. >> >> The other issue I don't have access to the funds that some others around >> here seem to. :) These bikes were EXPENSIVE to us ($2,600 a pop and we've >> added front and rear racks, fenders, etc.) >> >> Ideas, comments, questions, help, etc, etc? I'm sure lots around here >> have Sams and have done this handlebar/cockpit rodeo lots of times! >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/b3f393ce-028d-4ccf-b1eb-de9bd0cb47c6n%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/b3f393ce-028d-4ccf-b1eb-de9bd0cb47c6n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Patrick Moore Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Executive resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, letters, and other writing services. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *When thou didst not, savage,* *Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble like* *A thing most brutish, I endowed thy purposes* *With words that made them known.* -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgtX7ONw1%2Bva-%3DThzaCRqiGEcKyMxEXF7rZ%3Dv2YesB7C4w%40mail.gmail.com.
