@Patric Moore Thank you and yes, it is a custom.
In reference to your comments on the Albastache, I'll try to convey my thoughts on them over a use of about 500 miles which admidetly is neither long nor diverse enough so consider the following as work in progress. I have found three distinct hand positions on the Albastache. In front of the bar-ends (in line with the quill), mid-way up from the bar-ends (in front of the quill), on the bar hook and lastly on the brake levers. The first two result in a more upright posture and more compact cockpit while the last two get you flatter and more stretched out. Flatter and stretched out means more efficient power generation and generally less air resistance. Can these two reach the levels achieved by a PROPERLY set drop bar? I dont think so but they could be close enough and that's the compromise one must be willing to accept in return for the most comfortable, more upright position the Albastache offer, if such position is in pursuit. Both the Albastache and the drops attempt to reach their usability range but I think they are doing so starting from polar opposite positions. The drops start from the more power - more speed prospective and compromise from there to a more comfort - more user friendly state while the Albastache start from a more comfort -more upright prospective and compromise to a more power - more speed state. As such, therefore, they should not, IMO, be considered as a direct replacement for each other if the intended purpose of the bike does not warrant it. What I'm saying here is that I would not use the Albastache for a bike whose purpose was crit racing or sprinting but I could consider experimenting with them on a touring bike where power output and speed could be willingly compromised in exchange of comfort. Regarding the number of hand positions available on either, I have empirically concluded that either offers enough and do not consider this to be a factor any more. This is coming from someone who has undergone surgical intervention to release the ulnar nerves at the elbow from sustained abuse caused by long rides and not so good fitting cockpits. Regarding the air resistance and ducking the wind you mentioned, I am still experimenting with that but not for the reasons you may have expected. When the head-on winds pick up, the conventional approach has been to get to the drops. The German Tour magazine did some interesting wind tunnel tests studying the drag imposed on the rider from different posture positions. They found that tucking on the tops with elbows down is superior, drag reduction wise, to tucking on the drops. Reason being that width of frontal area (not just height) plays a significant part in creating drag. Either bar when handled like that gets similar results. However, the problem I personally have with this approach and higher speeds is loss of stability. I think you should give the Albastache a try and judge for yourself. I know I'm keeping them on the Riv for the foreseeable future. The differences with the Moustache you mentioned, are shallower drop (2.5 cm vs. 5 cm), shallower hooks and a touch more width. -- 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 [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
