Pano: thanks for the well thought out description and analysis. You have made a very good case for the Albastaches! My one concern at this point is the width; I dislike bars much wider than 44 cm -- 25 years ago I used to cut 2" off each side of my mountain bike bars, and weren't those bars already narrow by modern standards? My road bikes have 38 cm drop bars (I'm a medium-sized 5'10" with much of my height in my torso, but I still like narrow bars).
If I tried the Albastaches, I'd try them on the Matthews -- a lightish drop bar'd dirt road bike, which I ride on our local sandy terrain. Currently it has 42 cm at-the-hoods Maes Parallels. I suppose the sit up and beg position, with arms wide, would be alright because you are almost sure to be taking it easy and going slow. How wide between the mid points of the bends? That position does look doable; and the hoods of course are nice and narrow. The width of the original Moustache bar doesn't bother me, but that's because I always ride on the curves or on the hoods. Hmmm ... On Sat, Mar 25, 2017 at 5:22 PM, panog <[email protected]> wrote: > @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. > -- Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews. By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching. Other professional writing services. http://www.resumespecialties.com/ www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/ Patrick Moore Alburquerque, Nouvelle Mexique, Vereinigte Staaten ************************************************************************** ************** *The point which is the pivot of the norm is the motionless center of a circumference on the contours of which all conditions, distinctions, and individualities revolve. *Chuang Tzu *Stat crux dum volvitur orbis.* *(The cross stands motionless while the world revolves.) *Carthusian motto *It is *we *who change; *He* remains the same.* Eckhart *Kinei hos eromenon.* (*It moves [all things] as the beloved.) *Aristotle *Le sacre est la projection du Centre celeste dans la peripherie cosmique, ou du "Moteur immobile" dans le flux des choses. *F Schuon, *Le Sens du Sacre, *Etudes Traditionnelles, 1r q 1979 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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