For Fans of Alt Bars or Alt bar neophytes

[James / Analog Cycles]

I know lots of folks on the list use Jones bars or similar.  I thought it might be useful to have a sizing metric for these bars, as none seems to formally exist.  We've been using this method for a while, and it seems to be more or less on point every time.  

Analog's internal math we use to cut down / choose alt bars for riders:

https://analogcycles.com/pages/alt-bar-picker

-James / Analog Cycles / Tanglefoot Cycles / Discord Components / Fifth Season Canvas

[Richard Rose]

Fascinating! But, does any of this translate to swept back bars - Bosco, Tosco…? I feel very comfortable riding my 650 wide Tosco’s. However, I am noticing some inexplicable tension/pain between my shoulder blades. Never while riding mind you.

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 10, 2022, at 4:43 PM, James / Analog Cycles <analog...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[larson....@gmail.com]

Very interesting! Thank you for shedding some light on this. I am ‘wide bar curious’, but 44cm Cowchippers, Jones Loop Bars at 710mm and Sycip JJJ bars seem to work well for me.

[James / Analog Cycles]

Richard,  
I can't really speak to much to off the bike pain, as I am not a doctor of any sort, but does the pain happen immediately after riding?  Or do you wake up the next day in pain after riding, but not in pain on the day after not riding?  If you wake up in pain only after riding, it's probably riding position related.  

The formula is only for swept back bars in the realm of 35-45 degrees.  I don't have a formula for Albatross shaped bars, but my rule is if you are slight with narrow shoulders, pick the narrower of the two options. Bars that are too wide can easily cause a pinching sensation between the shoulder blades and at the base of the neck.  Make sure the tips of your bars are angled down, at least 12 degrees.  If they are flat or pointed up, it will be very unergonomic.  

-james

[James / Analog Cycles]

The thing with bike fit is that there is always room for improvement and more knowledge.  For instance, I recently did a fit with a guy who had been fit using the Retul method.  He was complaining of knee pain and lower back pain.  The Retul fit had put his saddle height 2.5 cm too high, and he was reaching to the bottom of the pedal stroke.  Thing of it is: he thought it was good, and he was fast and powerful, and that the pain was just a side effect, something he had to work through.  I've fit many riders who thought they had a proper fit but had still had pain, and often their set up is wildly off, to the point of being damaging to their bodies.  I'm not saying I have all the answers, or even most of them.  I am just saying there should always be room for a second look, and certainly always a place for improvement.  

-james

[Richard Rose]

Thanks! Things to consider.

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 11, 2022, at 10:36 AM, James / Analog Cycles <analog...@gmail.com> wrote:

The thing with bike fit is that there is always room for improvement and more knowledge.  For instance, I recently did a fit with a guy who had been fit using the Retul method.  He was complaining of knee pain and lower back pain.  The Retul fit had put his saddle height 2.5 cm too high, and he was reaching to the bottom of the pedal stroke.  Thing of it is: he thought it was good, and he was fast and powerful, and that the pain was just a side effect, something he had to work through.  I've fit many riders who thought they had a proper fit but had still had pain, and often their set up is wildly off, to the point of being damaging to their bodies.  I'm not saying I have all the answers, or even most of them.  I am just saying there should always be room for a second look, and certainly always a place for improvement.  

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[Eric Norris]

Wow. Just saw this.

Setting the saddle 1” too high doesn’t sound to me like a difference in philosophy and more like somebody didn’t know what the F* they were doing.

--Eric Norris
campyo...@me.com
Insta: @CampyOnlyGuy
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