What's the trick with Albatross bars?

[Scot Brooks]

When I first set up my non-Riv bike, I used a set of the Soma Oxford bars (really close shape-wise to the Albas) on an 8cm stem. I ended up switching them out for a couple of reasons; I felt too upright, and under heavy braking I didn't feel like I was well-braced against the bars to counteract the forces pushing me forward. 

I'm ready to try a set of Albatross bars on my Sam because I feel like I didn't really give the Oxfords a fair shake. I'm guessing the problems I experienced could be solved with a longer stem and maybe some angle to the bars so I have a better angle to brace myself against. 

Any tips from the experienced would be appreciated, either to confirm my theory or correct it. 

[Jim Mather]

On Tue, Feb 5, 2013 at 9:50 PM, Scot Brooks <scothi...@gmail.com> wrote:
> maybe some angle to the > bars so I have a better angle to brace myself against.
>

I think it's mostly a matter of personal preference. If you look at
the staff bike page, http://www.rivbike.com/Staff-Bikes-s/766.htm ,
you'll see a lot of different angles, from horizontal to quite
slanted. I like my Alba' bars slanted to put my wrists in what feels
like a more natural position:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20986098@N04/3448531380/in/photostream

[Joe Bernard]

8cm is pretty short unless you're on a bike with a very long toptube. I'm using an 11 with Alba-ish sweptback bars, and could easily go 12 or 13.

 

Joe Bernard

Vallejo, CA.

[Michael Rivers]

I use a longer stem that is also a bit higher compared to setting up a bike with drop bars.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrivers/7844475238/

Hard to tell from this photo but the grips are higher than the saddle. I would agree with the above that angle of the bars is also critical.

Michael

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

I personally don't use Albas for the reasons you describe. But I do like similar bars that don't sweep back as much, like the Soma Clarence and the Surly Open Bar, neither of which come in silver.

[Matthew J]

> I use a longer stem that is also a bit higher compared to setting up a bike with drop bars.

 

This technique worked pretty well for me when I had Albas.  Since gone over to Jitensha (and for a future bike have a Ti bar from Watson Cycles that is close to Jitensha) which for me anyway work better than Albas.

[Garth]

As stated ... it's ALL about the total of TT and stem length as far as how "upright" a bike feels.  And yes  ... 8cm. stem with Alba's is waaaaaay short !!!  If a frame is already short of TT for a rider ... don't bother with an Albatross Bar !! 

I use a 13cm. stem on the Bombadil with it's 63cm. TT and I am definitely not too upright ! lol  My knees clear the bar ends easily when turning, which if you're tall is always a consideration ! 

The thing with Alba bars is they really do best on bikes with longer TT's.  Unless you really like being really upright ! 

[Mike]

I use Albatross bars on my Cross Check. I use a long stem, 12cm, with the bars at a slight angle and slightly lower than the saddle. It works well. I like it much more than a flat bar. For a while I was using the Surly Open Bar. While they feel stiffer the angle isn't quite right for me. 

Just for reference, my CC and LHT both have the same ST and HT angles and 60cm TT. On the LHT I use a 10cm stem with 48cm Noodles. 

I recently ordered some Boscos to try those out and they felt too upright. I'm gonna give them another shot. They're beautifully made. I like their width but wish they had a little lower rise.

--mike

[Minh]

just to add to the chorus, i use an 80mm stem with drops or moustache, use a 110 with albas.

the 'leverage' feeling will be different because albas are even wider then moustache bars, so you're arms are farther out, but you can climb with albas

[shawn m.]

I run Alba's on my Hunqapillar with a 9cm Nitto stem. I haven't found any issues with braking and body English, and there are no shortage of hills in Seattle to test it. I like a little cant to the bars, but not much, as you can see:

 

http://flic.kr/p/ddc4fF

 

I really like this set up for the kind of riding I'm doing right now, and this same set up on my Hillborne worked great for longer distances, but I wonder if another set up might not be more comfortable still for extended touring (my 'aspirational riding')...

 

Shawn

Seattle, WA

[William]

My wife is pretty tiny.  She runs the saddle nearly slammed to the seat lug on her 52cm Yves Gomez.  Still, her Albas are paired with a longer Technomic DLX stem.  I can't remember right now if we went with a 12 or an 11cm stem, but I'm pretty sure it's a 12.  

On Tuesday, February 5, 2013 9:50:43 PM UTC-8, Scot Brooks wrote: