Noodles or Albas - 2nd try

[Jay]

Google seems to have eaten this post from earlier today. Apologies to
anyone who get it twice.

> I am currently using 46 cm Noodle bars at about saddle height on my
> Sam for my 15 mile RT commute. I like the multiple hand positions but
> can't say I'm really comfortable with them, so I'm thinking about
> giving Albas a try.

> If anyone out there has made the switch from drops to Albas, I'd love
> to hear from you before.

> Beside general impressions, I'm curious how the wider Albas perform in
> dense traffic. Also thoughts about Alum vs Cromo.

> I am using an 8 cm stem with the Noodles. I'm hoping the 10 cm stem
> that replaced will be perfect for the Albas. If so, beside the bars I
> would just need brake levers and the Nitto shim from Riv. And grips or
> tape of some kind. Maybe $100-120 for the lot.

> Any used Albas out there looking for a home?

> Jay

[Thomas Lynn Skean]

Hi!

Whether the Albatross is right for you depends on how you normally ride now (drops/tops/hooks/hoods/behind-the-levers) and what you'd like to change (hand-orientation/lean/reach).

 

Personally I greatly appreciate a *very* upright riding position. My hands rest inches above the level of my saddle. I also like a relatively rearward saddle position. My B-17 is almost as far back as it can go on a normal Nitto seatpost on my Hillborne. So obviously I can endorse the Albatross. Pure comfort!

 

(The consideration is over. Though it was close, I like the Albatross bar better than the Bosco. I still have an Albatross on one bike and the Bosco on the other, though. I enjoy both a lot. I'm just not trying to discern which I like "better" anymore.)

 

I'd recommend that *if* you want to keep your lean as it is and are concerned about the bar being too wide, consider a Moustache. You could probably keep your current brake levers. You can get a different hand orientation and still have two solid and different positions. With the Moustache, unless you explicitly want to extend your reach to the closest part of the bar, I'd start with your 8cm stem.

 

*But* if you want to experiment more generally with a different riding position (and outlook on life!) then by all means the Albatross is a great way to go. Head/Tailwinds will affect you more (slightly adversely overall, IME). And I do *feel* like I have more power when I ride with my Moustache set-up versus my Albatross set-up. Of these constrasts think not "true" and "scientific" and "rigorous" but "truthy" and "scientistical" and "squishy". But the height and width gain and the closer position of the grips gives me an upright position I typically prefer.

 

The 9cm width difference (46 vs 55) might make a practical difference in tight situations. I have almost no experience in traffic. Frankly *my* width is probably the critical path there anyway. But when it comes to getting my bike out of its hidey-hole in the garage, the difficulty is 100% positively correlated with bar width!

 

I have one CrMo Albatross and one Al Albatross (heat-treated). I can't tell a difference in flex. I'm not entirely sure what the widths are, though. It might be that the Al is 54cm and CrMo is either 55cm or 56cm. I doubt width would make a big difference in flex here, though; the curve of the Albatross probably stiffens the structure generally. The Al Albatross has a little duller waxy-ish finish, which I kind of prefer over the CrMo's slight shine.

 

IMO:

 

The First Thing to confirm is that your saddle is in The Good Place. If it is not, changing your bar alone will not make you as comortable as you should be. I ride periodically with Albatross, Bullmoose, Moustache, Noodle, and Bosco bars on a Hillborne. I *never* change my saddle position. And, though I have overall preferences, I am basically comfortable with any of those bars. I never have hand-numbness or arm-weariness or lower-back trouble with any of them on my 10-20mi RT commute or my 30-40mi weekend rides. It's just like having different bikes, all wonderful.

 

Good luck!

 

Yours,

Thomas Lynn Skean