Stem sizing for Albatross and Moustache bars

[rw1911]

I currently have Noodles with a 110 Nitto stem which ideally should be
a 100 or maybe even a 90 (tops are great, hoods are just a bit far)

Anyway, I've been thinking about trying either the Albatross or
Moutstache bars. Can you share your experience in regards to stem
length for these bars relative to what you use for a drop bar like the
Noddle?

I'm thinking I would use a slightly longer stem for the Albatross and
a slightly shorter for the Moustache?

[Bill M.]

If I needed a 90 cm stem with a Noodle, I would not be able to get a
short enough stem for comfort with a Moustache bar. With an M there
are no tops, so it's like being on the hoods full time only lower
because the M bars have a little drop to them. A 60 might work. My
most successful application of M's was on a bike that was otherwise
too small for me.

With Albatrosses I'd want a 120, maybe longer.

Other opinions are sure to vary.

Bill

[charlie]

I have used a 12cm for Albatross bars and a 9cm with a 105 degree rise
for noodles on the same bike with a 58cm top tube. I have mustache
bars with a 10cm dirtdrop but on a bike with a 57 cm top tube. My
Simple One has a 9cm seven shaped nitto stem all the way up to the
mark with Nitto Rando bars and a 58cm top tube. I purposely mounted
my albatross bars upside down making the grips level with the saddle
but it still put me too upright and the front end felt squirrely so I
went back to noodles. If my memory is correct a 3-4 cm longer is good
for Albatross bars and maybe a 2-3 cm shorter for mustache's.....
although you want them way taller so the curve is above saddle height
and the normal grip at least level with the saddle.

On Jul 1, 7:39 pm, rw1911 <rw1...@gmail.com> wrote:

[cyclotourist]

I think Charlie has the correct formula.  

FWIW, I used the Technomic (non-deluxe) stem in order to get the Albatross bars really high, which was perfect.

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Cheers,
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Redlands, CA

...in terms of recreational cycling there are many riders who would probably benefit more from
improving their taste than from improving their performance. - RTMS

[clyde canter]

Shorter for the 'stach and longer for the 'tross, definately. I've tried both and the only setup that felt good to me was the 'tach bars on a bike that was too small, ie short top tube and an upjutting  (40 deg) stem.  Problem there is getting them high enough. The "tross bars came close on my Hillborne, but there's something about those bars at speed that's disconcerting for me.  I'll borrow the term "squirrley. That's a good descriptor. The "at speed" part got me to thinking the albatross might be a good bar for a fixed application.  Hitting my top cadence in their upright position was interesting to say the least. Also, I almost crashed when reaching all the way down there for a bottle. All this has me fondly remembering my more flexible lower back of years past.  I now have my 48 noodles a whopping 2 1/2 to 3 inches above my saddle and that is my mostest favoritest set up for everything. I should note that the only bikes I have that will allow this are my Rivendells.  Thanks Grant.
 High bars and fluffy tires,
 Clyde

[rw1911]

Thanks all for the feedback. It sounds like I would need a very short
stem 6-7cm for the M-bars and probably a 12 for the A-bars...

All this talk of instability at speed has me now questioning the
Albatross, which I was favoring. Perhaps I should consider a
straight(ish) bar or maybe something with a little more flexibility
like the Jitensha bar (which appears to be an abbreviated, somewhat
cross between the two)?

FWIW, I have the Noodles just about level with the saddle.


Thoughts?

[charlie]

Not necessarily that short but tall......way tall so that the grip
area is level or higher than the saddle. Due to the head tube angle
going higher also brings the bar back toward you so don't get too
extreme just use some common sense. As far as the 'instability' idea
that's just an idea (actually more like an interpretation) my word was
"squirrely" and what I meant by that is that it put my weight too far
back making the front end light which made me less confident. I don't
use a front rack or load the front end heavily and I am heavy in the
gut so too much rearward weight distribution made my bike (not a
Rivendell) feel light in the front end. I prefer more equal weight
distribution in regard to riding position and that depends on several
things. I would personally not use any straight bar and prefer a bar
with a handshake position option of the hand on the bar. My favorite
bar however is the Nitto Randonneur bar. This is a narrow bar with
the hoods being only 36cm wide but I like it and it helps me now with
my shoulder being injured after crashing on the ice. My drop bars
Rando and Noodle (two different bikes) are both several cm above
saddle height and that works for me YMMV. What works for any rider
depends on their anatomy....I have short arms relative to my leg
length so I take that into account whereas a long arm and torso but
short legged rider might have a completely different comfort position.

[Kelly Sleeper]

I have the albatross on my Bomadil and set them up so the hooks were the same distance fronm center of seat as was the hoods on my noodles. When on long stretches I can stretch out.

I didn't think I would stay with them but have since changed my mind.

I've had this setup over 40 mph loaded and unloaded without issue. With full tour load on down hill I have had to reach up with one hand to hold hat on. Stability was fine for me. I can't say enough good things about the albatros bars.

Kelly

[cyclotourist]

Stability, or lack of it, is a bike by bike problem.  I never had any w/ the Albatross bars mounted high and forward.  This was really comfy position, and let me use the forward bends as a more stretched out option as well:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclotourist/2058061573/

[cyclotourist]

Edit:  I never had any stability problems...

[Liesl]

We have a lot of bikes at our house with mustaches and noodles; I
prefer m'bars and my partner prefers noodles. After our current round
of bar experiments, I agree with charlie's formula. There are two
things I'd add. First, consider a Dirt Drop stem if you really want
m'bars raised. I had a short reach (7cm) technomic deluxe on my
saluki and wound up switching it to a dirt drop after experiencing
neck pain and trying the dirt drop on my proto bleriot. It really
gets the bars up. And when they're really up, they kinda sorta start
feeling like alba's, which I have on my old mountain bike. Second, my
partner is trying m'bars on her new-to-us quickbeam after being in
noodle land for years. we put the 7 cm technomic deluxe on for an
experiment, and it appears to work like a charm. She's *loving* the
access to brakes--this is a key great thing about m'bars, especially
for bikes being used to commute or in city riding. I think a key is
try a few experiments if you can borrow some bars and see what you
like. We did it on the QB, and just let there be an embarrassing
amount of cables sticking out during test rides (you'll need less
cable going from noodles to m'bars). Granted, this is easier to do
with a single, but it would work with bar-end shifters too. I found
it not too daunting at all to do the switches, and I am not a bike
mechanic.