Tell me about your super-wide drops

[Eric Marth]

Big, wide drops seem to be everywhere these days, even here in the group! I've noticed some for sale and others used in builds. Rather than read through another dull review in some unfamiliar corner of the internet I wanted to see if anyone in the group could share some firsthand experience. How does it feel running those > 50cm drop bars?

[Den John]

Good question :-)

I went pretty mental for wide drops over the last couple of years. My habit started with a set of Funn G-Wides a couple of years ago. 500mm wide, 620mm at the drops. That's as wide as

the bars on some of my older mtbs. I have them on an old 26er MTB.

Based on those, I also put wider bars on my cyclocross bike (Ergotec Randonneurs). Not as wide as the Funn G Wide, but still give a bit more control.

I also bought a set of Crust Towel Racks, 615mm at the drops, but they only arrived recently and I haven't ridden them much. The certainly feel big - quite a deep drop.

Finally, I have recently bought a set of Curve Walmer bars for a 27,5+ MTB. I bought the widest Walmer bars, 750mm at the drops. I set them really high so the drops are the main position. Can't even really ride the flats at all. I like them a lot, although it took a bit of tweaking to get the wrist position right. I found that for me, angling the drop up a bit helps. They give a lot of leverage in technical and muddy terrain and when climbing. I like descending in the drops more than on flat MTB bars anyway, and being able to do s with extra wide bars feels even better. Main problem is that there aren't many bikes actually designed for these bars. I have a LD stem plus 80mm of spacers which looks a bit wacky TBH. The LD is also very short - 40mm extension. But it all works so far based on about 1000km riding. I don't have any back problems at all with these bars so far. Even the Funn bars feel a bit wimpy and narrow after riding the Walmers for a while. However, the Walmers have a much smaller drop and reach. I think Curve realised that just widening a normal bar is not a good idea. You need to shrink the drop and reach to balance the extra width.

Main benefit of wide bars is more control and leverage, plus being able to carry a bigger bar bag, and room for accessories on the bars. Disadvantage is that the drops position is not comfortable for long periods unless you can get the bars up high enough. So you need a bike with a really high stack. Some claim that wide bars make it easier to breathe but I can't say I've noticed this.

The other issue is that this whole trend is based on some rather esoteric ideas about ergonomics that haven't been tested properly AFAIK. So it might be that these bars cause some unforeseen problems in the long run. I've not read anything on ultra wide drops by anyone who really knows about ergonomics.

I think eventually we will find a sweet spot where drops become wide enough to be useful to people riding off road or for loaded touring, but not so wide that they might cause back or wrist problems. But I don't think we're there yet. If you do have back or wrist problems, be especially aware when setting up wide drops.

Finally, I previously tried some Nitto Dirt Drops and some One One Midges and couldn't get on with them at all. The Nittos caused instant and quite severe upper back pain, no matter how high I set them, and I did try to set them very high. The Midges caused lower back pain. Maybe something to do with the extreme flare and/or the way the drops are angled on those bars.

Cheers,

Johnny in Belgium

[lconley]

I just bought 660 Crust Towel Racks for my Bombadil and am setting them up with TRP drilled brake levers at the drops and Tektro interrupters near the center. I also am using Shimano 8 speed indexing shifters (shifting 7 speed freewheel with Altus derailleur) on 26mm Paul Thumbie mounts inside of the interrupter levers on the raised center section. This is all mounted on a 10cm Nitto Dirt Drop stem. I also plan to mount a Nitto F-15 bag support on the bars for my tweed Nigel Smythe bag. Plenty of room for everything so far, but haven't taped or ridden it yet. The bars seem to be a wide combination of randonneur (upsweep) and Noodle (backsweep). 

I previously had the bike set up with Bullmoose bars/stem. Looking for more hand positions. I only ride drops going down hill or into a strong headwind. I figure that I will be using the interrupters most of the time. I mount the center of the handlebar several inches above the seat. I will report once I have some miles on them.

Laing

Delray Beach FL

[Patrick Moore]

A contrarian but sincere point of view: I tried a number of wide drop bars, from 46 cm Noodles to 56 or 58 Midges (it has been a long time, but I recall 56 or 58 mm wideth), not to mention half a dozen different wide, flared off road drop bars. 

I heartily disliked them, and went back to 42s for my off road bar and 38s for my road bars (measured on ramps; 44 and 40 at middle of hooks; Maes Parallels; RH sold advertised them each way), and chopped 8" off the mountain bike bar on my Monocog (now 52 cm).

The wide bars felt awkward and made my shoulders uncomfortable. I do like my bars level with or lower than saddles, but even when positioned slightly higher, I disliked the wide flared drops I tried.

I'm not small; I ride a 60 c-c level t-t road bike.

On Wed, Jan 6, 2021 at 5:34 AM Eric Marth <eric...@gmail.com> wrote:

Big, wide drops seem to be everywhere these days, even here in the group! I've noticed some for sale and others used in builds. Rather than read through another dull review in some unfamiliar corner of the internet I wanted to see if anyone in the group could share some firsthand experience. How does it feel running those > 50cm drop bars?

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

[Collin A]

I'll add my little tidbit after trying 2 different wide (560 at the drops, 48 to 50 at the hoods) not Super-Wide drop bars. The main point I think is that the wide drops are kinda like saddles - find one with a shape that you like because everyone will tell you something different. I also don't think its better than any particular setup, just something different that may fit your needs better than typical drops or flat bars.

Key Points to make it work (I think):

Shorten your stem

Know what flare you like (for me, 15-20 is perfect for rough stuff, 12 is the max I go for road). I think more flare the wider you go is important, but massive flare on the narrower side is kinda weird

Get levers that work well braking from the hoods if that's your thing

Be open to adjusting your whole cockpit - saddle tilt, setback, bar height, angle, etc.

Benefits:

It feels great when you have a set of bars that works with your body position and riding style. 

I definitely feel like I can throw the bike around a bit more when going down fun single track compared to narrow drops

Gets me out of the wind (at least mentally) compared to flats

Gives room for big bags

You are "on-trend"

Cons:

Expensive to do the switch if you don't have the parts (new long bar tape that is sometimes hard to find, shorter stem, drop bar parts, etc.)

Takes a little bit of getting used to and fiddling with cockpit setup

Shifting can be a bit of a bear to setup - will need longer cables if doing bar ends and most modern bar shapes have tight curves

Hope this helps,

Collin, in Sacramento

[André P]

I mounted Shaka 31.8 clamp bars to my Hillborne in late 2019. I just took them off to put back on the original Noodles I got with the bike back in 2014. I personally feel like I have my Rivendell back after swapping back to the Noodles. The factors that I list as negatives might however might be exactly what some folks are looking for!

- Too upright, I got a shorter more upright stem as went with the usual recommendation. It just put me too up and out in a way that's not the same as a nice wide mountain bike bar.

- Too stiff, I had the Shaka's in 31.8 with a steel Nitto stem of some variety. I think the flexy cockpit is a feature of Riv's that shouldn't be undercounted. It provides a lot of that feeling of smoothness on dirt (maybe, who knows).

[Ben Miller]

I like Collins point with one correction: "The main point I think is that handlebars are kinda like saddles." 

As a person who loves drop bars but has always hated how narrow they are, I love the recent developments. I own the Crust Towelrack (v2 - Full size at 670 mm) and the Crust x Nitto Shaka bar (520 mm). Wide drop bars are great for really maximizing different hand positions (so many!) This is my main reason for liking them. I heartily disagree with anyone who questions their ergonomics, even a little. The Nitto Mustache is 515 mm, the Rivendell Albastache is 555 mm, and the Riv Billie 580 mm, and the Bullmoose 670 mm! And modern MTB bars are even larger. No one complains about those being based upon "ergonomics that haven't been tested properly." 

Personally, I have never liked alt-bars (Albatross, Bullmoose, etc), though I love the look of them. But that is me! If you want a wide bar and like not having drops, get some alts. If you want a narrow bar and drops you're all set. And now, if you've been jonesing for a wide bar with drops, you're time has come! I don't think there is much mystery to it. Yes you can fit a larger bag, but too me that shouldn't be a reason to get handlebars (though it is a nice benefit to wide bars). I'm also middling about the off-road aspect. I've never felt like 440 mm noddles provided too little leverage for a bumpy trail, but maybe I'm not shredding the gnar hard enough??

A couple of final thoughts: I think the Shaka bar strikes pretty much the prefect balance for me, so much so I bought another pair just the other day when Crust came back online. The Towelrack, although still really really good, have a few drawbacks to me compared to the Shaka:

Aerodynamics - yeah, yeah, I'm not overly concerns with Aero or anything, but you do pay a bit of penalty here, coasting down a descent in which your buddies speed past you without pedaling is just something that is going to happen compared to normal drops, even the Shakas (which I don't notice this with). Now compared to Alts, it's probably better, so if your decision is between the two, it's maybe a no-brainer, but something to consider otherwise (Basically I don't want to put them on a pure road bike)

Clearance - They are wide; be prepared to have to think a lot more about navigating some situations. On the open road this isn't a problem, but tight singletrack or urban bike infrastructure can suddenly become a bit more challenging. I think this may be more of challenge with wide drops compared to alt or MTB bars due to your hands being a bit more exposed due to the positioning, even though they are just as wide. Or, i dunno, maybe my bike handling skills are junk and I got away with narrow bars? Again I don't have this issue with the Shakas as much

Different pressure points - Not really a big deal, but do be prepared to get callous in different spots. I notice that using Towelrack tends to give me callouses inbetween my thumb and forefinger, whereas with normal drops I get them more on the base forefinger and middle finger. 

In short, handlebars are very much a personal preference and wide dropbars aren't any different; they are not a panacea but I also don't think they are just a "trend." They are probably best for folks you like a lot of width for different hand positions and also want to maximum their reach on their bike compared to alt bars. 

[Justin]

Short and sweet, I love wide drops! Hated them growing up. After riding Albatross and Bull Moose bars on my Rivs for years something changed. I got in on an early release of the widest Crust Towel racks and have been converted. They have solved the wrist and lower back discomfort I was having on rides over 10+ miles and did not present the neck issue that I was expecting. I believe it is due to all the different hand positions available on such a wide bar. Also love the space to use big handlebar bags and be rid of front racks, baskets and paniers amen. 

[Den John]

The difference between ultra-wide drops and wide MTB bars is that wide MTB bars have been mainstream for a while now. Pretty much every MTB I see these days has

very wide bars. Shops sell them and are able to help with setup. Other riders can also advise. Here in the EU at least, ultra wide drops are still a bit niche. You need to go online

to get them, and to get advice on them. I am the only person near me who rides with them, and my MTB friends think I'm weird. So I had to do my own experiments with setup and ergonomics, and I can't really be sure I'm getting things right, apart from the feedback my arms, back and wrists give me. I'm glad I didn't give up on wide drops after some initial weirdness, but it took some patience to find the right ones. YMMV.

As for alt-bars, a lot of those seem very similar to older designs like the German stuttgarter or French Toulouse bar that people have been riding for decades, so they are not entirely new territory.

The main benefits I've found to wide drops for off road are, first, mud: I seem to get less bogged down in muddy sections with wider drops, and, second, steeper, fairly technical climbs. Riding a steep climb in the drops gives me a more confident grip than either flat bars or barends, and more leverage than narrower drops. I'm not exactly a 'gnarly' rider by an stretch of the imagination. I have no idea if wide drops would be a good idea for drop-offs or other more extreme riding.

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[Ryan M.]

I have a Crust Towel Rack bar on a cyclocross bike. I like it, but I have gradually moved my bars on most of my bikes over to Albatross bars or Bullmoose bars because I prefer mtb brake levers. 

The wide drop bar really is comfortable and allows a lot of control of the bike in grass, mud, and rocky terrain. The wide tops are almost like riding a short flat bar
 and when in the drops you really get a lot of control. It has been my experience that you really have to use a really short stem to make these bars comfortable though. On the Crust Towel rack, I find the bends of the bar to be quite comfortable and don't get any wrist or hand pain. 

[Eric Marth]

Wow, thanks for the considerable insight, everyone! I really appreciate the assessments, personal histories, preferences and the rest. 

I'm currently running Albatross bars but find I most often ride in the forward position of the bars, in front of the brake levers. It's nice to take the full upright position to change the grip and riding posture but I'm finding it is my least favorite grip. I do love the look of the bars, can't deny it and won't try to hide it. 

The bike I have now is a little big for me, I can just stand over it. Not much seatpost showing (similar, perhaps, to the too-big Sam that Grant wrote about in one of the readers). When I first bought it there were some 45cm drops installed, the widest I'd tried to that point. I thought they were pretty groovy and almost felt great. But the stem was way too long and I had become possessed of the idea of trying out Albatross bars. 

Of the big bars out there the Nitto/Crust Shaka bars have my attention. As others have mentioned the cost and time involved in a swap is considerable. 

Thanks again to everyone for sharing. 

[Damien]

James from Analog built me up a tres sweet Bombora with some 52cm wide Spank bars. I was worried they were going to feel awful, especially since I had been using 42cm bars on the Roadini, but they felt quite natural for me. Top tube on the Bombora is quite a bit shorter than the Sam. Not sure stem length, but I'm thinking it's a 90mm? We also kept quite a bit of steerer tube to keep some stack, so the bars are about level with the saddle.

For me, the bars feel quite good on the shoulders, and I feel less hunched using them which is great since I sit in front of my GD computer all day. Psychologically, I had to get over my preconceived notions of what a road drop bar should feel like, but these things are fantastic on trails, give me a tonne of control, and a lot of room in between the hoods for a Swift handlebar bag. Some pics below from when James had just built it up before shipping out.

One negative: my wife also loves the bars (and the bike I guess), and she's constantly sneaking out with it for evening rides.

[Gabriel Bruguier]

I have really enjoyed this thread.  I've been a wide drop convert since I installed a set of Towel Racks (the widest ones) on my Cheviot in summer 2018.  While I loved the stretched out body position in the drops, I felt they were a little too wide.  So when the 645 width came back in stock I picked up some of those.  Two sets, actually lol.  They're just right for me.  Since then I've had them on one or another bike in my rotation, besides the Cheviot, my Riv Mountain, and Steve Potts Trail Bike.  For long gravel rides they're perfect-- lots of hand positions, and the ability to stretch out and chill.

This week, for fun, I built up my Bstone Mile 112 SE as a fixed gear, and threw on a set.  Mainly rode in the hoods.  What a fun bike!

[Gabriel Bruguier]

 Another angle of the 112 that better illustrates the wide drop glory.

[Will Boericke]

I am quite fond of the Ritchey Venturemax I have on my CaadX - just the right amount of drop and flare, with long drops with plenty of hand real-estate.  What Bars lead me to believe that Midges were similar, which is true of flare, but to my mind, they need more length in the drops.  I am using them happily and find that stem height was the key to making that work out.  I have not tried a set of ultra-wide drops and probably won't because I'm cheap.

[John G]

I'm thinking of a set of the Spank bars for my next project.  Right now I have a set of the VeloOrange Dajia Far Bars (48cm) on the Stump Puller, paired with a Cigne stem to get the bars way up there. (585mm overall).  I spend a lot of time in the hooks and they feel pretty good.

https://flic.kr/p/2kj72a1

I also have a set of original WTB Dirt Drops on the Quickbeam.  They feel good too. :)
https://flic.kr/p/sr927L

Cheers,

John G

Union Bridge, MD

[Pancake]

I've used several riv bars and some similar bars including some wide-ish dropbars. My thoughts on each:

First bars were Albatross (56cm steel) and they're still used on my Cheviot (with bar ends mounted at the most forward point making a sort of "aero" reach position that's like riding on the hoods of drop bars). 56cm wide feels good, hand angle is good, but not as many riding positions as I originally figured. If I could replace them with Tosco bars I'd do it now. 

Second bars were Bosco (58cm) on a Hillborne, now used on my Rosco Baby bike - perfect for the baby bike where long reach back and pretty darn wide leaves room for the kid in the front seat. Flexy on a 11cm nitto technomnic stem, they were nice on the Hillborne as a commuter but they shine on the Rosco Bebe, they were also good on the Cheviot which is a commuter, but a bit too much sweep back and rise making too big a difference between the forward flat position and the super upright grips position. The extra width was great.

Switched the Hillborne to Nitto Dirt Drop RM-013 bars (48cm at hoods, 52cm at bar ends) - very nice for long rides but ultimately not quite right for me - too much drop and not enough flair at the hooks to make the hoods angled a bit more which feels better for me on longer rides. Very comfy in the hoods. Shortened to a 6cm stem (was 11cm with the Boscos on it before). Nice and flexy, but not quite right for my wrists (which bare plenty of weight as I'm a heavy fella). To get more flair at the hooks and a bit more width at the ends switched to ...

Soma Portola (56cm at ends, 45.5cm at hoods) - much less drop that the RM-013 dirt drops, more flair angle at the hooks sets the hoods at an angle so I can put more weight on the hoods comfortably. Still figiting with the setup (no tape yet but I think I'm set now) after raising the stem quite a bit (compared to the dirt drops). Biggest difference: Suddenly I use the hooks! Never really felt good in the hooks before but seems very natural position with these bars. The hoods are also more comfy (vs. RM-103) because of the additional flair at the hook. The wrist angle in the drops is not ideal but it's good, it's a little steep (not as close to flat with the ground as the RM-013) but good - if I could modify these to have a be flatter here while keeping the hoods/hooks in the same spot these would be ideal for me. 

Lots of additional options if you have a 31.8mm clamp stem (including the Junebug which is just the Portola but in 31.8, both quite similar to the Midge) but these are my fav's in the 25.4/26mm variety. 

Honestly, I'd be happy to try the Towel Rack in 610/615mm because of where it would setup the hoods, but 660 or 670mm seems past the point of diminishing returns for my body unless I was on dirt only setup. So vary VERY happy with the Portola bars as a compromise for wider, better wrist hood position bars. 

My main hand position is usually 1-2" above the nose of the seat. I also angle the seat so it points at the stem clamp or main hand position and that consistently works nicely. 

There are so many small changes in brake lever position and drop angle and stem height that I would be hard pressed to tell you any bar fits well or poorly until trying tons of different positions. Any by the time my fit seems perfect my body changes enough to make it a constantly moving target to get the fit just right. But mostly I just ride as it is whenever there's time!

May you find your happy handlebar place!