anatomical or round bars?

[michaeltop]

Is this a marketing ploy to get us to buy the round bars for my new bike? I find the anatomical drop bars ok and see no reason to upgrade to be in style. Seems like most bike shops talk about anatomical drops like there is something wrong. Anyone else happy with them?

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Run what makes your hands happy.

There's nothing wrong with either style 'if' you're comfortable on them. The only ***** I have is with the too short (for my hands) drop extensions on the FSA anatonical bars. That and the Energy model flexes like it was made out of rubber.

 

[Bob Ross]

Is this a marketing ploy to get us to buy the round bars for my new bike? I find the anatomical drop bars ok and see no reason to upgrade to be in style.

Wait a minute...now it's the round bars that are considered the "upgrade"?!?!?! Wasn't that long ago that ana bars were the newfangled "upgrade".

Seems like most bike shops talk about anatomical drops like there is something wrong. Anyone else happy with them?

I'm very happy with the ana bars on my current bike (some OEM aluminum "Fire" things from Cannondale) but I've been extremely unhappy with certain other anatomic bars. On the other hand, have you ever heard anyone complain about round bars? Personally, I think the whole anatomic bar thing was the marketing ploy, and you're just now noticing certain cyclists or builders recognizing the advantage of an old-school round handlebar.

 

[rudycyclist]

Ana bars are the "in" thing lately it seems. Many of the guys on my former team rode them and love them. I use round bars because that's what came on my bike when I bought it. I have used the ana bars on my track bike and I do not like them. They don't give me a comfortable drop position. It's all preference like everything else with bikes.

 

[oldbobcat]

Wait a minute...now it's the round bars that are considered the "upgrade"?!?!?! Wasn't that long ago that ana bars were the newfangled "upgrade".

Ironic, ain't it? There's a reason the basic shape of the drop bar hadn't changed in over 100 years.

For decades I was and old Cinelli Mod 66 kind of guy, and I hated the anatomic bar that came with my new Felt. On the drops, especially riding down canyons, my hands wanted to hang on at the kink on the bottom, where there wasn't enough bar left for my whole hand.

Replaced it with the Reynolds "traditional" pattern that I call a mullet bend--party (contemporary, flat and square) on top and business (more traditional, gradually increasing radius) on the bottom.