Matt O'Toole <
[email protected]> writes:
> On Tue, 30 Jan 2007 22:12:44 -0700, Mark Hickey wrote:
>
>> [email protected] wrote:
>>
>>>> http://www.3ttt.com/ing/fr_curve.htm
>>>
>>>Wow, that's a lot of dimples and curves. When I think of the distance
>>>I've ridden on my old steel bars and never give them a thought except
>>>when the bar tape gives out, I wonder what the designers of the wavy
>>>contours and flat spots use as a guide. These features seem to me
>>>much like the scoops and airfoils on family sedans these days. I
>>>definitely want circular curved hooks on my bars.
>>
>> Funny thing though, the contour of my palm when I'm in the hooks
>> matches the "wavy contour" of my TTT ergo bars perfectly. The Cinelli
>> bars (retrogrouch specials) were uncomfortable after any time in the
>> hooks since the weight my hands supported was borne by the only the
>> outside edges of my palms. I went with the ergo bars and found I
>> could ride forever in the hooks comfortably.
>>
>> They might not be the answer for every problem, and may not fit
>> everyone, but I like 'em. I wouldn't go back (not even if Cinelli
>> retro-looking bars come back into style)(actually, especially if they
>> do). ;-)
>
> I like the flats in my own bars for the same reason. But I never found
> the older bars a problem, unless the hook radius was too small (drop too
> shallow).
>
> Mine are like the "Morphe" bend pictured at the above website. They're
> more than ergonomic enough.
>
> Matt O.
I think of the so-called "anatomic" bars (like ritchey) as a generally
fairly std alum bars with a simple short straight section in the
drops, and just a std normal narrow round bar on the top, and costing
barely more than a std bar. "Ergonomic" I think of as carbon, with
elaborate shaping possible only with carbon, mostly on the top, such
as ovalizing close to the stem, and creative shaping around the hoods
that allow a lot of different grips, such that you to tend to change
the pressure points on your hands and fingers frequently.
Most people I think spend very little time in the drops, primarily on
descents, through difficult turns, going really fast to decrease wind
resistance or into the wind, or when about to be dropped from a pack,
or otherwise on the verge of heart failure. This amounts to about 1%
of your riding. The more important part to consider is the shaping on
the top, around the hoods, the (horizontal) distance from from top bar
to the forwardmost part of the hook, and the (vertical) distance from
the top bar to the lowest point of the hook. If those distances are
relatively short, you spend more time in the drops, such as with the
3T bio-morphe. If you have bigger hands, they may not fit, or your
wrist may hit the top while in the drop. The shapes in the drops is
secondary, but not unimportant.
And I completely dissagree that you're further from the levers in the
drops of an ergo bar or anatomic bar. It's not possible to generalize
because there is an equally wide variety of shapes and sizes with
ergo, anatomic, or std.
Bill Westphal
