Upturned vs flat base bar ends
I was planning to finally upgrade the front end of my 2015 P2 this winter, moving to a bar like the Tririg Alpha One for better aerodynamics and adjustability. But I am having second thoughts about moving to a base bar with flat ends at the brake levers. While I spend my races in the aerobars, in training I am often dealing with traffic, hills, curves, and other road conditions that require being in the base bar. Add in rain or sweat and I could see my hands slipping off the end of a flat bar (or just not being able to brace as effectively).
Others who have dealt with this, what was your experience? I could go to the flat bar and increase grip with something like racquet overgrip, or add a grip with a bulge like the Felt Tri Tip, or instead choose a bar with upturned ends like the Prosvet or Aeria T4.
Thanks!
Comments
@Mike Westover I have no experience with flat bar grips, but I do have some thoughts after riding my QR PR6 the past three years. First off, I have weakened forearms, and the upturn at the end of my Prosvet bar gives me both confidence and a feeling similarity with my road bike. Second, any slight aero advantage there might be from the flat vs up curved profile seems outweighed by issues of safety and comfort, unless I were trying to nudge my bike split from, say, 5:01 to 5:00.
@Al Truscott agreed that any aero advantage from the flat grips is likely small, and may even be outweighed by having more confidence descending and cornering. And with over 90% of my miles on this bike on open roads in training, I have the same bias toward safety and comfort.
The biggest thing pushing me toward the newer integrated systems is the ease of position adjustments. I have gradually been moving my position lower over the years, and it would be nice to be able to test those adjustments without dealing with stem spacers. Unfortunately the integrated systems that make adjustments easier (like Alpha One, Aeria Ultimate, and Vuka Stealth) have flat brake grips.
When I was shopping for a new tri bike last summer, I test rode a few bikes that had the flat outside bars (where the brakes are located). I immediately felt like if I braked (broke?) too hard, then I'd slide my hands right off the end. Wasn't a fan.
My previous bike had flat inside bars, which stressed my wrists a bit more than I'd like, so I chose the bent middle bars on my new rig.
Given those statements, both my inside and outside bars have bends in them.
I have straight bars and I don't think it is a real difference. It can definitely effect your mind set if you over think it, but the reality is that it's really not an issue for 99.9% of situations that could occur.
@Mike Westover Definitely ANTI flat bars. I have flat bars on my FELT, this is how I broke my collarbone, it was a hot,humid, day, I was on a back road under the tree's with mottled sunshine showing through, making visibility difficult, on top of that my glasses were fogged, it was a rolling hill section and I was very familiar with it, I had come up out of aero bars because of it, and I was riding in my flat bar ends, I hit a downhill compression(maybe a crack but never figured out exactly what) and was stripped off the front of my bike and hit the ground before I knew what happened.... After recovery I purchased the solid pistol grip type ends that FELT sells, its not an upturn but there is a big nub of rubber before the brake lever that gives me comfort. Heather has really flat bars on her TREK which I worry about all the time, she is aware of it, does not mind it, and is not nearly as aggressive but I still worry.