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setting up handlebars on a road bike

mgraffeomgraffeo
in General Training Discussions

 So, other than watching a lot of TdF every July, my road bike knowledge is pretty weak, having gotten into tri's right after getting my first road bike.  The question I'm wondering is how do you know what angle to clamp the handlebars into the stem?  I can find pictures all over the internet, from pretty flat, like this

to pretty dropped, like this

Is there any wisdom out there in the haus on what the best thing to do is?

Thanks!

Mike

Comments

  • Steven FordSteven Ford

    Like a tri bike, get fitted

  • Scott AlexanderScott Alexander
    Got mine thru trial and error, and I guess I've been lucky because it's served me well thus far.
  • Cary BlancoCary Blanco
    I go with the flat alignment myself, but more and more i'm noticing the dropped bars.
  • Nemo BrauchNemo Brauch

    There is some personal preferance and riding style involved.  I'm actually in the process of buying new handlebars (I found at TOC my current set beat the heck out of my hands and are just too big).  I found this video from Terry is quite helpful:

    http://www.youtube....ram> name="allowFullScreen" value="true">http://www.youtube.com/v/rNKxVcy5Sk...p;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385">
  • manconamancona
    Personal perference, as there is much more flexibility when fitting to a road bike. I personally found switching to short and shallow bars, with sram shifts made a HUGE difference in comfort on my road bike. I'm sure everyone will be shocked but at my size the stock bars that came with my bike were to wide and I was streched out. I also perfer the flat position of the hoods, very similar to my tribike base bars.
  • NortonNorton
    My take? Keep the ramps to the hoods flat, then have the hoods an extension of that plane, only rising up at the very end. Works great, looks cool; what else could you ask for?
  • kjanracingkjanracing
    Don't be in a hurry to tape the bars and call it done. When I'm setting up a new position I'll just electrical-tape the cables to the bar and ride the bike and adjust the lever position, bar tilt, stem angle, etc. as I need to until I like the position, it's comfortable, and all that. Then I do the final tightening and taping.
  • jwpicciottojwpicciotto
    I have always been coached that the brakes hoods should be fit so that the majority of the hood body is parallel with the ground. Your second picture. (I know that you called it dropped, but it is actually flat) This provides a flat surface to rest your hands on while riding. Think of the flat surface on your handlebars on the tri bike leading to the brake hoods. If the hoods are angled up, this will force your hands to tilt up and place pressure on your wrists and the associated nerves.
  • Spokane_AlSpokane_Al
    I try to position my road bike bars so that my hands are in the best position to reach the brakes while in the drops. Setting my bars to closer to the second position makes this easier for me. If the bars are positioned closer to those in the first picture I find that I have to reach more to access my brakes while in the drops.

    The second picture's position is also more comfortable for me for the reasons that John mentioned.
  • kjanracingkjanracing

    to add to my suggestions: The bars in the second pic are kinda more old school, today they are set up more like in the first picture. Here is what I do: set up my bike in the trainer. Don't worry about where the levers are yet. Ride for a bit in the drops and adjust the tilt for the most comfortable feel. You can leave the stem clamp a little loose so you can tilt the bars up and down with some pressure. It will feel great when your hands just naturally fit in the drops. Tighten the stem clamp. Then position the levers on the bars and find your comfortable position there. I also like a "flatter" position for the levers rather than the "euro" angled up setup. Then temporarily tape the cables down and ride you setup on the road. If you be a happy doode, wrap it up with the new EN bar tape-coming soon- and enjoy!

  • mgraffeomgraffeo
    Thanks, all! Very helpful.

    @Nemo, great video. Now I feel much better empowered to make good decisions myself.

    @John, the dropped I was referring to in the second picture was the angle of the handlebar tops on their way to the hoods, not so much the hoods themselves.

    Thanks!
  • mgraffeomgraffeo
    @Kurt, great idea. I like it.
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