Greeting all

A mystery to me......

I used to ride on Bontrager RaceLite (42cm C-C) handlebars, 31.8mm, which came standard on my 2005 Trek Madone 5.9. They are a deep drop, anatomic shape. I had problems reaching the drops (too low) so I just bought Deda Newton shallow drop (135mm) handle-bars of same effective width with a non-anatomic, classic curved drops.

So I went to my LBS for fitting today and discovered that my standard 110mm stem was now too long!!! My arms were too stretched out, elbows straight, no bend. I had to swap it over to shorter 100mm stem! Nothing else was changed apart from the handle-bars.

Can anyone please look at the specs for Deda Newton shallow drop and Bontrager RaceLite deep drop anatomic handle-bars and please explain to me if it makes any sense or perhaps it is just my imagination and I need to put my original 110mm stem back? I have not ridden the bike yet (it is still to be taped and re-cabled) so this is purely from spin-trainer in my LBS.

Thanks in advance!

Different handlebar brands and models have different reach and drop. Also, the angle of your brake levers can affect your effective reach. I would go by fit, feel and comfort, which all equal more control. A new stem is worth all that. :)

Greeting all

A mystery to me......

I used to ride on Bontrager RaceLite (42cm C-C) handlebars, 31.8mm, which came standard on my 2005 Trek Madone 5.9. They are a deep drop, anatomic shape. I had problems reaching the drops (too low) so I just bought Deda Newton shallow drop (135mm) handle-bars of same effective width with a non-anatomic, classic curved drops.

So I went to my LBS for fitting today and discovered that my standard 110mm stem was now too long!!! My arms were too stretched out, elbows straight, no bend. I had to swap it over to shorter 100mm stem! Nothing else was changed apart from the handle-bars.

Can anyone please look at the specs for Deda Newton shallow drop and Bontrager RaceLite deep drop anatomic handle-bars and please explain to me if it makes any sense or perhaps it is just my imagination and I need to put my original 110mm stem back? I have not ridden the bike yet (it is still to be taped and re-cabled) so this is purely from spin-trainer in my LBS.

Thanks in advance!

Sorry, I forgot to include the spec pointers:

http://www.bontrager.com/Road/Components/Handlebars/5713_popup.php

Specifications

Part No. Width Rise (+/-) Drop Clamp Reach Weight

260211 420mm Anatomic 145mm 31.8mm 75mm 230g

So "reach" is 75mm on RaceLite (measured how?)

Deda Newton shallow drop (Italian) is:

http://www.dedaelementi.com/cat_racing.asp (Newton handlebar)

Shallow Drop (center to center) mm 135 - Reach (center to center) mm 80.

I am not sure if "reach" is measured the same way by Deda and Bontrager but if so then this can account for 5mm difference? And the other 5mm ?

What is the story then? What have I missed?

I would go by fit, feel and comfort, which all equal more control.

I also think that would be best. Reach to the hoods is one of those fit dimensions which really can't and don't need to be tied down to the last few millimeters. What feels a bit strange one day, might feel perfect the next. But if you want your old reach back with your old stem, here are some thoughts:

As journeymonk said, where you place the levers on the bars affects reach. In my experience, it makes a huge difference. For example, you can shorten reach by whole centimeters just by moving the levers up the bar a bit, and vice versa. Measure from the saddle tip to a reference point on the brake lever top, with the front wheel exactly straight.

The angle of the bar also affects reach. Try rotating the Dedas a bit up or down to see if you can get your old reach back that way.

Can you re-establish your old setup exactly? If you can, reinstall the Bontragers, measure from the saddle tip to a brake lever reference point (like the rear edge of the metal cap) on both sides. Then pull the Bontragers, install the Deda and adjust until you've duplicated that measurement. I bet you can.

I don't know how Bontrager measures reach. If it's outside-to-outside, there's your missing 5 mm. For what it's worth, I've found Bontragers short on reach compared to almost everything else out there.

If you have a comfortable position that you're tying to duplicate with new bars, the smart thing to do is to measure the position BEFORE the old bars and brake levers are removed. A 1 inch dowel rod spanning across the hoods, held tightly where the crook of your thumb rests can provide a good reference line. Measure from inside of the bars to the inside of the rod on each side, as closely as possible to the brake hoods. This also shows if the brake hoods are both mounted the same distance from the center of the bars.

After the new bars are installed, the angle in the drop section should be adjusted for a comfortable wrist angle. When that's comfortable, the brake/shift levers can be adjusted to the proper angle for comfort with the hands on the hoods.

After all that, the dimension from the inside of the bars to the inside of the dowel rod can be rechecked. If the difference is only a few millimeters, there's little that can be done, unless you can tolerate moving the brake/shifters up or down a bit or moving the saddle fore/aft a bit. Larger differences can be addressed with a change in stem length. If the stem length is changed, then slight readjustments of the handlebar angle and/or brake hood position may also be required.

Another possible source of change is the vertical height of the brake hoods, relative to the top of the bars. Some bars have a substantial "ramp-down" between the top section and the brake hood. If the new bars position the brake hoods lower than the old ones, a different stem angle or a combination of stem angle and spacers may be required to produce the same brake hood height.

For example, my short reach Salsa Poco bars produce a measurement of 8cm from the inside of the bars to the 1 inch rod with Campy ergo levers. If I get new bars, this 8cm reference will tell me immediately, if a shorter or longer stem is required.

C-40 is the master when it comes to virtual bike fit, so I don't have much to add to his excellent advice, except...

You nailed your own problem/solution. The DROP on the Deda bars is smaller, but the REACH is actually longer--5mm longer--than on the Bontrager bars. And while the Bontrager bars are linear to provide an "anatomic" fit, the Deda bars are curved. So you not only have "longer" bars, but you are probably also reaching further on the curved part of the Dedas to find a comfortable place for your hands. My guess would be you are reaching 5mm further. That's your 10mm right there.

So if you want to keep your 110mm stem and ride in the drops, as are your objectives, look for bars that have a DROP of 135mm or less and a REACH of 75mm or less. I hope you can get your $$ back on the Deda bars and some Easton EA70s. These have a drop of 130mm and a reach of 75mm and are "anatomically" shaped.

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=BUY_PRODUCT_STANDARD&PRODUCT.ID=274&CATEGORY.ID=28&MODE=

The DROP on the Deda bars is smaller, but the REACH is actually longer--5mm longer--than on the Bontrager bars.
Don't bet on that "5 mm longer". Unless you know for sure that Deda and Bontrager measure their bars the exactly same way, you can only guess unless you actually measure the bars. It might be 5 mm longer, or 10 mm, or 15 mm.

acid_rider: once you get all dialed in again, consider documenting your measurements - including saddle-to-hood. One of the well-known but rarely imitated "secrets" of the pros is to painstakingly record bike fit dimensions. All it takes is 20 bucks worth of measuring tools, a piece of paper and a pencil. Bike theft, crashes, equipment changes, travel, incompetent mechanics and other calamities are easier to take when you've got your exact dimensions written down somewhere.

I just bought Deda Newton shallow drop (135mm) handle-bars of same effective width with a non-anatomic, classic curved drops.

I can't help your quandry, but those bars rock. I've been riding them for a while now, and will never go to anything else. Maybe I'll get the 215s, but still in the same shape/size...

yes, all makes sense. I think I will keep the 100mm stem if it proves comfortable since it looks ok on my 54cm road frame, it does not seem too short visually.