My experience with 56cm steel Albatross bars and 130mm stem with XL hands is there just wasn't enough room in front a traditional grip and shifter setup. I always found mtb levers to just be in the way of valuable hand space regardless of the bar type. Instead, I used Tektro RX4.1 bar end brake levers, with thumbshifters positioned just around and inside the curve, and used regular EVA drop bar tape. This gives the entire usable portion of the bar(end to around the curve) with the hands free to roam. I found myself with my hands mostly in the middle of straight section of the bars, and extending up from there to the curve. I rarely had my hands where a traditional grip would go. Even braking, all I'd generally need is a pinkie or the next finger, all while still in the middle straights of the bar.
That said, I find bar width seems proportional to how high/low one has them placed. Now I have bars below the saddle and ride 44cm drop bars, elbows bent straight forward, very nice. On Wednesday, August 27, 2025 at 10:49:09 PM UTC-4 [email protected] wrote: > Hey there OP. I ride a 59 Atlantis and decided to level-jump the Albatross > to the Billie Bars, as I am running 2x shifters, ergon grips, and brake > levers. I am glad I did. Plenty of room for all the riff raff, and a nice > forward position. I am also, by some terms, an XL dude. Hope that helps. > > Nick A, Falls Church VA > > On Wednesday, August 27, 2025 at 9:58:50 PM UTC-4 Jim in Mpls wrote: > >> Are you using bar end shifters or thumbshifters? That will make a >> difference in hand positions. I had an albatross bar, but found I wanted >> more room in front of the grip using thumbshifters Riv style, so I switched >> to the Billie bar. >> With bar end shifters the Albatross may have been adequate. I'm 6'1" with >> largish hands. >> Jim in Mpls >> >> On Wednesday, August 27, 2025 at 7:29:30 PM UTC-5 [email protected] >> wrote: >> >>> I have Albatross bars on a couple bikes, however I am 5’9 or so and I >>> find the width to be perfect and there is definitely a 2nd (primary) >>> position out on the curves, even with trigger shifters. I also had a bike >>> setup with Ron’s Orthopedic bars and they are wider and would offer more >>> room for a larger rider. You will need the longest stem you have. Even with >>> the Albatross bars I am running a 130mm stem. >>> With the Rons Orthopedic bars , I was tempted to cut the ends as they do >>> come WAYback. Maybe try to overlay Ron’s Ortho Bars over your current bar, >>> that should give a visual. >>> >>> >>> On Wednesday, August 27, 2025 at 7:47:13 PM UTC-4 brizbarn wrote: >>> >>>> I'm thinking of trying some Nitto/Riv Albatross Bars. I ride a 60 >>>> Appaloosa, and have a few stems to try out. Currently I'm riding Sim >>>> Works >>>> Little Nick Bars, which are basically flat bars with a little back sweep, >>>> no rise, 700mm wide. I like them, but find myself wanting to be more >>>> upright a lot of the time. I often cruise around with my finger tips on >>>> the grips, maybe just one hand. My current bars are good for standing and >>>> cranking hard when I need to. They are pretty comfy for just pedaling >>>> along at a chill pace, but sometimes wish I could be a bit more forward >>>> (like hoods on a drop bar). While also being more upright a lot of the >>>> time. >>>> >>>> So my question is, do Albatross bars have enough room in front of >>>> levers and shifter to fit a XL-sized hand in a comfortable fashion? Or do >>>> bigger hands end up needing to be more on the curve? And, is that >>>> in-front-of-levers position on Albatross bars wide enough for a larger >>>> rider with broad shoulders? And can you efficiently crank hard with >>>> Albatross bars when need be? >>>> >>>> Attached is an overlay from whatbars.com showing Albatross vs. Little >>>> Nick. I'm often keeping my hands on the outer part of the bar's width. >>>> I've considered Billie bars too but they seem to come back too far towards >>>> the rider. If anyone is selling some Albatross bars, let me know. >>>> [image: Screen Shot 2025-08-27 at 4.35.34 PM.png] >>>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/9632bf2e-29eb-4f52-92ea-74b1bb222e86n%40googlegroups.com.
