on 12/3/10 12:35 PM, Leslie at leslie.bri...@gmail.com wrote: > Interesting timing for this discussion, as I've been mulling similar > questions. > > > I've got 48cm Noodles on my Ram, love 'em. > > > But I'm planning a Bombadil build. Originally had planned to just > run w/ the Bullmoose. But, after seeing photos of Woodchippers on a > Bomba, I started thinking about offroad drops. But, I'm not a > hardcore offroader, mostly rails-to-trails... was starting to think > that Rando bars might be the way to go. > > So, I hope everyone else continues to pitch in on this discussion, > experiences, etc., so I can mull it all over....
The WTB-type Dirt Drop bar style never really won me over. I'm talking about the designs which pretty radically flair the hooks, such as the Woodchippers. They've always felt too weirdly flared at the base (clearance on singletrack) and too narrow to be useful at the top. What I've found (for me, my riding style and the topography I encounter) is that if I'm in the drops on off-road descents, I like my elbows in and my butt back. Keeping my elbows in keeps my mass and momentum hinged directly behind my hands, so if the bicycle stops suddenly my weight pushes my hands directly into the bars. Flared lower sections keep my elbows out, which tends to make them pivot out if I suddenly stop, which has my mass twisting my hands away from me, putting all the force into my thumbs - a recipe for decoupling my hands from the bars. Bent elbows also moves my center o' gravity forward. On the road, of course, drops is drops. For rails-to-trails, I don't know that I'd change anything. If you physiology has your wrists or forearms banging uncomfortably on the uppers when you are in the lowers, then the slight flare of a rando-style bar would make some sense - just enough to shift you out without sacrificing multiple positions. All of which have led me to stick with the Noodles/Soba design. But I do run them at or slightly below saddle height. In a more upright position, I don't mind a "flat" bar, as long as it has decent sweep - which again lets me get my elbows slightly more tucked in. - Jim -- Jim Edgar cyclofi...@earthlink.net Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries - http://www.cyclofiend.com Current Classics - Cross Bikes Singlespeed - Working Bikes Gallery updates now appear here - http://cyclofiend.blogspot.com "I had to ride slow because I was taking my guerrilla route, the one I follow when I assume that everyone in a car is out to get me." -- Neal Stephenson, "Zodiac" -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
