more handlebar help!! please

[elk]

I have my eye on 4. I ordered 2 from Universal and Friday I can go down adn decide which I want. Meantime, I have located 2 others that look promising. But I can't really READ them in the photos....or probably off the bike, and some of these places have a return policy that wouldn't really allow me to get a good turn on the bike with them first. .I don't have any cycling friends' bikes w/any of these on them to try...

Don't want that ergonomic shape like the poco has. I want a more traditional bar on which I can mount my Shimano brifters (with shims) a wee bit higher than straight horizontal with the bar. If I feel like it.
I ride mostly on the hoods, on Ritchey Biomax II and I can't reach my brakes well in the drops.

Which of these looks promising?

all are 38* width on a 26cm stem (IOW..limited choices!)

in order left to right:
Cinelli Little Wing (LW for women) 140/ 75
Nitto Neat 153 131/80
Cinelli Giro D'Italia 64 138/? (bottom bar is 110cm)

*EastonEC90 Equipe Pro 130 75
(BUT I'd have to get it in size 40 and wonder if that would be a mistake right off the bat.)

(I also have the Modolo Venus on the list , but may want a little more room than they give?)
thanks for the help! and to Liza, Lisa, Kathi, Becky who have been walking with me in this maze....

[aicabsolut]

The first number is the drop. The 131 would be considered "shallow drop." The 138-140 is probably more in the "mid-drop" range.

The second number is the reach. 75 is "short reach," and 80 is "medium reach."

My Specialized Dolce bars are short drop and short reach, 132/75. So, I'd lean towards the Eastons EXCEPT for the bar size issue. If you really need 38s, go with 38s. I like narrow bars. That said, plenty of people like a slightly wider bar, especially for climbing, so you may be just fine with a 40. That is totally your preference.

Other than that, it seems you have the most problems in the drops, so then I'd be inclined to go by the drop number more than the reach (though the reach could make your life easier on the hoods, and it could change the positioning of the hoods relative to the bar a bit). So, I'd lean towards the Nitto Neat, but those Cinellis might work.

[elk]

I don't know whether 40 would work...I've only used the ones that came on my bike which are 38...and seem fine.

I neglected to say that the reach problem has most to do with the shape of my current bar (which is 130/75) That "/" part: I need more of a "c"

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I found the classic "C" of my old Nitto Noodle bars to be uncomfortable for my hands when I had my hands in the drops with my fingertips trying to stay on the brake levers. Myself, I like the idea of those Little Wings.

[ilima]

I have the Easton EC90 Equipe Pro Bend bars and they are great! I'd had short and shallow women's bars, but they were 'anatomic' style, which left me just a little nub to grab onto when I wanted to hammer. A note about these bars, though, is that you are only to use them with a 2-bolt stem. Many have 4 bolts.

However, if you are not having issues with your current 38s, not sure about switching to bigger bars. I actually prefer a bit wider of a bar and switched out the 40s that my bike came with for 42s.

[aicabsolut]

I don't think the slight ergo bend of the Cinelli Little Wing bars will bother you like your current ones. They've got the short reach to the top, but they do have a mid-drop, so that might not make them enough different from yours. I like a very mild ergo bend for sprinting. It's a better platform for my hands when I don't care about reaching the brakes.

It's too bad about the Eastons. Have you tried measuring your shoulders? Get someone to put a tape measure behind you from the center of shoulder to shoulder (where the bone is). This measurement in cm is what you need to judge just how wide 40cm is for you.

I was thinking about your problem on my ride yesterday. My short reach/short drop bars make it easier for me to solidly grip the brakes from both positions. If you are doing fine when on the tops, then you can go with a mid-reach bar. Going to my short-reach bars also let me keep my stock 110mm stem. So, then I'd focus on getting the best drop number for your hands, which of your options means the Nittos if you don't go with Eastons.

[elk]

aicabsolut

i'm moved that I was on yr ride with you for a while!!

DH measure my shoulders to be about 34 from clavicle bump to clavicle bump...my 38s LOOK pretty much like a straight fit from my shoulders.

I'm not sure that the 40s though would be uncomfortable...I was imagining making the width a cm wider on each end and it seemed like it would be nice in come ways...

On my last 20 mile ride I discovered that I was alot more comfortable riding the hoods than the tops of the bars...and going downhill I went into the drops which seemed fine except for reaching the brakes part.

I also just got in the mail the shims for my brakes...so now I imagine it's a matter of fit more than ability to brake and shift---given the size range I'm looking at.

I'm going to go look at the Cinelliis today....and the easton in 40 is on ebay ending tomorrow....the NIttos are at SomaFab.

[elk]

I have the Easton EC90 Equipe Pro Bend bars and they are great! I'd had short and shallow women's bars, but they were 'anatomic' style, which left me just a little nub to grab onto when I wanted to hammer. A note about these bars, though, is that you are only to use them with a 2-bolt stem. Many have 4 bolts.

However, if you are not having issues with your current 38s, not sure about switching to bigger bars. I actually prefer a bit wider of a bar and switched out the 40s that my bike came with for 42s.

oooooo I just realized I've got 4 bolts.... well process by elimination seems to be the name of the game.

[aicabsolut]

I was looking through the new Excel catalog this weekend, and there are a lot of bars out there that come in either 26 or 31.8 diameter.

Not too many go down to sizes 36-38, but those that do are generally made for smaller riders, with extra short reach and drop. Have you looked at the SWalsa Poco bars? They come in 26 clamp size and go down to 36cm width. 70mm reach. 140mm drop.

[elk]

I bought the Cinelli Little Wing...looks like it should work...fingers crossed!