I've had my hybrid just over a month.. already want a road bike!

[sarahspins]

Bars are here!

After a few test rides up and down my driveway and along the road in front of my house, I'm 99% sure I have the brakes/shifters where I want, so I went ahead and taped them up.. I will really get to test them out when DH gets home from work, but they already feel WAY better, both being narrower and putting my hands at a much more comfortable angle



My only disappointment is that my light blue tape is much lighter than I expected (I was expecting more of a medium-light blue, not pastel blue)... but tape is (relatively) cheap, I can replace it later if I want (and maybe do a better job of taping the bars, too!)

The tape isn't adhesive so I can pull it back gently and still get to the screws to tweak the angle of the brakes and shifters a bit if I need to... they are as far "up" the handlebars as they will go, since once the curve starts on the bars, they won't go any further.

[sarahspins]

Well I'm not sure anyone REALLY cares, but my 7.6 mile test ride was a success... MUCH more comfortable overall, and is it my imagination that it feels like I'm working slightly different muscle groups now? I felt it in my triceps/upper arms and more in my quads than usual... not in a bad way, just in a "hey, we're getting more of a workout now" way Could that be because I'm in a bit more "forward" in position now? The reach is fine and I'm not uncomfortable at all (my hands and upper body are lower, of course).. and I got no numbness in my hands, though I did get a cramp in my left thenar muscle (palm), but that tends to give me trouble from time to time anyways (I nearly sliced through that muscle completely with an ice skate 15 years ago, and it's never been the same since) so I'm not sure I'd call it a problem just yet. It could be a glove issue.. I dunno. It didn't happen until about a mile from home. I'm not too worried about it just yet.. I'll take a cramp I can feel over numb hands!

[Cataboo]

Sarah - yes, if you're leaned over more, you use a slightly different set of muscles than you do upright...

The sparrows look really neat - let me know in a month or so how you like 'em and maybe I'll stop being cheap

[sarahspins]

I will! After just a couple of days I'm amazed at the difference.. NO hand cramp yesterday, much much much more comfortable than the stock bars.. just hope it stays that way.. or continues to feel even better

I think I ride a little faster now too, but that could be my imagination since my average isn't really up that much

[Cataboo]

If it feels like you're faster, I'm sure you are... Just if you go faster, then you get tired a little bit more, which slows you down a bit to compensate till you adjust. Or something like that.

You sort of did the same thing as aerobars - I'm definitely faster & more efficient if I'm on aerobars, just certain parts of me & the saddle don't tend to get along when I lean that far forward. Part of it's the aerodynamics and I think part is which set of muscles you start using.

I was riding my surly the other day and think I really wanted to change the handlebars for something, or I at least need to change the stem. They're not happying. I've got it set up with 8 speed mountain bike components, but I now have bar end shifters, so I could put mustache style bars on (the ones I originally bought for it that didn't fit mtb shifters) and bar end shifters and convert it to a 9 speed...

[Zen]

Sarah, do you have any photos of those bars from a different angle? I can't tell a whole lot from that one shot.
I'm considering different bars for my 7.6 as well but I have no desire for a "real" road bike.

[sarahspins]

I'll take some.. give me a few