drops/brakes

[elk]

I don't know if it's the new bars...or the fact that when I put them on I changed the placement in some fundamental and mysterious way ..

I changed bars for better reach ...and because I think the ergo bars (are ugly...)

but I'll put em back on with shims if I need to...although I'd like these to have a chance.

[TxDoc]

Hi Elk, I just replied to your post about bars on another thread, and then I found this one again (yep, I'm a little slow sometimes...).
Did you try the deda elementi 4 girls then? They are 38 and easy reach - so maybe it could be a solution to your problem.

http://www.dedaelementi.com/It/Produ...ctIDMaster=377

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I changed bars for better reach ...and because I think the ergo bars (are ugly...)

For better reach of your fingers around the brake levers, right? Not to correct your whole body reach from your seat to your hands? Was your general body position and body/arm reach comfortable before, (not counting the short finger reach issue)? Did you feel your body weight was well centered befor you changed your bars, and not well centered afterwards?

If your reach problem is JUST in wrapping your fingers around the brake levers, and not a too long toptube whole body reach issue, then I personally feel the brifters shims would solve that, judging from your pictures.

Sometimes something that seems ugly but feels really good can slowly begin to look pretty beautiful.
I once bought a banjo that was a good price but I swore it was the ugliest banjo I ever saw. Made with white formica kitchen counter overlay with little gold flecks in it. After I played it a while I realized how silky it was to play and how great it sounded, and then it became strangely beautiful in my mind.
Now it's one of my favorites.

[elk]

No, Lisa...my overall reach is fine on the Aurora...it was a fingers only problem and then I got all caught up in the romance of handlbars with their various geographies....

I was wondering about the Deda 4Girls....you're the first one.. TxDoc to say she likes them. I'll go check out yr other post...but now I wonder if they have enough "real estate" on top...although I must say I use the tops far less than i used to...

[VeloVT]

For better reach of your fingers around the brake levers, right? Not to correct your whole body reach from your seat to your hands?

Sometimes something that seems ugly but feels really good can slowly begin to look pretty beautiful.

It is true the ergo bends DO tend to place the levers farther away in the drops, especially if the hoods are placed on the high side, so I don't think Elk is crazy for changing bars.

Elk, you (perhaps inadvertantly) changed to a bar the has a longer reach (that is, reach in the usual sense, not in the "wrapping fingers around brakes sense). It's not a huge difference, but probably enough to feel on the drops... I wonder if this is a problem for you?

[NadiaMac]

You can test out the shimming suggestion without purchasing the official shimano shims-- just shove something, such as felt, in the gap created when you depress the levers. Floor protectors for furniture legs work well, as they have adhesive on one side. Try them out, then remove if you don't like them. Easy.

I had the dede4girls on my old road bike. They are fairly short reach, but were too narrow for my relatively broad shoulders. I have elf short reach bars on my new bike in a wider size that fits my shoulders and it's much more comfortable. Perhaps measure yourself to see what fits-- you measure from the bump in your shoulder to shoulder while standing up quite straight (this is illustrated on the web-- look for photos). Also note that bar measurements come in two flavors-- center to center (measured from the middle of the bar) and outside to outside (measure from the outside of the bars). The difference tends to be about a cm, so it's important to make sure you know which system is in use.

finally, the arm discomfort you describe could be because your reach is now too short (the reach to the tops or hoods; not the reach to the levers when your hands are on the hoods or drops). This is the most common reason for arm discomfort, per my bike fitter.

Perhaps when you installed the new bars, the reach to the tops or hoods was shortened. If so, you may need a new stem. This happened to me when I installed my new bars, which resulted in a 1 cm shorter reach to the hoods. When I put a new stem in, adding back the 1 cm, my arm discomfort cleared up immediately. Pretty incredible how 1 cm can impact the overall comfort and fit on a bike.

finally, from your pictures, it looks like your hoods are tilted up a bit. This can put pressure on your wrists as well because of the angle that your wrist takes when on the hoods. But the perspective in the photos could be warped

good luck. it sounds like you might benefit from a bike fit, as it seems like multiple factors are in play

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

It is true the ergo bends DO tend to place the levers farther away in the drops, especially if the hoods are placed on the high side, so I don't think Elk is crazy for changing bars.

Elk, you (perhaps inadvertantly) changed to a bar the has a longer reach (that is, reach in the usual sense, not in the "wrapping fingers around brakes sense). It's not a huge difference, but probably enough to feel on the drops... I wonder if this is a problem for you?

I don't think Elk is nuts for wanting to try new bars either. We all like to try new or different things, and the theory behind it sounds good.

My own experience (yours may vary):
On my Rivendell, I had the very same finger reach problem as Elk had. Our hand photos are almost identical. But I also had an overall long toptube reach problem.
I first changed bars- from my original Nitto Noodle classic shaped drop bars to Salsa Poco ergo bars. That change did help my toptube body-reach issue a little bit, plus I found the Poco bars to be more comfortable overall. But unfortunately, it didn't change a damned thing about my finger/brake reach problem.

Then I got my custom Luna bike. I ordered it with the very same Poco bars (which I found to be comfy on my Riv). But the difference was that I also ordered it with the brifter shims already in place to help my fingers reach around the levers.
Voila- same bars, same hood placement, same bar tilt- only real difference was the shims, and my brake reach problem was TOTALLY and IMMEDIATELY SOLVED. What a pleasure it is to brake now- completely opposite from before. I feel so much more secure, especially on steep scary downhills.

So Elk- you will need to find a handlebar that you like, that is comfy for you and does not affect your body reach in a bad way or throw you off balance onto your hands. That might be some new bar you want to try, or one that you were previously comfy on. Or, maybe you will adapt to these new bars you just got and feel better on them after a few more rides?
To save yourself some time and money, try to refrain from taping up any bars until you are completely happy with how they feel after riding them for a week.

But meanwhile, you have the correct model brake shims already, just sitting there... why not put them on?? The brake cable tensions will have to be adjusted when the shims are put on. Unless you know your way around cables and brakes, I do suggest you get a bike shop to install them for you so you can feel really safe.

I think if you were comfortable on your bike before you changed the bars, then it makes little sense to me to keep the new uncomfortable bars and try to make them work by changing saddle position, hood position, bar tilt, new stem, etc etc.....all to try to get as comfortable as you already were before.

Ok, I apologize- at this point I've been way too big mouthed with my opinions- I'm going to shut up now, I promise! ;-D

[elk]

don't shut up! You always make sense....

Liza..the reach: 140 vs 130 on the old bars.
If I could find that easton bar...EC90 Equipe PRO (not ergo) for a 26. stem in 40cm width...that might be perfect....same reach/drop as the ritcheys but not ergo.

unless that's the one that won't fit on a 4 bolt plate....sigh....

I was SO close, SO close before I messed with the bars...I suppose that means I can get even closer...a bike fit might be in order NadiaMAc

and BTW..elk doesn't race...although her competitive spirit is awakened at certain moments...

[VeloVT]

and BTW, elk doesn't race, although her competitive spirit is awakened at certain moments...

Such as when men 15 years older and carrying around a beer gut, but wearing full CSC kit, pass her on the MUP when she is **slowing down to avoid pedestrians ahead** ?

ahem, cough, cough. I don't know anything about this competitive spirit of which you speak ...