On 5/23/06, Don Wilson <dcwilson3@yahoo.com> wrote:
> ... Why are wide bars so much more in favor now?
> Or have they always been and I've just been around
> alot of bikes with narrow drops for small riders?
I've got a little experience moving between the different choices here; I've got a few variations in my own little stable. For reference, I'm 6'5" with long arms, 215lbs.
If you have multiple bikes with different setups, you are surely familiar with the feeling you get when you've ridden one bike for a week straight, then you get on a different one. You notice everything that's different, and you spend a little time getting re-acclimated and reacquainted.
When I move from my narrow-bar (38cm Maes drops) on-topic Raleigh Super Course to my 46cm Noodle bar KOF rando or 48cm Dream bar off-topic sports tourer, I get that feeling. 'Ah, this is different; let me grunt it around a little bit until it feels normal again.' After riding those a few days, that feels normal. When I then go back to my narrow Raleigh, I just think, 'Ahhhhhh.... comfy!' No re-acclimation necessary; it's like putting on that favorite sweater that just fits right.
As it happens, my wide-bar bikes are also wider-Q and the Raleigh has some old cottered low-Q cranks. So, it may be more about Q than bar width. But, I do feel lighter, more nimble, more balanced, more efficient, and generally more comfortable on the narrow bike, in both the uppre and lower body. So much so that I'm currently reconfiguring the sports tourer with low-Q cranks and narrow bars, too, and converting the rando to a lower-mileage Albatross bar porteur instead.
The main sensation I get on the wider drops is that I'm triangulated like a high-tension tower. My wider stance feels a little like I'm on horseback, and the wider bars stress my chest a little more, making it a little harder to breathe efficiently. On the narrow bike, I feel more linear and aligned, like a reed able to bend in the wind.
I am sure this topic has a high quotient of 'your mileage may vary,' and would depend to some significant degree on the width of your shoulders and hips.
Don Rogers
Rumford, RI USA