What I notice about the picture is Bottechia's level forearm and straight wrists. I think the up-tilted bar is to get a decent grip on the hoods with a straight wrist. I've found I really like to keep my wrists straight; I assume Bottechia liked it, too.
Ken Freeman Ann Arbor, MI
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Thomas Adams Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2006 11:01 AM To: Howard Darr; Don Wilson; Classic Rendezvous Subject: Re: [CR]Pic of the Day - Ottavio Bottecchia
Howard Darr <hdarr@localnet.com> wrote: Snip Dan
>I notice that Bottecchia likes to adjust his drops so that the bar
>ends point down quite abit. Is this a bar position that has come and
>gone? Or do some of the list members still like this bar position? I
>don't see anyone in the Tour de France these days tilting their bar
>ends down so much.
For touring I personally set the hoods on the bar a little higher on the curve and from the side I set that section pretty flat. This results in the bottom pointing more down. My reasons are that it puts the hoods in a place that seems very comfortable for my wrists and elbows. It also seems to situate the drops well for pulling up hills.
But this is a personal preference and I'm not sure it is good for others. G. Peterson leaves this position out in his article in one of his catalogs as a standard way of doing things.
Howard Darr Clymer PA
You see the "drooping drops" a lot on bars that don't have a substantial curl section from the tops down, that is there is a shorter curve in the handlebar bend before the drops straighten out. Then if you set the tops "flat", the drops will point to the ground. You see it a lot with Cinelli Giro d'Italia bars which have a short curl. With Giros, if you choose to set the drops parallel to the ground, there is substantial downward slant to the bars as it approaches the brake hoods. Uncomfortable for me. Bottechia apparently prefered to have the tops flat for more comfort in that position. Much less apparent with Campione Del Mundo bars, which have a fuller curl. You used to have to choose between a comfortable flat top or a fasionable flat bottom. Rivendell's Dream bar has a much fuller curl, and allows a flat top and a reasonably flat bottom. But of course they're not absolutely period correct, and fit 26.0 stems. Take yer pick.
Tom (have Giros, Campiones and Dreams on my bikes) Adams, Shrewsbury NJ
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