> > Went for a longer ride this morning, still cautious not to overdo it. > Found out that everyone's talking about the new bars: > http://tinyurl.com/7az8okv. >
Now, here is what I have to say after an hour long ride: Comfort is extreme. So is the variety of hand positions that directly relate to the comfort during the ride. Let me see if I can describe the nuances well, especially for those of you who may not have the chance to try before you buy. At the ends of the bar, I get a very upright position that allows my neck and shoulders to fully relax. I have to remember not to slump forward, but when I do, I can arch my back and feel supported by my trunk and core muscles. In this position, the upper back, shoulders, neck, arms and hands are very relaxed and it's a matter of ensuring good core strength to sustain for longer periods of time. Almost all of the weight is on your butt, so butt conditioning on a good saddle is crucial. I didn't have any trouble pedaling at moderate and higher cadences and needless to say, this position is awesome for cruising and sight-seeing. While the standard hand position is gripping the grips so both hands are parallel to each other, my Portland Design Whiskey grips (which I adjust so the upper flat area is horizontal) give me a very nice surface to also rest my hands as if they were on a straight bar with the grip being loosely held between my index and middle fingers. Basically I can rotate my hands 90 degrees and still be very comfortable as the areas of pressure are different. Inching my hands forward, so my hands are now resting on the brakes (where they attach to the handlebar) so my fingers are on metal but the rear of my hand is still on the leather grip gives me a very comfortable position with just a bit more lean to rest the back and/or pedal a bit harder/faster. I can hook the break itself between my index and middle finger as well for some added stability. For pedaling harder/faster and or leaning forward more, basically the equivalent forward tilt I get on the Bullmoose bars or even a bit more, I can slide forward all the way till the bends where the bar tilts down to go to the flat center section. This position feels a lot more aggressive and though I may not hold it for too long, it felt quite comfortable for shorter aggressive riding, riding into the wind (if not too strong), attacking a climb, etc. I can get a lot of leverage from this section of the bars while tilted forward, so it's good for pulling on the bars (dancing on the pedals while climbing standing...). While in my case, my belly gets in the way, you can also put your hands on the flat section with your elbows resting on the grips for the lowest most aggressive riding position (good neck flexibility required if sustaining it for longer stretches), I discovered another position a bit less aggressive but still more than with your hands on the curved transition as described above. While still gripping the transition, you can lower your elbows so your whole forearm is now resting on the straight rear sections of the bars and the grips. After an hour or riding, where the first half was quite leisure and the second half was a bit more spirited, I arrived home feeling very happy, with no neck or hand pain and feeling the bike was very responsive and very nice to handle with these new bars. I have a strong feeling that they might replace the regular Bullmoose bars as my ultimate favorite bars, but most likely I'll keep using both. Tomorrow I'll try them on a dirt trail with a bit of singletrack and some short more aggressive downhills to see how they feel as compared to the Bullmoose bars. My verdict so far? These are a great set of bars, maximizing on comfort while still having plenty of versatility for more aggressive riding and especially, for mixing it up during a ride. The best bars ever? Perhaps! René -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
