[RBW] Re: How are albatross and albastache bars for long distance riding?
thanks for sharing your thoughts everyone. Just discovered the riv catalog, good reading in there. Wish I knew about it before my visit so I could've picked up a print version. On Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 9:41:00 PM UTC-7, Daniel D. wrote: > > Day Dreaming about how I would build up a sam. Thinking about why I want > the sam realized it would be for fun long rides. If I'm running errands > I'd use my cheaper bikes. Loaded touring I have a bike for that. Are drop > bars a safer bet for long distance riding? Don't have much experience > with upright bars. Seems like the upright bars limit the options for hand > position. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[RBW] Re: How are albatross and albastache bars for long distance riding?
I tried the 'Stache. I found the brake levers, which have to be mounted almost in plane with the bars, did not mesh with my weird wrists. I am one of those weirdo's who's ulna is longer than normal. Carpal tunnel surgeries didn't help. I run drop bars very high, with the plane of the seat about half way between the drops and the tops. Why run drops, if you can't get down in the hooks and stay there, comfortably? I see so many folks refusing to raise their bars due to fashion, "the experts", and outside influences in general. Your back, neck, wrists and smiles will all benefit. Clayton -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[RBW] Re: How are albatross and albastache bars for long distance riding?
One more thought... don't just daydream about building up a Sam... DO IT!!! I didn't get mine until fairly recently and feel like I lost years of joyful riding. It is, by far, the best bike I've ever owned. Makes me want to ride it everywhere, all the time. I love that bike! Good luck with your build. John On Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 9:41:00 PM UTC-7, Daniel D. wrote: > > Day Dreaming about how I would build up a sam. Thinking about why I want > the sam realized it would be for fun long rides. If I'm running errands > I'd use my cheaper bikes. Loaded touring I have a bike for that. Are drop > bars a safer bet for long distance riding? Don't have much experience > with upright bars. Seems like the upright bars limit the options for hand > position. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[RBW] Re: How are albatross and albastache bars for long distance riding?
Like many on the list, I've had multiple drops, straight bars, Boscos, Mustache, Albatross and Albastache. Boscos were too high up for me and lacked a range of hand positions. I'm not a fan of drops finding that I rarely rode in the drop portion. My Hillborne came with Albatross bars. I really liked them but found them a little too casual for riding fast-ish. I found myself riding with my hands on the curves a great deal of my riding time. As Brian said, it is an ergonomically awkward wrist position twisting your hands toward your thumbs, not your pinkies. I used to like a pair of mustache bars I owned previously but I wouldn't consider the lower drop much of an upright position. I finally broke down and purchased an Albastache bar, as well as the stem and brakes that were needed since they are all different from an Albatross cockpit (As you said... not cheap!). I have been thrilled with the results. I love the more aggressive riding position for descents, trails and going fast(ish). The wrist angle is much nicer than the fronts of the Albatross bars. The bars also extend back farther and wider than my old mustache bars and don't drop as far. This provides a nice, upright position which is a nice place to relax if my neck gets a little stiff. Lots of hand positions as well. Upright, front curves and even the brake hoods provide a lot of places to relieve/distribute hand pressure. For now, the Albastache is the best bar I've ever ridden and I really love 'em. I am holding onto my Albatross cockpit for later life (much later, I hope). When I get old enough to not be able to ride comfortably in a lower position, I may go back. Until then, it will be my Albastache Sam for me. John On Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 9:41:00 PM UTC-7, Daniel D. wrote: > > Day Dreaming about how I would build up a sam. Thinking about why I want > the sam realized it would be for fun long rides. If I'm running errands > I'd use my cheaper bikes. Loaded touring I have a bike for that. Are drop > bars a safer bet for long distance riding? Don't have much experience > with upright bars. Seems like the upright bars limit the options for hand > position. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[RBW] Re: How are albatross and albastache bars for long distance riding?
I find drop bars very comfortable if you fit them to your body - right height etc. If high enough you are able to ride in drops comfortably and use the hoods and front for upright riding as well.I love them on my AHH. I have the albatross on my Tour bike Bombadil... I've been riding them for 4 or 5 years .. during loaded touring I don't like riding more than 50 mile days though it does happen regularly .. :) I have no problem in winds as I have gears... in big head winds I just prop my elbows on the ends .. drop my forearms over the hooks and go on... main riding is in the hooks. I found the balance between getting them far enough out there to allow the reach I like .. like riding on hoods on drops to be critical for me and a bit to far means the upright ride puts to much pressure on hands.. once again the fit to your body and likes is important in my opinion. Note to the albatross has room for large Arkel Handlebar bag like drops for my DSLR camera with zoom. For me... both bikes are comfortable at my distances 50-85 ish miles and I wouldn't hesitate to take either bike on rides of these distances and confident I would be comfortable. But to answer your question... event rides where distances are 60 to 80ish per day I'll take the AHH with drops. My opinion only :) Kelly On Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 11:41:00 PM UTC-5, Daniel D. wrote: > > Day Dreaming about how I would build up a sam. Thinking about why I want > the sam realized it would be for fun long rides. If I'm running errands > I'd use my cheaper bikes. Loaded touring I have a bike for that. Are drop > bars a safer bet for long distance riding? Don't have much experience > with upright bars. Seems like the upright bars limit the options for hand > position. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[RBW] Re: How are albatross and albastache bars for long distance riding?
Albastache. Distances up to 90+ so far this year and loving it. With abandon, Patrick -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[RBW] Re: How are albatross and albastache bars for long distance riding?
I personally wish I would have listened to the wisdom of the group when I joined this forum in '08. I would have saved a lot of time and money... I originally had 46cm Noodles on my Hilsen, but found the drops unusable at the time as they felt 'way too low' and the 46cm was wide enough that my forearms hit the tops when I was in the drops - that was weird. I was also coming from years of flat bar mtb riding, and hadn't ridden in drops since the 80s. I then went down the long slow spiral of "cockpit madness" trying porteur bars (liked, but numbed hands over 50 miles), albatross (weird curve angle for my wrists), moustache (nope - too few positions). After several years of experimentation, when I started doing longer rides (100, 200km), going to Nitto 115 (plain old drops) I had the revelation that a narrow drop works really well. I ended up finally on 42cm Noodles (nirvana), but, on the recent Oregon Outback I tried 44cm Noodles on my Hunqa to get more leverage and, while they kept my hands happy like my narrower noodles, they didn't give me quite the leverage to feel in control on some of the fast gravel descents with a good load in low-riders. Perhaps 46 or 48 Noodles - yes back to the beginning? I also realize that most of the time, my aero position is putting my hands on the flats close to the stem, bending my elbows, and dropping my body down. I almost never use the drops, but they are nice when I'm doing a fast descent into the wind on gravel or road. They also allow me to stretch my back out a bit more. The following is a summary of some things I've learned: 1. Drops give you the more positions for your back and hand pressure relief, as well as allowing control and aero positions when you are riding into the wind 2. Narrow bars work well with "easier steering bikes" a-la low trail like my Toussaint, or when used with higher trail bikes on the groomed road with light loads 3. Gravel and higher trail requests more leverage (wider bars) for confidence, of which the Albastache is more ideal for me due to the brake position in the front (where hands are when descending fast), and the good wrist angle I get in the curves compared to the Albatross 4. I wasn't super comfortable in drops until started riding longer distances, and improving core strength helped a lot - pilates is good, easy, and doesn't require a gym membership or equipment 5. All this is my opinion only - you may have the opposite experience... Brian Hanson Seattle, WA -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[RBW] Re: How are albatross and albastache bars for long distance riding?
lol you're my favorite poster on here. I'm just trying to figure out the best set up to roll the dice on first. At $90 a pop handlebar+possible stem change, experimentation can get expensive. I feel the drop bars would be a safer choice for my tastes. But the sam I test rode and liked had albastaches, but it was a short flat ride. I don't think there's a drop bar 51cm sam available to test ride. On Friday, June 19, 2015 at 6:02:08 AM UTC-7, Garth wrote: > > >Bars are bars , how you choose to use them is infinite :) So is > the frame , infinite ways to set one up . So no one can fully answer your > question but you , *know thyself *! > 40 miles is the magic number for me. Below that I could wear or ride many things without complaint. Above is when I start getting picky. > > On Friday, June 19, 2015 at 4:22:17 AM UTC-7, Steve Palincsar wrote: >> >> >> When you say "long rides," what sort of distance do you have in mind? >> Was that 38 mile ride a long ride? >> >> This matches my thoughts on what the differences might be. For me, seems drops are the safer bet. While albastaches would be the whimsical go full riv choice. thanks for the thoughts everyone. On Friday, June 19, 2015 at 7:14:58 AM UTC-7, Mark Reimer wrote: > > I found the Albatross bars on my Atlantis not really ideal for long > distance for a few reasons: > > - When riding at a casual pace, they are supremely comfortable. Very > 'chill' one could say. I had them setup about 1cm above my saddle height. I > had two good hand position options, and one more forward but less > comfortable option. > - The very upright position placed all my weight on the saddle, in a very > specific way. When I use drops, even when they are higher up, I find that > leaning forward (not bending down, leaning forward. It's different!) gives > me a few different ways to position my body on the saddle, which allows me > to ride comfortably for over 200km at a time. With the abla's I had > difficulty doing that and as a result would get a sore butt after a while. > - The WIND! Not sure where you live, but where I am from everything is > quite exposed. Riding with the alba's turns your body into a wall > basically. There is no hiding from the wind, no drops to drop into to > minimize the drag. Regardless if you don't care about going quickly, it's a > real drag to fight the wind tooth and nail all day while you're in a very > upright position (see what I did there..?) > - bar interference - when riding trails, I found the fact that the bars > sweep back so far, they would hit my legs when trying to make tight turns. > For that reason they are never an option when trail riding anything other > than smooth flowy stuff. I had a few times when I couldn't make a corner > because the bars were in the way. > > Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE these bars! They are my go-to winter bar > because they work very well with mitts. They are very stable on snow as > well. For booting around town, they'd be the best bar ever. For rides > around 100km where you don't give a hoot about how long it takes you, > fantastic bar! But if I was on an extended tour where I wanted to hit a > particular distance each day, and there was some exposure to the wind, I > would be hesitant to use 'em. Just my two cents! > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[RBW] Re: How are albatross and albastache bars for long distance riding?
Read all the posts and agree with Garth. There are just so many variables. Here are my experiences. On my 58cm Hilsen in 2013 I toured from SF to Paso with noddle bars and found it adequate, they really made it difficult on a slow loaded climb as it was difficult to keep the load under control, and I found I couldn't remain in the drops for long as back fatigue set in. Even so I was reluctant to go with an upright bar. I eased my way in with the Albastache bars on both my Hilsen and Atlantis. On the Hilsen I had a 9cm tallux stem but I felt slightly stretched out, I have some low back disk bulging (here is the first example of differentiation between people) so being able to sit fully upright is a benefit. So recently, on the HIlsen I switched to a 8cm dirt drop which obviously brought the bars up and back. That change seemed to be the sweet spot for now. I say for now because we are all in flux, so what feels good now may be different in the future.The Hilsen is now relegated to day rides between 15 & 30 miles, I hope to increase my miles but that's my reality these days. My 56cm Atlantis had the Albastache bars coupled with a 12cm tallux stem and I did lot's of day rambles and overnights, no long tours, like the Hilsen I felt stretched out and on a long ride I had hand & wrist discomfort. Recently, as some of you may already know I traded out the 12cm for the 9cm (from the Hilsen) then finally went to a 10cm tallux stem and believe, I'm almost certain I found the sweet spot. The bar clamp is just slightly above my saddle height with the bar ends angled down. I find I have three primary hand positions. 1. To the rear at the grips. 2. just fore of the brake clamp sometimes over the brake clamps. 3. In the so called hooks. All three give me great riding postures. The hooks I'm angled forward to cut into the wind, and the two rear positions give my back varying degrees of relief. In the full upright position I'm not gonna be pushing for speed, but I'm not real slow just a more leisurely attitude. In the hooks I feel more aggressive and can lean in for more speed. Between the two different setups I have to say they're both entirely different! I love them both for completely different reasons. The Hilsen is light & nimble running with next to no load other than me, the Grand Bois Hetres are light, supple and quick adding to the fleet feeling and the Albastache bars have many of the positive attributes of drop bars, keeping the Hilsen more racerly The Atlantis with all the rack add on's feels like a 4x4 truck, solid, with great visibility and a sure footed vibe running the Schwalbe Thunder Burt's. By no means is the Atlantis a slug, I still feel the frame coupled with the TB's and the Alba' give back a supple comfortable ride without compromising too much on forward momentum. So which one is the most comfortable? I have to say the Atlantis. Have I done rando miles? No. Have I put them to the test on a long tour? No. But based on my previous experiences I feel pretty confidant that they'll be great. I'm going on tour in July and will have more feedback on the Albatross bars and their merits or demerits. In regards to Mark's points. Yes the bar ends can and do get in the way! Especially on tight turning. I've ridden my Atlantis on plenty of single track, tight vegetation and hairpin turns and never felt unduly hindered. There have been a handful of times when my knee knocked into the right shifter and gave me an undesired shift but never too bad. And on tight turns in awkward positions it probably made more sense to dismount or take it easy. IMO my Atlantis weighs 30+ lbs I'm just not gonna be going fast anywhere. It's all about making a conscious prioritized compromise. What do you want to achieve in relation to your riding habits and experience. Funny how with bikes at least IME it takes time, money and patience. Hope some of this helps and good luck in your discovery process. Tail Winds, ~Hugh with a head cold here typing and wishing he was going on the swift solstice camp out tomorrow. Los Angeles, CA On Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 9:41:00 PM UTC-7, Daniel D. wrote: > > Day Dreaming about how I would build up a sam. Thinking about why I want > the sam realized it would be for fun long rides. If I'm running errands > I'd use my cheaper bikes. Loaded touring I have a bike for that. Are drop > bars a safer bet for long distance riding? Don't have much experience > with upright bars. Seems like the upright bars limit the options for hand > position. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more opt
[RBW] Re: How are albatross and albastache bars for long distance riding?
I did a ~1200 mile tour with Albatross bars, set up just above saddle height. I was riding ~80 miles a day and felt extremely comfortable. I particularly enjoyed the feeling of touring while riding upright -- looking around felt much more natural. I found myself less "fidgety" than I typically am on drops during >100 mile rides, where I change hand positions frequently as I start to get tired. I used three hand positions on the Albas, and I typically stayed in each position for longer periods of time. This was a relatively flat tour, though, and I might have felt differently if there had been a lot of climbing and descending involved. Matthew Snyder Seattle WA On Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 9:41:00 PM UTC-7, Daniel D. wrote: > > Day Dreaming about how I would build up a sam. Thinking about why I want > the sam realized it would be for fun long rides. If I'm running errands > I'd use my cheaper bikes. Loaded touring I have a bike for that. Are drop > bars a safer bet for long distance riding? Don't have much experience > with upright bars. Seems like the upright bars limit the options for hand > position. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[RBW] Re: How are albatross and albastache bars for long distance riding?
I haven't ridden the albastache, but love Alba's for commuting/around town riding. I honestly prefer the Bosco's for longer rides as they give the upright ride, but also multiple hand positions that are truly valid. Best, Eric On Friday, June 19, 2015 at 11:11:52 AM UTC-4, drew wrote: > I'm currently on day 3 of my first tour with albas. I did a short tour > with drops and was very uncomfortable, so I switched to upright bars and > the conversion felt great. To mark's point, the great feeling is really > limited to casual riding. I'm finding that out. I can't find a position I > like for long steep climbs, which is adding many hand position shifts and > wiggling around to an already tough situation. The "on the curves" > position, for me, is barely workable, since those curves angle down. 5 more > days and I'm already thinking about an albastache swap when I get home -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[RBW] Re: How are albatross and albastache bars for long distance riding?
I've done many 45 mile rides with the Albatross and Bullmoose and I rarely ride much further than that in one day. I do not have a bike with drop bars. I gave up on them years ago. I'm 5'4". My arms and torso are short, so the distance between the tops and the hoods is too great --- if one position is good, the other is way too close or way too far. Even though I'm flexible, I could never be comfortable in the drops for more than two minutes --- my diaphragm gets squeezed by my thighs. The hoods make my thumb joins sore. My hands are proportionally small so trying to brake from the hoods (where I would ride 90% of the time) was difficult, even with those Soma short reach brake levers.When I see petite women with torsos and hands smaller than mine riding 700c bikes with drop bars, I wonder why they feel pressured to stick with drops. Maybe they like the drops... I dunno... What I'm trying to say is that unless you like drops and the various positions work for you, I wouldn't assume that Albatross bars are long distance poison. In my case, they are the only bar that works. Eric -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[RBW] Re: How are albatross and albastache bars for long distance riding?
My tour bike has Albatross bars. Set up with top of the stem slightly above the saddle and the bars angled slightly down. This bike uses fore and aft low rider racks. Other than my corpse and a small saddle bag to store my wallet, snack, and a map, no non-bike weight above the top of the rim. Longest tour I've done with this set up is 10 days, average 70 miles per day. Experienced no wrist pain or muscle strain. My right shoulder sometimes got a little sore, but this also happens on longer rides on my drops equipped road bike. On Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 11:41:00 PM UTC-5, Daniel D. wrote: > > Day Dreaming about how I would build up a sam. Thinking about why I want > the sam realized it would be for fun long rides. If I'm running errands > I'd use my cheaper bikes. Loaded touring I have a bike for that. Are drop > bars a safer bet for long distance riding? Don't have much experience > with upright bars. Seems like the upright bars limit the options for hand > position. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[RBW] Re: How are albatross and albastache bars for long distance riding?
Bars are bars , how you choose to use them is infinite :) So is the frame , infinite ways to set one up . So no one can fully answer your question but you , *know thyself *! Think about pictures of Sam frames or Alba bars . It seems most set them up all similar ways on the surface, but really no 2 are even close to alike . Weight distribution is something that rarely if ever gets talked about . How you feel centered in the bike. It revolves around your core , if you take your hands off the bars briefly does it feel balanced front-to-rear ? When it's "right" your arms and hands are extensions more for guidance, not support. You can't really even put it into words, and you can't tell anyone what is good for them , you can only make suggestions if they ask for input because something doesn't feel right to them . Just because a bar is mislabeled as "upright" does not mean that is it's limitation. You can use mtb or reverse brake levers. Many different shifters . Different angles, tapes , etc. Set the high or low, near or far . Same with a given frame . Whatever works for you :) On Friday, June 19, 2015 at 12:41:00 AM UTC-4, Daniel D. wrote: > > Day Dreaming about how I would build up a sam. Thinking about why I want > the sam realized it would be for fun long rides. If I'm running errands > I'd use my cheaper bikes. Loaded touring I have a bike for that. Are drop > bars a safer bet for long distance riding? Don't have much experience > with upright bars. Seems like the upright bars limit the options for hand > position. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
