Measuring up drop bars

[ootini]

I want to swap out the Aekose's standard drops for something flared.
These bars are 42cm c2c at the hoods apparently and feel narrow to me, but before I buy something, is there a rule of thumb for figuring out how wide I want the bars ?
I like the flare and shape of the genetic digest bars, which come in 44 or 48, I believe. Happy to hear of other recommendations?

[fatbikephil]

I'd tend to go as wide as possible for the purposes of better control on the rough stuff. I do have ape length arms however....

[ootini]

Oh yeah, measurement n stuff, so, I'm 5'9", 29.5" inch arms (pit to finger tip) and 20" across the shoulders.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I'm only 5'7" without freakishly long arms and I too always go for the widest. Digest bars - lovely.

[middleagedmadness]

Agree with stu had mike's old digest bars on the cdf for a week and a bit ,after the first couple of rides (where I felt stretched out ) a bit of fettling and now they feel really natural ,much better than the bars that came with it

[Retiredtester]

I'm 6ft with wide shoulders and long arms. I bought a pair of digests 2nd hand and they're the narrower version, but feel spot on to me. And have the added bonus that I can just about get the bike through the front door!

[Bearbonesnorm]

Just thinking and I wonder whether it depends a little on whether or not you're used to riding with narrower drops on a roadbike? I never ride a road bike, in fact, I don't believe I've ever ridden one, so I'll always be using a mountainbike as a benchmark.

Something else - I always set drops up so I descend off-road on the drops rather than mincing about trying to cling onto the hoods* The additional width (I find) really helps in this regard.


*If you mince about on the hoods - no offence obviously.

[composite]

I personally like the Salsa Woodchippers. I have the 46cm on my CX bike and I like them. Generally, I'm in the drops or on the hoods for everything but descending is 100% in the drops.

I'm looking to add another drop bar bike to the collection this year and I have been toying with the idea of trying something different. The Cowchippers have been top of the list but after seeing this post and reading what Stu had to same about the Digest bars (http://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.co ... igest.html), they are also looking like a good candidate.

[ootini]

The time for procrastination is over, the trigger has been pulled, the bars are on their way.

Thanks for the info, I went wide. Worst case scenario, flog em on, try again. Now to learn how to tape them....

[Jurassic]

I think you'll be happy with the wider bars. I hummed and hahed for ages before going for the wide version. No regrets, they feel sooooo comfy and I love them. I reckon the width at the hoods is about the same as my previous non-flared drops 44cm) so they felt totally natural straight away for cruising along but then you have the extra width for more control when you go onto the drops for descending and braking hard.

[ootini]

My other source of reference is my MTB running full width OnOne Ogs, so I think wider will work for me.

Ta

[ootini]

So, when it comes to tape... cork or gel? Coming from an MTB background I've no clue on this. What are the deciding factors when it comes to tape ?

[Jurassic]

I just used this stuff, it's so cheap and has been great so far. Cork tape can be more prone to tearing if you ride through undergrowth a lot though.
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/bbb ... -prod46593

[Bearbonesnorm]

What are the deciding factors when it comes to tape ?

If you're actually riding off-road, I say thickness / cushioning.

[ootini]

This looked quite nice in the shop https://www.evanscycles.com/fwe-vex-gel ... olour=5000

[Jurassic]

This looked quite nice in the shop https://www.evanscycles.com/fwe-vex-gel ... olour=5000

That does look good and isn't too expensive by gel tape standards, decent reviews as well. I imagine it'd probably wear better than cork tape and may provide more shock absorption. Pro roadies used to use two layers of tape for racing events like Paris Roubaix which are held over rough cobbled surfaces but I don't like the extra bulk of two wraps of tape. I might try gel tape at some point to see whether it helps.