W I D E R bars... (52cm)

[bloaker]

I am really toying with ideas on my Barlow. The bike is super fun - but I want to experiment with is in some ways I have not messed with the others.
I have been mulling over some ideas and one that intrigues me is wider bars. I have been reading more or less guys with a MTB background prefer it, those with a road background don't. So I am not sure how I feel since I have both. On the MTB, shorter stems and wider bars make for an amazing amount of control. I recently took the 44mm bars off my Ritchey and threw on a set of 46 bars with some flare and it has been a welcomed change. I still run 44s on the Emonda.

The Barlow fit is a smidge small and I can compensate by going 1cm longer stem and slide the seat back on the rails. This isn't an issue, but the seat back does make the front light - and when climbing off road, wheelie happy. The longer stem doesn't appeal to me much due to off road steering... so wider comes to mind.

Anyone have off road experience with the 52cm bars that have some out? I am eyeing both the 52 and 48cm bars from PNW.

THE COAST HANDLEBAR

A few years back we started playing around with wider bars on our mountain bikes. Trendy? Yes. Beneficial? Absolutely. Turns out the same benefits extend to Drop Bars which is why we designed the Coast to give you more stability, further control, and extra comfort on your gravel or city bike.

www.pnwcomponents.com

 

[bloaker]

I wimped out and ordered a set of 48cm bars vs the 52.
The 48s are wide, but way comfy. They were mounted yesterday, however due to the width, I will need to replace the hydraulic lines, shifter cable and housing. Not a biggie - if the quick ride around the neighborhood is any indicator - this thing is gonna be silly fun and comfy! The wider bars moved me forward a bit - and in a good way. Front end control will be pretty amazing for a drop bar bike.

I think this bike is still going to be an experiment for a bit. I might eventually go to the 52cm, so I will leave some slack in the lines to accomodate the change.

Without any real mileage on the setup - overall I am very excited over how this feels.

 

[OreoCookie]

Wide? I thought wide bars were >800 mm these days, although some wimps are known to cut them down to 780 mm or 760 mm

Ok, enough snark. How does such a wide drop bar feel? Doesn't it feel awkward position-wise: you must be in a more aero position (since I assume you select your stem length for riding comfortably in the hoods), which would help most when descending?

 

[bloaker]

I run 46cm Deda bars on my Emonda w/110mm stem. (A 44cm in any other brand) Setup for speed and climbing.

I have 44 cowbell bars on my fargo with a 80mm stem. They Flare out and I love the feel, but this bike has a high stack, so it is more upright than the others.

I have 46 Ritchey Venturemax with a 110 stem on my RoadLogic. Very comfy with flair. I set a couple pr's with this bike this week.

And now 48s PNW for the Sage with a 90mm stem. With this Setup, i am at about the same body position at my ritchey.

Waiting on brake lines to arrive, the i will finish the setup and wrap the bsrs for a proper test. The 48s do feel great tho around the block!

We will see

 

[bloaker]

OK - so with several hundred kilometers down, I now feel I can give legit feedback on the bars.
It took a while to find where I was most comfy, but I have settled in with a 110mm stem and the 48 bars.
I am randomly in striking range of PRs and other than really windy days - I don't feel the extra 4cm are exposing me to wind too much.
As for comfort - I am super happy. I have done plenty on the hoods, but I am finding myself in the drops more than I am on the Trek.
The flare + width just has me in a happy place in the drops.

Sooo...

No regrets and I would do it over again.
I don't ever really wonder about other brands as the PNW just kind of fits exactly what I want for this bike.
This bar does not belong on a racer - but for a fun ride - it is perfect.