Worth cutting down straight bars?

DaveP · Post by **DaveP** » 3 Aug 2007, 11:31am

I woke up this morning (whew!) wondering if the greater width of straight bars and the associated wrist and arm positions had any bearing on the well known pins and needles problem. If I cut an inch or two off each side my wrists would have much less lateral flex when on the grips, which on the face of it seems like a good idea.
D'you think it would be worth trying? I'm probably going to replace the bars any way, but I dont seem to have a great deal of time on hand just now and I'd like to avoid "lost causes"!

Post by Si » 3 Aug 2007, 11:59am

I've cut down the flat bars on my commuter - don't really need their full MTBing width and associated leverage ont he road. Not sure that it's any more comfy because I'm on the bar ends most of the time but it's a tab more aero and makes the bike narrower for getting through gaps such as those stupid gates on the cycle paths. I run 'em about 18inches.

pigman · Post by **pigman** » 3 Aug 2007, 12:54pm

ive always cut them down - it feels better and not too remote from the road bikes' width (altho' they are still wider).
I used to find that climbing with my arms spread too far apart restricted my breathing more than than the road bike. For roughstuff, narrower bars were better for clearing obstacles when riding singletrack at speed.
If you're going to change bars anyhow, I'd give it a go and would recommend 18-20 inches. The hardest part of the job will be to get the old grips off ; sawing the alloy takes about a minute each side with a hacksaw.

Bob H · Post by **Bob H** » 3 Aug 2007, 1:57pm

Agreed ........... cut them down. Reduced mine from 600mm to 470mm. Feels much more comfortable.

DaveP · Post by **DaveP** » 3 Aug 2007, 4:15pm

Ah, well! about half an hour after I posted my query I started to think that I was being a bit precious. Sure, I do need to spend my time pedaling rather than spannering, but it wouldnt take very long... so I've done it. Now to test...

Still be interested in any thoughts about bar width and pins and needles - it strikes me that its going to be a significant change in posture

georgew · Post by **georgew** » 3 Aug 2007, 10:07pm

There is no doubt that pins and needles can be caused by the hand position on straight bars. The "knuckles up" position twists the tendons of the arm and wrist and can be painful after a time. Much better is the "on the hoods" position" which has the hand with the thumb on top and no twisting.
This thread may be of interest to you as I have converted quite few bikes in this fashion. It does retain the advantages of straight bars while alleviating painful hands and arms. Great for touring also.

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=7389

DaveP · Post by **DaveP** » 7 Aug 2007, 12:26am

Well I managed to spend Sunday afternoon in the saddle, and the experience was something of a revelation. I had a slight and temporary bout of numbness in one hand after a couple of hours, and no real discomfort at all. That was the result I hoped for, and it was gratifying to get it!
What I wasnt expecting was to find that the handling improved too! I always found it tricky to give hand signals on this bike, it veered off course too easily. I had put this down to the steering geometry - not enough trail, or caster or some such! To my surprise, with the shorter bars it became much more stable on the road, and I didnt notice any difference on the (gentle) off road stretches.
I dont have this much success that often - I wish I'd bought a lottery ticket on Saturday... :lol:

Thanks for the link George. I had actually been keeping an eye on this thread, but better safe than sorry!
I think my next step needs to be a taping job similiar to yours. Was that a self adhesive tape you used? I gather you started taping from the bar ends and worked in, which would seem to mean that the tape would be finishing in a much handled area of the bar, so how did you secure it?

georgew · Post by **georgew** » 7 Aug 2007, 2:56pm

I like to use Gel Tape but the cork stuff is fine also. If you do have hand problems it may be wise to invest in Specialised "Phat" bar tape.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... Bar%20Tape
This has gel pads which adhere to the bars before being taped over and it works well.
I don't like tape with any adhesive myself and if you maintain a proper tension you don't need it. Start taping at the end of the bars if drops, and at the top of the bar ends if using these with straight bars. Finish off at a point close to the stem, and, while maintaining tension on the tape, secure with electrician's plastic tape.
It may need a bit of practise but in time you'll get there.

tandemrider · Post by **tandemrider** » 7 Aug 2007, 8:31pm

Hi Try Ergon grips on flat bars they have all the difference, they stop you flexing your wrists which seems to cause some of the discomfort problems.

DaveP · Post by **DaveP** » 8 Aug 2007, 12:35am

georgew wrote:It may need a bit of practise but in time you'll get there.

I've spent whole afternoons practicing, before now :lol:

When I used to tape my drop bars part of the art, I found, was to finish taping in an area that was unlikely to be handled, so I was wondering if hand pressure / friction tended to undo the end of the tape near the brake lever mount. Theres no sign of a problem in your photo - perhaps thats the answer!

I did consider the Ergo grips a while back, but at the moment I want to stay with the tape and bar ends aproach - thanks!

georgew · Post by **georgew** » 8 Aug 2007, 5:19pm

I tried Ergons but found that they transmitted vibration much more than than the Gel Tape. I modified the damn things to take a mirror too before having to dump them.
If the bars are taped with the proper tension there's no problem with the tape unraveling.