It starts with a casual observation. You hardly even noticed when it happened, but something shifted in your mind. A bit later the same observation is made again, this time in a slightly different context. It happens again and again and the observations layer atop one another like sheets of tracing paper that, when flattened together, form a complete picture.
And so, having gone almost completely unnoticed, an obsession is born.
My obsession over classic-bend bars has been developing slowly over the last two years or so, fueled by three principle factors (mimicking the pros, form, and function), and buffered by another (investment). The fuel for the fire included the observation that many of my favorite pros ride classic-bend bars, the FSA K-Wing bars I was riding didn’t allow for a very smooth routing of the cables from my Ergo shifters, and I was not satisfied with the quality if my shifting. On the other hand, I liked the scalloped area that the K-Wings offer, and I was reluctant to move away from a bar that I spent quite a bit of money on, especially for a bar that would also represent an investment and which I wasn’t sure I would like any better. However, those same scallops caused sharp bends in the cables which adversely effected shifting performance. Not to mention, I haven’t seen a pro riding K-Wings since, well, ever.
The classic-bend bars have been weighing heavier and heavier on my mind recently; my shifting has never been as good as I think it should be, and I have become increasingly convinced that the problem was the cable routing and that classic-band bars would likely resolve the issue. Also, both Brett’s and Marko’s latest build projects involved classic-band bars, and I love the look they offer. Add to that to the fact that I’ve recently grown especially tired of the angular look of the K-Wings, particularly in marriage with my 17-degree stem, and you’re asking for trouble.
Yesterday, a flurry of text message exchanges with Marko over bars sent my obsession over the precipice. That, combined with a particularly frustrating day at the office turned obsession into action; the Hand of Merckx guided me into a chance meeting wherein I ended up with a like-new 3T Rotundo Pro bar for less than half the retail value. No shipping, no waiting, just good-old-fashioned instant gratification. Impulse buy satisfied and bar experimentation available at a palatable cost, I disappeared into the basement to labor on my machine for a few hours to install the new bars. And, although rainy weather today will keep me from riding Bike Number One, shifting performance on the work stand showed a considerable improvement in the crispness and speed of the shifts, and sitting on the bike in the workshop seems to validate that the classic bend is indeed very comfortable. Both of those test seem pretty conclusive, obviously. And, most importantly, it looks Pro.
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@pakrat, @Steampunk
Yeah, whatever. Staring at the shadows your guns make is the gateway drug, mate. If you country boys stare at your leg shadows, then let me tell you a little sumpin' that will happen when you roll into the big city, with shiny windows all around.
You can talk all you want about pain in the country, but you give me ring next time you're in Seattle. I'll take you on a little "vanity ride". I'll even let you choose: 1.5 in 40 km, 2.5 in 60km, or 4 in 100km.
Believe me, the windows talk awful sweet during those rides.
Frank,
I recently made the switch back to classics two months ago with the same 3T bar. God damn, I love it! I suffered with terrible hand pain and numbness when I used anatomics. The 3T Rotundos are so much more comfortable and stiffer than my anatomics. I roll them slighty up, Belgie style. Classics are classics for a reason.
Frank says, "Staring at the shadows your guns make is the gateway drug, mate." Ya, to spin classes so they can stare at themselves in the mirror! See rule V.
Rode anatomic Newtons for some years then gave Rotundos a go. I like the Rotundos below the levers - the kink in the Newtons forced my hand to sit kind of not quite where I wanted it when in the drops, either at the tail end of the drops or jammed up under the levers. (There's certainly a case to be made that a true 'Natus should be unconcerned about anything other than the drops, 'cause riding anywhere other than the drops is arguably a violation of the Rules.) But I was less enamoured of the transition from the flats onto the hoods on the Rotundos vs the Newtons. On a trad bend bar you end up with a "drop" onto the hoods, which - while kinda retro - I don't like the feel of it so much, preferring a nearly flat transition from tops to hoods. Currently on Zeros, which seem a bit of a mix - you can get a flat transition to the hoods but they are round below the levers (although not sure they are as nice in the hand in the drops as the Rotundos). I hate the look of those Ritchey (and others) anatomics that have the real pistol grip kink in the drops. Dunno what they feel like in the hand but they look like they would be a little restricting if they didn't fit you perfectly.
Everything. Trust me. It's the only way to preserve the marriage. When I toast us sandwiches for lunch, hers is always the one on the right.
your bike has a hell lot of a long seatpost, saddle seatback and stem lenght. Are you sure you are fitted right on it ?
or maybe you are just 2 mts tall ?
@nvvelominati
Spin classes....the horror!
Out of curiosity, where in NV are you? If you are up north (Carson/Reno), we are probably "spinning" some of the same asphalt.
@Salsa_Lover
That question gets asked every time I post a pic of my bike. I actually believe the bike industry has no idea what to do with tall riders. You don't just take what works for normal people and scale the lot up (I'm looking at you, Leonard Zinn) but you have to take into consideration physics involved and how best to overcome those challenges. There's an article I wrote on this some time back for anyone who gives a shit.
http://www.velominati.com/racing/theory-of-bike-fitting-tall-riders-walk-their-own-path/
@Steampunk
++1. Mine always gets number 1 on the memory seats in our cars. Because she's number one, obviously.