Handle bar / shifter advice

chris_topher

Handle bar / shifter advice

Having had Campagnolo shifters on my previous bike, my new bike has Shimano Ultegra.

With the campagnolo shifters the hoods where level with the top flat of the bars, but the Ultegra sit lower so when you ride on the hoods you hands are lower in a sort of hollow.

Is this just how it is or does it depend on the handle bars, there seems so many different forms of handle bars, is there a shape out there that would make the hoods sit level similar to campagnolo.

Many thanks

meagain

Can you not just move the shifter/brake unit "up" the bar? And/or rotate the bars in the clamp?

cookiemonster

Hi - I dont think there's a "right" way, just mess around until you find something that suits you. I've ultegra on deda newton bars, and the hoods are angled upwards, so the brake levers are maybe 10 degrees forward of vertical (if that makes sense...) It looks like I've either got the shifters higher up the bars, or the bars rotated more upwards than the standard "racing" setup - but it works for me. It depends a little on the shape of your hands too, I think.

Also,,, a setup thats perfect for the drops is perhaps unlikely to be perfect for sitting on the hoods; so i think many of the pictures you see of professional racers tend to have the hoods and bars quite low. This works well if you either spend time on the drops or need to have a very comfortable and controlled setup when you're in the drops - but for most of us that spend 98% of the time on the hoods, something a bit more upright is probably more comfy.


Jon

synchronicity

meagain wrote:

Can you not just move the shifter/brake unit "up" the bar? And/or rotate the bars in the clamp?

No, because then the brake levers are hard to reach in the drops.... besides, it jusy looks funny set up that way.

meagain

Have to change back to Campag then I guess! As Jon says, will either be optimised for the hoods or the drops - not both.