Handlebar question

stir88

Hi, I am fairly new to road riding and am just getting comfortable to start using the drops but I am having trouble reaching the brake levers in this position. I am looking at changing my handlebars and after doing a bit of searching I am looking at the possibility of either deda elementi rhm02 or 3t ergosum pro alloy bars. Is there anywhere I could find the measurement from the front of the drops to the front of the brake levers so I could get the ones with the smallest gap. Are there any other users of these bars who have small hands who could give some advice..
Thanks in advance for any help.

DKay

The reach on the Deda's is 75m with a 130mm drop and the reach of the 3T Ergosum's is 89mm with a drop of 128mm. The 3T Ergonova's are 77mm and 123mm. I have small hands and use Deda Zero 100 bars which have the same dimensions of the RHM02's.

Also, you should be able to adjust the reach of the actual brake levers to bring them closer to the bars. How you do this depends on your model of shifters.

stir88

Thanks DKay for replying,
i have shimano 105 levers and i have already had a spacer put in but i am still having trouble reaching the brake lever effectively.
Thank you for posting the bar reach and drop but the dimension i am looking for is where you place your thumb in the drops to the front of the lever, meaning the smaller the distance the better my small hands will fit. if you can imagine making a C with your thumb and index finger my distance is about 80mm so ideally i would like a bar and lever dimension smaller than this.
Cheers

DKay

I do know what you're referring to and if want that distance to be the smallest, then go with the smallest reach bar as the 'reach' is taken from the centreline of the stem clamping area, to the centreline of the most forward part of the drops. Also, you may want to look at 'anatomically shaped' bars, where the drops generally have three distinct hand positions which some people prefer over a continuous bend.

Finally, 5700 105 levers can be fitted with two sizes of spacer/shim. You may not have the thickest ones currently fitted.

stir88

Thanks DKay, I didn't know there was 2 different size spacers, I will have to take the bike to the shop where I bought it from so they can check what size spacer I have. I don't know what anatomically shaped bars are but when I take the bike in I will get them to explain them to me and show me some on bikes they have. Thanks for the advice about the reach, again I will see if the shop have some in stock.
Cheers

dj58

Anatomic http://ritcheylogic.com/road/bars/super ... d-bar.html

Compact http://ritcheylogic.com/road/bars/comp- ... d-bar.html

StillGoing

The way I read your question is not an issue with bars, but the gap between the bar and your shifter/brake lever. The only thing that will change that is adjusting the lever, in the case of SHimano by adding spacers to bring the lever closer to the bar.

leedsmjh

Handlebar shape can change reach to the brakes levers from the drops. If you can find one the Cinelli Little Wing is designed for small hands and has a shape that reduces this reach - I had to take out the STI spacers when I fitted some on my old CX bike. Only problem is they are discontinued so difficult to find and have a 26mm clamp area, most bars are 31.8mm these days, so you might also need to change the stem or use a shim. I get along ok with Deda RHM01 and FSA omega compact bars - either would be cheap to try out. For info my glove size is 7 (small).

stir88

Thanks DJ 58 looking at those links I think I would need compact bars.
Thanks philthy3, that's exactly my problem. I already have shims fitted but am still finding it difficult to reach the levers so am now looking at changing the bars as I have read some do bring the levers closer.
Thanks leedsmjh, that is what I have read some bars will bring the levers closer, the dedas you mention is one of them, if you are using deda rhm01 have you got the measurement from the front of the bar in the drop position to the front of the lever. Like you said they are cheap to try I might just have to get some.
Cheers everybody for feedback

dj58

Spec. for the Deda bars http://www.dedaelementi.com/en/portfolio/rhm-01/

The 5700 105 reach adjustment spacers (Block), are available in two sizes. They are the same as those used on the 6700 levers.

Y6SC76000 R.H. Adjustment Block (5 mm) A
Y6SC76010 L.H. Adjustment Block (5 mm) A
Y6SC75000 R.H. Adjustment Block (10 mm) A
Y6SC75010 L.H. Adjustment Block (10 mm) A

StillGoing

stir88 wrote:

Thanks DJ 58 looking at those links I think I would need compact bars.
Thanks philthy3, that's exactly my problem. I already have shims fitted but am still finding it difficult to reach the levers so am now looking at changing the bars as I have read some do bring the levers closer.
Thanks leedsmjh, that is what I have read some bars will bring the levers closer, the dedas you mention is one of them, if you are using deda rhm01 have you got the measurement from the front of the bar in the drop position to the front of the lever. Like you said they are cheap to try I might just have to get some.
Cheers everybody for feedback

I have compact bars on one bike and round bars on another. The reach from the bars to the shifters is the same. With round bars the reach to the hoods and to the drops is bigger. Check your stem length before buying.

leedsmjh

stir88 wrote:

Thanks DJ 58 looking at those links I think I would need compact bars.
Thanks philthy3, that's exactly my problem. I already have shims fitted but am still finding it difficult to reach the levers so am now looking at changing the bars as I have read some do bring the levers closer.
Thanks leedsmjh, that is what I have read some bars will bring the levers closer, the dedas you mention is one of them, if you are using deda rhm01 have you got the measurement from the front of the bar in the drop position to the front of the lever. Like you said they are cheap to try I might just have to get some.
Cheers everybody for feedback

Ok, for shimano Rs685 hydraulic shifters and the deda bars, it's 8 cm from the outside of the lever to the centre of the bar measured horizontally aligned with about where the centre of the inside shifter paddle is. Pretty sure the cinelli bars will bring the levers closer than that. Not all shifters are the same length of course which is another (really expensive to change) factor .....

stir88

Thanks everybody for your replies,
I will check the spacer block first, it would be good if it was the smaller one so it then it would be an easy fix.
As I am a beginner I'm not sure what changing the stem would do for my problem, wouldn't that just alter the reach?
Thanks for the measurement 8cm is the measurement between my thumb and index finger so with gloves on that would be slightly smaller so might still struggle with that.
I will take the bike into lbs and get them to check what spacer I have as I'm not sure,I'll have a quick look shortly to see if I can determine what size it is after I do a bit of searching to see how I measure the spacer. While I'm in the shop I will ask for their suggestions.
Cheers

StillGoing

stir88 wrote:

Thanks everybody for your replies,
I will check the spacer block first, it would be good if it was the smaller one so it then it would be an easy fix.
As I am a beginner I'm not sure what changing the stem would do for my problem, wouldn't that just alter the reach?
Thanks for the measurement 8cm is the measurement between my thumb and index finger so with gloves on that would be slightly smaller so might still struggle with that.
I will take the bike into lbs and get them to check what spacer I have as I'm not sure,I'll have a quick look shortly to see if I can determine what size it is after I do a bit of searching to see how I measure the spacer. While I'm in the shop I will ask for their suggestions.
Cheers

It would, but be mindful that the reach from the bar tops to the hoods can differ in bars by a good deal sometimes. If you end up buying bars with a longer reach, you're going to have to compensate by fitting a shorter stem and vice versa.

stir88

Thanks philthy3,
I see you what you mean now. I thought this would be easy to fix, I didn't want to start changing stems. I have just looked at how to change the spacer so I will take mine out and see if it is the smaller one. If not I will take it to lbs to see what solutions they come up with.
Cheers

g00se

Also consider the position of the lever on the bars. If the lever is installed in a more 'upright' position, the the lever blade itself will be further away from the curve of the drop.

The type of curve you have on the bars could also exaggerate this.

stir88

Thanks g00se for reply,
I have taken the spacer out and it has 10mm stamped on it so obviously have the bigger spacer fitted.
The position of the lever on the bar is my next thought, I think I will take the tape off one side and move the lever up and down a bit to see if that reduces the gap.
I think I will have to try another bar, looking at getting a deda rhm one as read on some forums they are good for small hands.
Thanks for all your advice it is much appreciated
Cheers