Track bikes were designed with one purpose in mind: going very, very fast for relatively short distances while making left hand turns. Function dictated form. Speed was the primary concern. Comfort was not part of the equation. As a result, many fixie riders find riding in the drops too uncomfortable to do for very long. These people spend the entire ride with their hands on the tops of the bars. They are comfortable, but have lost a great deal of control over the bike, as well as a lot of their power. They also have the aerodynamic profile of a Jeep Wrangler.
FSA has introduced a handful of compact handlebars to its lineup which should help fixed gear riders who want to be more comfortable while riding in the drops. The compact FSA bars all feature a 20 mm shallower drop of 125 mm and a 10 mm shorter reach of 80 mm, as compared to the standard drop and reach of all models. The compact FSA bars have almost a full inch shallower drop than any of Nitto’s track specific bar offerings. The Japanese company’s “shallow drop” bar, the B 125 AA, has a 150 mm drop while its deepest bar, the B 123 AA, has a 175 mm drop.
The two aluminum bars, the Omega and Wing Pro have 31.8 mm clamping areas and are available in even widths form 38 to 44 mm. The carbon models, the K Wing, K Force and SL-K, share the 31.8 clamping area with their metallic cousins, but are not available in 38 cm. All of the compact bars slightly flare in the drops and are measured at the center of the bar ends. This means the bar will be a good centimeter or narrower at the bends. Plan on getting a bar at least one size larger than normal.
The nice thing about the flared drops is it will help alleviate one big issue with using road bars on the track- your forearms will be less likely to hit the tops of the bar when you are sprinting.
For the fashion conscious, the Wing Pro is available in white.
FSA has introduced a handful of compact handlebars to its lineup which should help fixed gear riders who want to be more comfortable while riding in the drops. The compact FSA bars all feature a 20 mm shallower drop of 125 mm and a 10 mm shorter reach of 80 mm, as compared to the standard drop and reach of all models. The compact FSA bars have almost a full inch shallower drop than any of Nitto’s track specific bar offerings. The Japanese company’s “shallow drop” bar, the B 125 AA, has a 150 mm drop while its deepest bar, the B 123 AA, has a 175 mm drop.
The two aluminum bars, the Omega and Wing Pro have 31.8 mm clamping areas and are available in even widths form 38 to 44 mm. The carbon models, the K Wing, K Force and SL-K, share the 31.8 clamping area with their metallic cousins, but are not available in 38 cm. All of the compact bars slightly flare in the drops and are measured at the center of the bar ends. This means the bar will be a good centimeter or narrower at the bends. Plan on getting a bar at least one size larger than normal.
The nice thing about the flared drops is it will help alleviate one big issue with using road bars on the track- your forearms will be less likely to hit the tops of the bar when you are sprinting.
For the fashion conscious, the Wing Pro is available in white.
No comments:
Post a Comment