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My new bike – Less pain, less gain?

by Gerard Vroomen

July 01, 2011 - Filed under: Company

Comments (3)

I mentioned before that I am putting the Ergonova handlebars with anatomical grips on my new bike. This is actually the first time I spec one of my bikes with such a grip. I have always preferred the non-anatomical grips with the constant curve which, after extensive branding sessions,the industry has decided to call “round”.

3T Ergosum shape, almost straight where you would normally grip the drops

3T Rotundo, rounded where you grip the drops

3T Rotundo shape, rounded where you grip the drops (you rarely grip the straight part)

While the concept of only supporting your weight with the edges of your palms doesn’t sound comfortable, I actually like that feeling. This may be because I’ve always been told that’s what “the real pros” use and I am vulnerable to occasional bouts of cycle snobbism. In fact one pro (who shall remain anonymous) once pronounced a bike with an anatomical handlebar “unridable”, which I thought was pretty funny. Or it may just be that the the roundness on the other side (where your fingers are) gives you the sense of a better grip.

Be that as it may, I’m going to ride these Ergonova anatomical bars for now. I’ve ridden them on demo bikes in the past, quite liked them, so it’s time for a longer test period. BTW, they differ from the 3T Ergosum anatomical bars in that while the grips are very similar in shape, the Ergonova has a broader, flattened top, which means that when riding on the tops your weight is distributed over a larger surface. Bigger surface, less pressure, more comfort, or so the laws of physics say.

And if all else fails, I’ll go back to my trusted 3T Rotundo bars with “shallow round” shape (meaning round grips but not too deep, so the drop from tops to grips is manageable).

Have you tried different handlebar shapes? Which do you prefer and why? Let me know via twitter @gerardvroomen.

3 responses for this Entry

roselend says:

July 02, 2011

The deeper drop on the Rotundo makes me feel I cant put more leverage on the bars, which feels good to me. You can rotate the Rotundo until the bar ends point directly to the rear axle, which results in two things:

1. It creates the same flat transition to the shifters as it is on the Ergosum.

2. The bend in the drops feels similar to the bend on the Ergosum.

"The real pro's" do it too..

@Gerard. Why did you go for a Cervelo S2?

I own one as well. It reminds me of the last CSC days and the first CTT days and that's what it makes a timeless performer to me.

Don says:

July 02, 2011

You are using the Ergonova bar but show the diagram for the Ergosum bar. For me, the critical difference between the bars is that the Ergonova has a much shorter reach than the Ergosum and is a bit shorter in drop. I use one of these bars on one bike and the other on another bike because of the difference in their reach. Of the two, I like the feel of the Ergonova bar better.

sausskross says:

July 01, 2011

Guessing I know the anonymus I will keep the secret. For me the handlebar including stem is a tool to fit positions for all conditions. The different sizes for reach, in or on the brakes and in the drops matters more than the shape, at the end they are the shape. For my Soloist I choosed an ergo with a deep drops, gripping the straight end part for relaxed speed sessions in groups or solo.