The handlebar is one of the most important contact points of the bicycle body, which will affect the steering and manipulation of the bicycle. As a key component of the bicycle, it greatly affects the riding comfort. Handlebars suitable for personal riding style can make you have a better experience during riding.
Generally speaking, the more technical and difficult the bicycle and riding style, the wider and stronger the handlebars, such as downhill or endurance racers. It can provide better control, which helps the driver to keep the center of gravity back on the technical terrain. On the other hand, XC riders will like lighter, narrower and flat handlebars, because of its faster response speed and lighter weight. Drivers can focus on the front of the bike to cope with steep XC-style climbing.
The Drop Bars of a road bike is one of the soul elements of a road bike. The round tube looks the same, but in fact there is a lot of knowledge in it. It’s really like looking for a needle in a haystack to choose one of the various brands and styles on the market. However, why are there so many mysteries hidden in this easily overlooked bend of road cars? The following article will decipher the handle for readers, so that you can understand the specifications such as the angle, shape and width of the handle. After all, these dense data are closely related to your riding posture.
The new generation of road bike cranks, such as Trifox Carbon Drop Bar TC20UL, not only adopt the most advanced carbon fiber composite, but also offer multiple choices in specifications and sizes. This Carbon Drop Bar TC20UL carbon fiber handle features a super wide bulge at the top to both ends of the faucet, which is used to install the clip-on air handle or other accessories, while the clamping area has additional reinforcement and anti-slip coating. In addition, the speed change line and the brake line can be routed along a groove with double width and specially designed to increase hardness and prevent fatigue. This comprehensive consideration of the knight’s needs is the intention and thoughtfulness of trifox design team in R&D, which is definitely an ideal choice for riders when purchasing.
The size of handlebars is like fitting clothes, and it is impossible for a size one to travel all over the world. The Carbon Drop Bar TC20UL limited edition curved handle in the picture above offers three widths-－400mm, 420mm, 440mm. In addition, there are not only a variety of widths to choose from, but basically with the different design concepts of each brand, the Reach, Drop and shape of the curved handle have their own design and ingenuity. Which curved handle are you suitable for? Here’s a thorough analysis of the specifications of the drop bar:
Drop
It refers to the drop distance between the upper handle and the lower handle of the bent handle, calculated by the center point. Basically, the Drop Bar with a large sinking amount can make you have a riding posture that is more aerodynamic, but this kind of riding posture is too strenuous for a knight with poor softness, which easily leads to fatigue during long-distance riding. For the so-called knight with good softness of foot bones, a big curved handle with a sinking amount of 150mm is a good choice; For friends or beginners with ordinary softness, it is recommended to use a small Drop Bar with a sinking amount of 125mm.
Reach
The forward stretch refers to the distance from the center point of the upper handle to the center point of the front end of the handle. To some extent, the basic forward extension and sinkage are repeated. For example, a longer forward extension or a larger sinkage can make a knight have a low wind resistance riding posture. The difference between the two is that the distance of the forward extension of the handle can be fine-tuned and corrected by the size of the faucet. Generally speaking, 80mm forward stretch is the most common. The ideal upper body sitting riding posture is to make the angle between the torso and the arms present about 90 degrees as much as possible when both hands grip the handle.
Bend
Generally, the shape of the Drop Bar of the traditional road bike is mainly a big drop bar, and the curvature is continuous. However, the new generation of road cranks, such as Trifox’s Carbon Drop Bar DHB500, are excellent, providing a widened middle design of the handlebars, which makes the rider’s hands more firm and comfortable when grasping. As for which curved handle type should you choose? This mainly takes into account your riding style and personal preference.
Handle width
Generally speaking, the width of the handle is measured by taking the center of both sides of the bent handle as the measuring point, not the outermost end of the bent handle, and basically taking 20mm as a size. As for which width should you choose? It mainly depends on your shoulder width and riding style. For example, if you have a wide shoulder, you can choose a wider curved handle to obtain better handling stability, and it can also stretch your chest to breathe more smoothly. The widest curved handle in the market is 440mm in width. However, it should also be noted that the width of the drop bar is not as wide as possible, but the shoulder width of the rider should be taken as the reference point. For example, the width of the drop bar is exaggerated compared with the shoulder width, which will lead to the riding posture of the outer eight hands, which not only loses the essence of pursuing comfort but also does not conform to aerodynamics. Moreover, it is easy to cause stiff back, shoulder and neck pain under long-term riding.
How to choose the curved handle that suits you?
Your body weight and riding style determine which kind of curved handle you should choose. If you have good softness, aim at competition, and hold the handle mainly at the tail end, then we suggest that you choose the traditional big curved handle with a large drop amount. As mentioned above, this kind of handlebar is easy to create an attacking riding posture with front lying flat back, and the smooth lower handlebar design is also quite comfortable when grasping.
As a casual rider or a friend with ordinary softness, I suggest that you choose a curved handle with a small sinking amount. After all, it is necessary to force the beginner rider to use a large curved handle with a great height drop. It will not take long for him to lift his neck to see the front, which will lead to stiff back, sore shoulder and neck, and then suffer from the common “grip phobia” of road bikes. This also tells us one thing. Riding posture is by no means getting better and better. Perhaps it is true that riding posture can get better air superiority. However, if you blindly pursue low air riding posture and lose your comfort, you will be riding slower and slower.
How to choose the width of the handle? Ask your friend or a professional car shop to measure your acromioclavicular joint, that is, the protruding points at the top of both sides of your shoulders, and measure the distance between these two joint points. Generally speaking, petite women or young knights can choose a narrower handle because of their smaller shoulder width, and the width of the narrowest handle usually starts from 380mm; However, if you are a strong rider, you can choose a wider handle, and the width of the widest handle is usually 440mm.
What should I pay attention to when choosing a mountain bike handlebar?
Although there is no hard and fast rule in handlebar selection, it can find an optimal point among riding style, terrain and body size, and some of them are due to personal preferences and needs. It’s not so easy to find a suitable handlebar. You should keep the following points in mind: width, lift, rear float angle, diameter and material.
How wide is the mountain bike handle to order?
In recent years, the handle of mountain bikes has become wider and wider, because the increased width can improve the control of bicycles. Some people also think that it can expand the chest and improve breathing.
The wider the handlebar, the more leverage you can exert on the front wheels, taking a more aggressive route, and having less impact on the steering angle of the wheels, so you can control the front tires more finely. At present, the width of the mountain bike handle is about 700mm to 800mm. The width of handlebars is also related to the size of bicycles. As the size of bicycles increases, the handlebars will become wider and wider.
Once you reach the 750mm handlebar, you should consider the type of terrain you are riding. Drivers who often ride technical forest roads may worry about hitting trees on both sides. On the contrary, if they are in pursuit of speed, they can choose a wide handle. If you’re not sure what width of handlebar you want, it’s recommended to choose a slightly wider handlebar than you think you might need, because you can always shorten it. If you switch to a wider handlebar, you may want to change to a shorter handlebar, because a wider handlebar will effectively increase the stretching distance of your bike.
Handlebar diameter
There is only one diameter at the handle of the mountain bike handle: 40mm. This means that you can cut and replace the sleeve as you like.
If you want to replace the handlebar instead of the stem, you need to ensure that the diameters of the two components match. Generally speaking, 40mm is more on downhill and endurance bikes because of its greater strength.
Carbon fiber or aluminum
Mountain bike handlebars are often made of aluminum or carbon fiber. Of course, there are titanium alloy handlebars, but they are not very common. Aluminum is the conventional choice. It is durable and relatively cheap, and it can withstand the bumps of mountain bikes better, without worrying about breaking holes.
Carbon fiber handlebars have some advantages over aluminum handlebars. Laminating carbon fiber can better absorb vibration and help to reduce arm fatigue. The weight of carbon fiber rod is also lighter, which is the choice of riders who care about weight. The significant disadvantage of carbon fiber rods is their cost, and their durability may not be as good as that of aluminum when it comes to impact.
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