On Bicycles, and.... what else is there?

I'm a committed fan of 26 mm handlebars. They feel comfortable in my hands, they're plenty stiff, they're light, and they flex just enough to dampen some road vibration. I never understood the shift to 31.8 mm, and will resist it until my present bars fail. But then as if 31.8 mm wasn't enough, Deda came out with the "35". For some reason the perception was that bar flex is to be avoided at all costs, as if we propel the bike primarily with our hands rather than our feet. Indeed, the 35 has had a tepid response even from the pros, who put out considerably higher torque than most riders, me included. 31.8 was already more than enough. But manufacturers in the quest for differentiation never let the facts get in their way. I just found out, from some of my many inside industry contacts, that Deda will announce soon a new "standard" in handlebars: "The MegaFondo 50" Why MegaFondo? Well, the pro peloton already rejected 35 mm. In any...

Caley Fretz is one of my favorite cycling reviewers. He now works for VeloNews, where he wrote this review on the new Enve SES bar : The shape of the SES is a reflection of the way that positioning has changed in recent years — as bars have dropped relative to the saddle, and our understanding of aerodynamics has improved, it has become clear that the lowest drag is often found with hands on the hoods, elbows bent at 90 degrees, chin to the stem. The SES design allows for a narrow, aerodynamic hood position — 37cm on my test bar — while retaining a wider drop area, 42cm. Narrow when you want it, wide when you need it. Here's the Enve: I love new ideas! In completely separate news, VeloPress has recently published Goggles and Dust , a book based on the remarkable photos which are part of the Horton Collection:

I've long been frustrated at the lack of bars in my preferred size, 40 cm o-o or 38 cm c-c. My shoulders are relatively narrow, and when I go to wider bars, I feel like I'm in a less stable position, with arms spread out. If I'm holding the plank position, I want my hands directly under my shoulders, and on the bike it's the same. This is the position of greatest mechanical strength. On top of this, narrower bars are more aerodynamic and have less of a cross-section for contact with adjacent riders. It's win-win. Yet for some reason wide bars have been popular. People feel they can get more leverage on wide bars. But power on the bike comes from the legs, not the arms (tests have confirmed this). To maximize this, you want to have as smooth and fluid a pedal stroke as possible. That implies staying balanced on the bike, not wildly thrashing about. So I think any benefits of wide bars except in violent sprints are over-rated. But what about violent sprint...