School Me on Making my drop bars not feel like riding rebar.

Johnny Utah

Johnny Utah

Well-Known Member
I love this bike, it’s fantastic. Fits great riding lower in the bars …. BUT…these bars pound me. The grip tape is stock and super thin, I am sure I can get some help by putting something more comfy on.

At the same time, is it worth going to a carbon bar? The bars are stock aluminum jobbers.

Yes, I know I can lower my air pressure as well.

Not looking to put a suspension fork on right now.
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ive had mtb grips at the end on my drops for a long time now. I swap out between the esi chunkys to a generic ergonomic grip. Here is a photo of my old bike- pre strava using the bike comp. New bike has esi chunks.


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something you can try for free:

just be more relaxed with your grip, i only have aluminum bars/supacaz tape on all of my drop bar bikes and don't feel that i'm getting destroyed.

could this pain/discomfort also be due to a lever placement?
 
In my old age I can really feel a difference between a carbon and alloy bar. My hands go numb almost immediately with alloy. I also run 2 small gel pads where the hoods meet the bar to make that transition butter smooth. And last but usually overlooked, run a good tire with a supple casing, monster improvement. I preach the wonders of Rene Herse because they're that good.
 
Johnny Utah said:
I love this bike, it’s fantastic. Fits great riding lower in the bars …. BUT…these bars pound me. The grip tape is stock and super thin, I am sure I can get some help by putting something more comfy on.

At the same time, is it worth going to a carbon bar? The bars are stock aluminum jobbers.

Yes, I know I can lower my air pressure as well.

Not looking to put a suspension fork on right now.View attachment 178154View attachment 178155
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Double tape works for me and a padding that my guy (Rob from Garrisons) installs at my last tune
 
Pearl said:
something you can try for free:

just be more relaxed with your grip, i only have aluminum bars/supacaz tape on all of my drop bar bikes and don't feel that i'm getting destroyed.

could this pain/discomfort also be due to a lever placement?
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I am thinking it is this.

I use Fizik’s 2mm tape (I think the thinnest) and never really had an issue with hand cramping or “getting destroyed” that being said, I barely hold onto the bar, especially in the drops. In the drops my fingers are usually loose and just let the bars bounce around.

I do use carbon bars on both my bikes too.

Also, your fit may have you putting more pressure in your hands, which could lead to the issues you are having. Playing around with bar height and stem length may help.
 
my road bike (2016 Domane) has built in gel pads under the bars that really make a difference to me compared to my other bike. I have ridden the road bike on many long distance rides (100+ miles), HOH etc.. and dont really have any issues.

My gravel bike has much thicker bar tape but I also just upgraded the tires to GK 42's from the stock GR1 40s and lowered my tire pressure a bit and its much better than before.

In one of the Trek Checkpoint forums I am in, some people rave about the Redshift stem system but I have no experience with it.

 
Ian F said:
Did you have a fit done on the bike? It's amazing what a few mm difference in saddle position or stem length can have on hand pressure on a road bike.
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I have not had an actual fit on it. I enjoy riding in the drops more than on top of the bars, it feels very comfortable in the drops.

@stb222 @Pearl i rarely use the levers as it is flat as a board where I live. Couple shifts on a 20 mile ride, minimal brakes.
 
I ask because all of this is such a personal thing. Like I discovered flared drop bars are not for me. I spend a lot of time on the brake hoods and the way flared bars change the orientation of the hoods to what I've been used to over 30+ years of road riding, my hands protested quickly and painfully. I made a similar discovery when I tried a set of really nice (and crazy-light) Thomson Katy Compton carbon bars on the gravel bike that are 44cc wide. I've been riding 42cm bars for decades. I didn't think the width difference would bother me. I was wrong. Painfully wrong.

I guess this is a round-about way of saying that fit is everything when it comes to a road bike and you can't really apply the same "eh... close enough..." sizing criteria that we tend to do on mtn bikes. Could changing the bar tape make a difference for you? Maybe... but I would get the fit checked first.
 
Johnny Utah said:
I have not had an actual fit on it. I enjoy riding in the drops more than on top of the bars, it feels very comfortable in the drops.

@stb222 @Pearl i rarely use the levers as it is flat as a board where I live. Couple shifts on a 20 mile ride, minimal brakes.
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I am super inflexible and I prefer straight forearms on the hoods over riding the drops. But regardless, loosen that grip up.
 
Saddle angle and setback have a huge impact on weight distribution and hand comfort. Yours appears nose down a bit?
Also your bars are pretty high relative to saddle. If you enjoy the drops most, I'd try a lower handlebar position.
 
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try and loosen up your grip first, and then if that doesn't work, go get a bike fit... sucks to pay for it but its worth its weight in gold if you can be comfortable all day on a bike like that
 
I had a similar issue on my road bike. It was recommended to me that I work on my Lower Back and Abs. Strengthening those muscles help relieve some the downward pressure (weight) on the bars. When I was training more vigorously I did notice a difference.
 
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