Compact, Anatomic or Classic? What to consider when choosing handlebars
During our bio-mechanic bike fitting sessions, one of the most common things we see are people with the wrong handlebars. Either they’re the wrong shape for the specific type of rider / use, or set-up incorrectly. Therefore, in this post, we’ve asked our Bio-Mechanic Giuseppe Giannecchini to answer the basic FAQs when it comes to choosing one set of handlebars over another… and getting them set-up correctly:
Which handlebars are right for you?
The right handlebars must allow you to grip correctly and strongly, while resting the hands in a natural way. If you find you’re pushing (rather than pulling) it is a sign that something is wrong. There shouldn’t be any ‘conflict’ with our handlebars, it should be an easy, harmonious grip… this is the basis for a correct bike handling and the perfect reach of brake levers / shifters. Obviously, a rider with big hands is better suited to a big drop curve and a rider with small hands will find dropbars with a narrower curve better. But in both cases, the handlebars / stem can be considered as the extension of the bike frame’s top-tube, horizontally, and of the head-tube, vertically, in order for the rider to obtain the position with the correct trunk and arm angles, with the hands nicely inline on the bars.
“If you find you’re pushing (rather than pulling) it is a sign that something is wrong”.
Who suits Compact, Anatomic, or Classic drops?
More than ‘suit’ we should talk about ergonomic relations between the different type of bars and the different grips, as there are pros and cons to all of them, which go further than just their dimensions and shapes. For example, the ‘anatomic’ drop forces you, while on the drops, to precisely stay in one position only… which is not the case for ‘compact’ and ‘classic’ dropbars, as these allow you to adjust your position a little, letting you move your hands forward or backwards. On the hoods, this ‘forcing’ is less relevant, but the reach and drop of different bars considerably affect the position, in length and saddle-bars drop. An interesting thing to notice is that, if you compare these three different types, sidewise, you will realize that the ‘compact’ shape is a modernisation of the ‘classic’ shape (which is still widely in use amongst the pros)… with the lower portion of the curve a lot less rounded, in order to be easier on the palms.
“There shouldn’t be any ‘conflict’ with our handlebars, it should be an easy, harmonious grip… this is the basis for a correct bike handling and the perfect reach of brake levers / shifters.”
If we use ‘compact’ can we slam the stem like the pros? What are the pros and cons of a bigger saddle-bars drop?
If you change the shape of your bars, you alter your entire riding position, it’s simple. Hence you should address your whole set-up, not just the handlebars. If you change drop and reach with different bars, you are shorter or longer, higher or lower. The important thing to understand is that such a thing as ‘slammed’ stem does not exist, it is a myth. What does exist, instead, is a wrongly set up height of your stem, or a correct one. In my opinion, the reason why people in the UK often think that pros ‘slam’ their stem is because the majority of people (in UK) ride with their stems far too high. You need to have the perfect set-up while riding in all of the three different hands positions: top of bars, hoods and drops, while reaching the levers comfortably. Wrong stem height can be equally dangerous either if too low (‘slammed’?!) or too high, creating serious issues to the neck, back, shoulders and hands.
RHM (Rapid Hands Movement) or ‘Compact’ on the left. Classic shapes can be ‘Italian’ (Shallow) or ‘Belgian’ (Deep)
“The ‘Anatomic’ drop forces you, while on the drops, to precisely stay in one position only”.
What are the elements to consider when selecting a handlebars for your clients?
I always consider the handlebar setup as part of the bigger picture: the correct riding position. Then I consider the proportions of hands and shoulders. Also, the habits and personal perceptiveness / sensitivity to the use of one type of bars rather than another are very important. Very often clients come to me with handlebars wrongly fitted on bikes, mostly turned up too much, which makes levers closer when on the hoods, but impossible to reach when on drops.
“You need to have the perfect set-up while riding in all of the three different hands positions: top of bars, hoods and drops, while reaching the levers comfortably”.
A narrower, compact handlebar, as part of a generally revised bike position, allowed Jonathan Edwards to climb more effectively (here on Honister Pass); and to stay for a longer time on the drops without discomfort… Before the position update with us, he “would have needed to take painkillers after a long ride”.