Tag: nitto handlebars

Nitto Dirt Drop Handlebars

Post author By Bike Hermit®
Post date July 10, 2011
5 Comments on Nitto Dirt Drop Handlebars

The Bike Touring News store stocks two different versions of the Nitto Dirt Drop handlebar. The main difference between the two, or so I thought, is the diameter of the bar at the stem clamp sleeve. The RM-013 is 26.0mm and the RM-014 is 31.8 mm. I recently did a side by side comparison and was surprised to see just how different these bars are, not only in the clamp diameter but in the overall shape.

Nitto RM-013 Dirt Drop compared to the RM-014 Dirt Drop — Nitto Rm-013 Dirt Drop bar (top) and the Nitto RM-014 Dirt Drop

The bars in the above photo are both 52’s. That means it is 52 cm from the center of the end of the tube on one side to the center of the end of the tube on the opposite side. Even though both bars are the same width at their widest, or the bottom of the flair, the top, flat part of the RM-014 begins curving to the drop much closer to the center of the handlebar, resulting in a narrower top section and a wider flare.

Rm-014 and Rm-013 from the side — The Nitto RM-014 on the left, the RM-013 on the right

From the side the differences are not as pronounced. The bottom flared portion of the RM-014 on the left may be a slight bit longer and the bend a little bit sharper.

For a bike that will be ridden mainly off-road, the Rm-014 might be a good choice with the ramps at a little more of an angle (like in the last photo) and the brake levers mounted a little lower to make riding in the drops more comfortable.

But this picture I find to be the most interesting:

The 52 cm RM-013 is very similar to the 48 cm Nitto Noodle bar, it just flares out a little more and doesn’t have the slight return bend on the tops. A Google search revealed why. Grant Petersen from Rivendell designed both bars. The Dirt Drop was original equipment on the 1987 Bridgestone MB-1 and the Noodle was a replacement, with a few tweaks, for the Dirt Drop when Nitto stopped making them due to lack of a market. Now they are making the Dirt Drop again, in two versions. I personally like the extra flare on the RM-013 and I use them on my touring bike.

Either bar will accept bar end shifters and road style brake levers. The RM-014 is a few grams heavier in any given size and it comes in 50 amd 52 cm widths. The RM-013 comes in 46, 48 and 52 cm widths.

Tags dirt drop stems and handlebars, handlebar measuring, Handlebars, nitto handlebars, touring bike handlebars

Rivendell Bicycles

Chapter One- A Rookie Mistake

Post author By Bike Hermit®
Post date July 1, 2011

Now that I have all the parts, it’s time to start bolting them onto the bike. And the first part out of the box is this piece of jewelry:

photo of IRD crankset — This is the IRD Defiant touring triple crankset

Interloc Racing Design is a small company that has been around since 1984 and the moniker seems a little dated since they now make a lot of parts for touring and utility bikes. I need to confess that I didn’t consider the crankset/bottom bracket interface when I ordered the crank, and the bottom bracket that came with this frame has a spindle that is too short to use with this particular crankset.

photo of Sugino on left and IRD on right — The Sugino XD-2 on the left- IRD Defiant on the right

Since the interface is recessed on the IRD crankset, compared to the Sugino XD-2 I need either a 127.5 or 122 mm bottom bracket spindle, rather than the 107…so I ordered both and I will use the one that gives the best chainline. This is what I’m talkin’ about:

photo of crankset on too-short bottom bracket — The chainrings hit the bike with the too-short bottom bracket spindle

Meanwhile, here’s a taste of what the bike’s going to look like!

Photo of Nitto handle bar and stem — The Nitto Grand Randonneur handlebar and Technomic Deluxe stem

photo of partially completed bike — Sweet studio shot!

Tags brake levers, Handlebars, nitto handlebars, Touring Bikes

Cockpit Handlebars and Stems Touring Bike Components

4 Handlebars

Wherein the bike hermit compares and contrasts 4 different drop style handlebars for the touring bike. Finding the perfect handlebar for his touring bike has him in a bit of a bother.

Last season I installed the Nitto Dirt Drop bars on Chief. I like the way the drops flair out.

The bars actually have a very slight rise from the clamp area to the ramps. These are the medium width version. There is a version that is narrower and one that is wider. These feel a little too narrow for me when I’m riding on the hoods. Dang, should have got the wider ones. But I like the angled-in aspect of the brakes on the flair of these bars. It feels natural.

The other nice thing about the drops being wider than the tops ….my wrists don’t hit the tops of the bars when “in the drops”.

On Norm, my everyday bike, I have the On One Midge handlebar. Perhaps my favorite bar of all time.

This handlebar might look a little crazy…. in fact I have been labeled “crazy bar guy” on group rides…but the ergonomics are fantastic. These have a super wide, flat top section so there are multiple positions available on the top of the bars alone. As the top of the bar bends to begin the drop portion it also flairs out at a dramatic angle.

The other thing that happens when the bend from the tops is so gradual is that the brake levers get mounted at an even more extreme angle. But if I raise my arms out in front of my body, in a relaxed way, my fingers do not naturally line up perpendicular to the ground. They are more like 30 to 40 degrees from vertical. An angle very similar to the angle of the the brake levers on the Midge bar:

I like to install these handlebars with the ramps level. This provides a great platform and plenty of support for the hands.

On One Midge handlebars — Another position I use a lot with the Midge bars.

Sky King has the Nitto Grand Randonneur on her Rivendell Bleriot.

The most notable thing in this view is the distance the ends of the bars extend toward the rider. This should allow for riding comfortably in the drops without reaching. The picture below shows the rise from the center up to the ramp portion.

The handlebar I am itching to try on my touring bike is the Nitto Noodle.

These bars intrigue me because of the slight rearward bend of the top portion. Again, if I examine the shape of my palm, curled into a gripping shape, I find that it is at a slight angle, from inside to outside. Corresponding to the shape of the Noodle bar.
They don’t have any flair to the drops though. The ramps are basically parallel to the drops. These would be really cool if they had the backward bend plus a flair like the Midge bars! Then they would be the Pretzel bar.

Nitto Noodle — No flair to the drops and subsequently.... to the brake levers

So, there you have four options for drop style handlebars for touring. If you are thinking about changing handlebars keep in mind that there are three standard diameters for handlebars where they clamp to the stem: 25.4 mm, 26mm, and 31.8mm. Stems are made for all those diameters too. A stem with a clamp for 25.4 will not work with a 26 or 31.8 handlebar, but a smaller diameter handlebar can be made to work with a larger clamp diameter stem by means of handy dandy shims made for that purpose!
After looking at these pictures I think I need to write a post about handlebar tape and how to change it.

Tags Bike Fit, bike position, Bike Touring, hand comfort, Handlebars, nitto handlebars, Touring Bikes