Swept Back Bars.
Handlebars that sweep back towards you, such as the Albatross Bars.
I have been thinking about these types of bars, so I’m writing this post.
I will be writing mainly about the “back sweep value”, which is a tentative name I gave.
The topic of this post is “the number to tell how swept back the bar is” from the stem clamp to the bar end.
Back sweep of handlebars are often referred as “angle” on catalogs, but the topic of this post is the distance of how much the bar is coming back
If you’re experiencing the following, this post might save you.
– The distance of the current handlebar doesn’t feel right
– You don’t want to mess up the stem length when building a new bike or bar swapping
If I were to try listing ever handlebar in Blue Lug’s inventory, my brain would probably explode and would take two years, so I’m only going to write about Rivendell bars.
Distance of how much the bar is coming back will be written as “back sweep value”.
This number is just a rough idea, so please do not take it too seriously.
I am going to write about this, based on the B352 Albatross Bar.
The back sweep value of the Albatross is 18.5cm. Surprisingly, the Alba has the least back sweep of all Riv bars. That means they are great with bikes with shorter top tubes like the Surly Cross Check, Crusts and other bikes that are “drop barable” such as road bikes and MTB. No wonder this bar is so popular.
If you like the Albatross, but thinking you want more straight section for the grip area, Choco Bar is here to help.
The back sweep value of the Choco is 21cm. 3cm longer than the Alba. The Choco comes back more than the Alba.
If you are feeling that you want the bar to be closer by two fingers, try and swap to the Choco without changing the stem. The rise on the Choco are lower, so I recommend them for people who does not want bar height.
And let’s take a look at the Billie Bars, aka the “Neo Albatross”.
Billie is 5cm longer than the Albatross with its 23cm back sweep value. They both look alike, but the grip area is different by a fist.
If you currently have a 80mm stem with an Albatross and feels perfect, you would need a 130mm stem for the Billie, in order to ride in the same position.
Tired? We’re still going!
The handlebar with the most back sweep value are the “Bosco Brothers”. The Bosco, Tosco and Losco. The back sweep value of the B-Bros are 25.5cm. The oldest brother Bosco having the highest rise, it feels closer to the others, so I added 0.5cm to it.
There is an 8cm difference compared to the Albatross, so if you currently use the Alba with 80mm stem, you would need a 160mm stem for a Bosco, but a stem like that does not exist, which means that the Bosco does not work with the bike you are trying to bar swap.
However, if you are someone who wants to make the handlebar closer or want to ride upright, the Bosco brothers are your heros.
Had enough? No, sit down and hear me out.
In other words, you are able to put the grips in a comfy position for bikes that have longer top tubes, that makes Albatross feel too far. Vintage MTBs and ATBs tend to have longer top tubes.
Generally speaking, it is not enough to consider only the horizontal distance between the ground and the handlebars, but based on the above, you can greatly reduce the chances of making mistakes when choosing handlebars and stem lengths.
Let’s look at my bike.
Top tube length of my bike is 575mm. The 130mm stem + Billie Bars feels perfect based on my physique and preferred position, but…
If I want to swap to the Alba for this bike, you can calculate the appropriate stem length by subtracting the difference in back sweep value from the length of the stem you are currently using. Based on the calculation, an 80 mm stem would probably do the trick. (130-50=80)
If I install a handlebar with a longer back sweep than the current Billie Bar to this bike, it will not feel right. If want to use Bosco in the same position, there is currently no stem longer than 130 mm (there are some older ones out there). The only customization I can do is to bring the grips closer to my body.
If I want to use Boscos in the same position, I would need a frame with a longer top tube than the Appaloosa, such as the Clem, or the Susie. Awesome, another reason to buy a new frame.
Again, if you remember the back sweep value, the chances of messing up the stem length can be reduced. It sucks to redo the bar tapes and to buy the same stem in a different length. I’ve been there.
Not only it helps to give you a comfy ride quality, but it also gives the bike a “proper look”. The bike would look more sexy and well put together in my opinion.
Bikes with these types of bars don’t usually require you to be too particular about your riding position, but if you like the idea, you might win at gambling or get a new girl/boy friend or something.
