Oversized handlebars

Are oversized bars really worth it? Just deciding on some new bars at the moment, and am wondering what others think.

i got some, you'll have less choice in bars and stems, and no quill.
But deda newton pista and deda track bars are a gret combo, stiff as hell

i have deda oversize bars on my condor, stiff light and a nice non-anatomic shape. i don't like the modern anatomic bars i think they look horrible and don't fit my hands well.
isn't oversize the new 'standard' so therefore more choice?

Ehhh Not sure what you mean by worth it, price? looks?
I've got deda oversized bars on my road bike and had to buy a new clamp to fit my v.expensive lights to them, so decided rather than have to fiddle with swapping over clamps to just buy oversized bars for the fixed, got hold of some deda velocita shiny alloy ones 40 odd squid from parker international, less for the black ones.
http://www.parker-international.co.uk/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/1505/groupID/4/categoryID/50/v/ad83162a-f2e7-4c36-a37c-a65417ffb0e2
You do have less choice in terms of bars, especially track bars, and stems, but it worked for me, never ridden thinner bars apart from the ones on my old mountain bike but my current bars are cool

MrSmith i have deda oversize bars on my condor, stiff light and a nice non-anatomic shape. i don't like the modern anatomic bars i think they look horrible and don't fit my hands well.
isn't oversize the new 'standard' so therefore more choice?

Yeah I was led to believe that they were the new 'standard', too.

MrSmith - what brake levers are you using, then? Because, with a single brake, hood brakes (not sure what the proper name is) look really odd with one lever, and with an oversized stem you can't get a normal style lever as near to the stem.

Cornelius - I probably wouldn't go for deep track bars, more shallow road bars. My bike has a pretty long top tube as it is, and the stem is longish too. I'd be pretty much horizontal with those bars (even though they look quite nice).

I've got shallow drop non-anatomic on both my road bikes - 26.2 on the road bike and 31.8 on the fixed.

Depends what they're intended for. I went for O/S on the fixed because I spend a lot of time honking up hills and doing sprint intervals and standing starts and stuff - so as little flex as possible is desirable. Does transmit a bit more road vibration though when just cruising around. And as cb mentioned, O/S light brackets are needed (though they're becoming more a standard option with a lot of new kit).

Same question to you as well BringMeMyFix, as to MrSmith - what'd you do about brake levers? Do oversized levers even exist?

I'm using bog standard aero levers, with only the hood (minus lever) on the left.

If you prefer a lever on the tops, maybe you can 'dremel' out some kind of hinged bmx style lever - dunno, never used them; hang on...

...okay, some kind of cross lever like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Tektro-Mount-Levers-31-8mm-Silver/dp/B000C15J4O

Sure you can find something in the UK, what with O/S bars being used in cyclocross.

actually when i went to brixton cycles to get a brake lever they only have ones for over size bars. goldfinger/salsa/cane creek they only had oversize ones. i bought the salsa in the end and i have to use shims on my cinelli criteriums

eeehhhh Same question to you as well BringMeMyFix, as to MrSmith - what'd you do about brake levers? Do oversized levers even exist?

yes. i use a cane creek carbon cross-top one, tektro and specialized do them too.
i still have normal brake levers/hoods too but have punched the lever out of the left hand hood

got a pair of oversized tektro cross levers from hovis, if you get some oversized bars, you can have the left as I'm only using the right one. Bung me a tenner and its yours

Hmm I'm not sure if the cross tops will work with my brakes. When I bought my roadrat frame I was unaware about long and short pull brakes. It only takes v-brakes, so you have to have the right levers. I know dia compe make some quite nice hood levers that work with vs, but I don't know of any others.

With hindsight, I'd have probably bought a condor, but ah well - I'm still really pleased with it; just wouldn't mind drops.

hmm cross tops won't work with v's. only choice for road style levers that will work would be Dia Compe 287-V levers but they are bloody expensive.

apart from v-brakes would it take canti's? if the frame does you're sorted.

eeehhh ditch the hybrid and buy a proper road/track bike :-)

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/brake-levers/product/cane-creek-crosstop-levers-8949

Sounds like v-brakes shouldn't be a problem...

Actually, there's contradictory text about compatibility for the above, but I think Paul's crosstop levers have a pin that can be adjusted for use with Vs, and they come in a 31.8

MrSmith eeehhh ditch the hybrid and buy a proper road/track bike :-)

Yeah, I know. I quite like the roadrat though because it's quite versatile in terms of mudguards, racks and so on. At the time when I bought it as well I wasn't sure if I'd like ss/fixed, so wanted the option of going geared if need be. I probably would if I had the money to do so, but I'll probably just run the roadrat into the ground over uni.

edmundane apart from v-brakes would it take canti's? if the frame does you're sorted.

i looked into that, and the pivots will take them but there's no where for me to put a hanger on for the cable, on the front. No headset spacers, you see.

BringMeMyFix Actually, there's contradictory text about compatibility for the above, but I think Paul's crosstop levers have a pin that can be adjusted for use with Vs, and they come in a 31.8

oh yes! :D You might have just found me exactly what I wanted! :D

I just need to order some bars now, so I can work out the position I want the lever in and if it ends up being on the 31.8mm bit, near the stem, or the other, thinner, bit.

Cheers!

Edit: Hmmmm that motolite brake looks a lot nicer than other v-brakes available, especially in black. Might have to get one of them as well...

Well it looks like Paul Comp has stopped making the oversized v-brake cross :( He just recommended looking on eBay, but there aren't any at the moment.

Anyone got one they want to sell to me? Or know of anyone with one?

Ta.