Touring Equipment

I'm probably missing something obvious here, but wouldn't something like this be a better bet than putting grips on...?

Obviously you could still double/triple wrap if it were required...

Not if you want to use a quill stem

limited with a quill.

levers divide up the bars?
oh i've trip-wrapped. it makes a huge difference but i'm after every mm of surface area i can get.

On a serious note, I triple wrapped the tops of the drops on my touring bike. Super padded and because I wrapped them so tightly and the levers divide up the bars, you can't really see the difference in the thickness.
My hands would start going numb after long bumpy days and the triple wrapped bars helped a lot.

Ah yes, that'd be what I was missing. Bloody quill stems :)

With that in mind - I'm surprised there are any ergo grips that would fit anyway...

I only wrapped extra on the tops of the bars, from the stem to the levers. The levers were like a divider so it wasn't entirely obvious that the tops were thicker with grip than the drops.
Triple wrapping solved my problem. Those ergo jobs look nasty, like the shit that the teachers used to put on my pens to make me write good.

Given that some people run their cables round the back of the bar to get a bit of an ergo effect, you could just tape something underneath the bar tape to get a ghetto version of the same thing. I'm imagining a dowling rod or some Fimo modelling stuff... yes, I did say it would be ghetto.... ;)

This does not fit on my saddle rails anymore. What is the best alternative?

They do look awful, though if they snap on I can hide the shame...

[INDENT]

I only wrapped extra on the tops of the bars, from the stem to the levers. The levers were like a divider so it wasn't entirely obvious that the tops were thicker with grip than the drops.
Triple wrapping solved my problem. Those ergo jobs look nasty, like the shit that the teachers used to put on my pens to make me write good.
[/INDENT]

I'm liking the thinking... but ergo grips on the ends may be the solution. Still ugly but ten minutes of wide grip every hour or so would be a dream.

Given that some people run their cables round the back of the bar to get a bit of an ergo effect, you could just tape something underneath the bar tape to get a ghetto version of the same thing. I'm imagining a dowling rod or some Fimo modelling stuff... yes, I did say it would be ghetto.... ;)

no. would that help if the discomfort was from putting too much weight on them?

Yes, if you angle the saddle and set it back a bit to put more of your body weight on it, it should removed the weight from the front.

this is clever

what noodle (front, 135 degree or rear, 90 degree) is suitable for this?

Ed's your man there.

90, doubtful if there's any additional advantage to having a 135 one.

Sputnik ↔ Chrina: What's the difference?
Getting some wheels built up by Spa Cycles and not sure which rim to pick.
I've heard of sputnik's being very strong but don't know anything about chrina.

Go for the Sputnik, they're wider, Chrina's old hat.

Sputniks fit 28 don't they?
What's the difference though? Are chrina not as wide?

Nope, about as wide as a Mavic Open Pro.

So they don't fit 28s? That's bad news.

Yes it does that's good news.

You reckon I can get away with a 32h wheelset if I'm using sputniks?

Reckon so, but 28c is better on wider rims than narrow, even 25c.

Awesome cheers Ed. Not sure if I want to rock the boat re. 36/32h. I'll stick with the tried and tested 36h. It probably won't make much of a difference really.

It depend on how much you're carrying really.

Lightweight touring is fine with 32/32.

Ive got Sputniks on my Crosscheck. 32C and 32holes on 105s. It seems strong enough for two full Carradice Super C rears. Very happy with them

Orders been sent now, better to be safe than sorry. I also use Super C rears, glad to know that my sputniks will be able to handle the load.

thinking of getting non-drop handlebars for my tourer... like city / rando type things rather than butterfly bars.

any recommendations?