Vastly improved comfort and control over standard drop bars; good access to brake levers for powerful braking when needed; reasonable price

Very flexible compared to a steel bar; harder to store in my apartment due to wider width? Also, forward-pointing sections seem a tad long to me, but then, I should probably try a shorter stem.

Since I do mostly city riding, I decided to ditch my stock drop bars for something offering better safety and control. I ordered the 47cm Stoker with the 120mm Profile Design stem (turns out my stock stem wouldn't fit anyway) for better adjustability. My body immediately responded to the more open and upright riding position, and with some experimentation, I've struck upon position that allows very powerful braking action and immensely easier pedaling (though a skinnier rider might not notice this so much). I tried Dia-Compe bar-end brake levers, but I couldn't reach them without wrist pain, so my original levers are back on for now, minus the "safety levers", with the cables routed externally. The Stoker's flexibility is a little annoying and quite disconcerting for a rider used to chromoly or mild steel bars, but the bike's ergonomics and maneuverability are much improved. You get used to the look, but the jury's still out on the usefulness of the internal cable-routing capability. My downtube shifters are now a tad harder to reach, so I may swap to bar-end shifters.

Similar Products Used:

stock Champion steel drop bars, Ritchey ForceLite mountain bar (on my mountain bike)