It’s it. What is it?
When I bought my SL8 from Pedalheads Cycles I was given the option to choose my bar width and stem length. The Roval Rapide cockpit only gets as narrow as 380mm so that was locked in, but the 380mm only comes in either a 90mm stem length or 115mm (quite odd that there is no 100mm option).
Of-course, for looks alone I went for the 115mm, but the 115mm stem plus the extra long SRAM Red E1 levers has had me at 20mm longer from saddle tip to centre of bars measurement than all my other bikes (partially due to me asking the shop to also clam my stem, again, for looks!).
I’ve put up with the stretched out position for the past 3 months, and on every ride I do I find myself moving my hands down the hoods (away from the brake levers) a few centimetres, but I’ve finally caved in and made the ridiculously expensive move to buy a 380/90 cockpit (RRP: $850 AUD).
It comes in at 299g, and I had Sam and Victor at CCACHE install it for me. Good news is that I managed to sell my 380/115 bars for $650 on Marketplace within minutes of listing them, and better news yet is that the 90mm stem whilst looking way less aggressive fits me SO much better.
It’s been raining for a week, but first ride out this morning with the new cockpit and I’ve broken all my PB’s at the park. What everyone else says is right; if you’re more comfortable you can ride faster for longer. I had to learn this for myself though because I’m a stubborn fuck that still prefers to learn things through experience (in this case, trial and error).