Evolution Products;
Rans LWB EvoBar
Fitting Instructions

For optimum handling and comfort, correct reach (distance from shoulders to grips) and handgrip orientation are more important than the specific bend of the bars.

While our goal was better slow speed handling and improved comfort, we found the bars also improved stability at speed. (Probably because the downward angle of the grips allows the arms to hang naturally.)

After getting your new bars adjusted as described, you may have even more tiller than with the original bars. However the "Tiller Effect" will be much less, as it will be easier to make the larger steering motions LWBs need for low speed balance.

Best fit is an individual thing, but the following will give you a good starting point.

Height;
EvoBars place the grips lower than the Rans bars, so you may want to raise the bars.

Bars are raised by loosening the clamp indicated by the arrow.

These pictures show a set of Pro bars, fitted about as low as practical, on a Stratus. This shows "worst case" knee/handlebar interference. Most people will prefer the bars a bit higher.

We have installed EvoBars on the Velocity Squared, Gliss, Tailwind and Wave, without replacing any cables. But in some years, the Stratus came with lower cables that are not long enough to allow the bars to be raised more than an inch or two.


Reach;
If you stick your arms out straight, and lay your forearms across the grips, your wrists should be about 1.5" to 2" past the center of the grips. Move the stem in or out of the extension till reach is right.


Handgrip Orientation;
Rotate the bars in the clamp till your wrists are in the most relaxed position. This is not the best for riding, you just do this to get a baseline.

Now rotate the bottom of the bars toward you about 10-15 degrees or about 1/2 inch. This puts a little tension on the top 2 fingers and a bit of pressure on the heel of the hand. Without this tension and pressure, there is a tendancy for relaxed hands to slide right down the grip. And without them the weight of one arm would tend to turn the bars to one side when riding with one hand.

Rotating the bars has probably changed the reach, so now re-check the reach.

If you have to change the reach again, the angle between the grips and forearms gets changed slightly, so you may have to adjust bar rotation again.



Sport or Pro?
The Pro bars are an inch narrower (20.5" center to center vs. 21.5), have 1.3" more drop, and a sharper bend, (50 deg. vs 40 deg.)

The "Sport" bars give about 85-90% of the handling and comfort improvement that the Pros provide.

However, the Pros can cause some knee/handlebar overlap, unless mounted fairly high. Many people have no problem with this. It quickly becomes instinctive to stick a knee outside the bars after a certain degree of handlebar movement is reached.

You may be better off with the Sport bend if;