Humans have gained endless abilities through walking upright on two legs, but the posture of riding a bicycle is partially a return to quadrupedal walking, in which our weight is held in support by our forearms. That said, we’ve forced ourselves in to an outdated posture for the fundamental value of speed…

When I was about to write an update and comeback announcement for SimWorks’ randonneur “Wild Honey”, I derailed to “bipedal” on Wikipedia. Let’s get back to the story….

Yes, the Wild Honey, which has been a regular lineup since the early days of SimWorks as a randonneur bar for comfortable long touring, is back with a detailed, but rather important update.

Width: 490, 510, 530mm
Center diameter: 31.8mm
Material : Heat Treated Aluminum

When viewed from the front, the bar has an inverted V shape. Grasping the lower drops enables wide and stable handling, while holding the slightly narrower hook at the hoods allows the upper body to stand up and take a comfortable posture. Hallmarks of a tried and true randonneur style handlebar.

Recently, there are examples of similar narrow to wide and flared handlebars being used in road races for their aerodynamic advantage. It’s about time to show off.

Newly added 510mm / 530mm width

In the race scene, it seems that narrow randonneur bars are used, but a wide handlebar is best for more casual riding and touring- outside of a special environment like a race. 510mm and 530mm, which are wider than the previous model, have been newly added to the lineup. However, since this is the width of the bar from center to center at it’s ends, it can be used as a randonneur bar in situations that are common in touring, such as gripping the narrow top bracket, tightening the sides and running through a long straightaway while enduring a headwind. It’s performance and versatility can be demonstrated.

Additionally, you will be able to equip a large front bag without interfering with your grip.

Wider center width for digital gadgets

Wild Honey’s other updates include a wider span of 31.8mm clamp width to accommodate more handlebar mounted accessories for the modern cyclist. Until now, when combined with the same Simworks stem, there were times when the width was insufficient to attach a light or navigation mount near the center. A wide clamp has been achieved by revising the material tube to match a more modern riding style where various electronic gadgets are attached near the stem.

Bar top with graceful 7mm rise

Another feature of Wild Honey worth noting is that the upper hook where you would rest your hands is raised about 7mm. It is shaped like a preliminary movement of diamond dust from Cygnus Glacier- like a swan opening its wings.

This subtle rise not only offers a beautiful shape, but also affords the opportunity for a more upright and comfortable riding posture. Ergonomics are considered in the mounting angle of your brake or integrated lever units- making them easy to grip and comfortable on your hands and wrists- in spite of the bars long reach of 104mm.

Considering that a person’s height changes by about 1 cm in the morning and evening, those who have a good position on the bike should know that a rise of 7 mm can make a difference in comfort and ergonomics on the bike.

This is where my early sidebar on upright bipedal walking comes into play. Humans balance their relatively heavy heads on top of their S-curved spines, so that the upright posture is the most comfortable posture. And if you put your head forward like riding a bicycle, you need muscle strength to support it. Assuming an average head weight of 5kg, a 30 degree tilt of the neck bone would require muscle strength to hold a weight of 12.5kg. In other words- your neck, while riding a bike, is supporting about the same weight as an average modern ATB bike.

All of this is to say, that what is important is the angle of your neck, and if the angle changes even a few degrees due to an improvement in hand position, the load will increase or decrease proportionately, so the amount of handlebar rise will also be effective.

At the same time, raising your upper body also expands your vertical field of view. The effective vertical viewing angle of humans is only about 20 degrees. This also changes the ratio of the field of view greatly depending on the angle of the upper body.

I used the previous Wild Honey when I rode to Bagan, in Myanmar days ago. I was able to appreciate a world that I could see because of this handlebar that makes it easier to face forward.

Push farther, embrace a wider field of view, and enjoy your ride.

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WILD HONEY BAR / ワイルドハニーバー

Width: 490, 510, 530mm
Center diameter: 31.8mm
Material : Heat Treated Aluminum