November 23rd, 2009
Nitto North Road v. Nitto Albatross
I receive many inquiries regarding Nitto North Road and Albatross handlebars. For the first time I have a pair of bikes in-house sporting one of each. As you can see, the bars are quite similar.
The North Road has slightly more abrupt bends. The Albatross sweeps back ever-so-slightly more parallel with the top tube.
The Albatross has slightly more gentle bends and looks more elegant to my eye. The North Road looks a little more business-like and utilitarian. Functionally they’re nearly identical.
These photos were taken with a wide angle lens and show some distortion, but they’re still useful for comparison. You have to stare at the bars for a while to really see the subtle differences. Both are supremely comfortable and work exceptionally well for city riding.
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18 Responses to “Nitto North Road v. Nitto Albatross”
I can’t tell you how helpful this is. You can read descriptions of the bars all day, and even look at photos of them on various bikes, but until you see them side-by-side, it remains confusing.
I’ve got some form of NR bars on three of my five bikes and often wonder why it’s not five of five. Next time I convert, I think it’ll be albatross.
The a-bar bend looks more comfy. Plus I like the finish better. The devil is in the details. Have you noticed a difference in ride?
Put handlebar tape from the brake levers to stem on my Albatross handlebar, this allowed a more comfortable grip when climbing or riding into a breeze.
How do the Silver Shifters compare, in operation, with the Shimano bar ends?
@Bob
“How do the Silver Shifters compare, in operation, with the Shimano bar ends?”
I find them equally functional in friction mode. Of course, you’ll want the Shimano if you prefer indexing. This is subjective, but I find the Silver shifters more attractive and they feel better in my hand. I guess you can’t really go wrong either way.
Alan
@Perry
“Have you noticed a difference in ride?”
It’s subtle, but the Albatross feels a little more “open” to me. I like the way they turn in more parallel with the top tube as well. They’re both very nice bars though…
Alan
Thanks so much for the comparison. Both of those bars look like they would be really comfortable.
Question – what is the diameter of the bars? Will they accept MTB-style controls, or just road-style?
Cheers!
@BikeBike
“Question – what is the diameter of the bars? Will they accept MTB-style controls, or just road-style?”
They require MTB brake levers while also accepting standard bar-end shifters.
Alan
Alan, This comparison is very helpful. Question: is there any difference in the rise? From the top photo, it looks like the North Road may have slightly more of a rise to it, but perhaps this is just the angle.
I have the heat-treated aluminum Albatross bars on my bike (they also come in CrMo), and one thing I found a little disconcerting at first was the amount of flex in them. Since they had to make them from very thin tubing in order to fit both MTB brake levers and bar-end shifters, I guess this flex was inevitable, but I have gotten used to it and hardly notice it anymore.
I have the Albatross bars on my Cross Check and Dove bars on my wifes bike.
The Dove bars are narrower but similar shape and are just right for smalller folk or tight city riding.
The big wide Albatross bars feel very comfy, I simply used padded bar tape insted of grips.
Terminology question: Is the “North Road” described here simply the $68 Rivendell aluminum Albatross? And is the “Albatross” specifically the cro-mo Albatross at $53? Both of those look to fit bar-ends and “mountain” controls. The Dove is another creature altogether.
@bycycle
No, they’re different bars with subtly different bends. The North Road is a generic Nitto product. The Albatross is produced by Nitto specifically for Rivendell. Both bars are available in chromo and Al versions.
Alan
@John
The rise is nearly identical. If anything the NR may have just a touch more rise, though I’d have to take both off of the bikes to know for sure – it’s that close.
Alan
Hey, sorry, more questions, Is the Cro Mo Albatross finish Shiny Chrome or Nickel Plated. Is the grip diameter is 22.2mm
Thanks, jorge
[...] the drooping shifters in the photo). And finally, since most of these bars have less rise than the North Roads I’ve been running the past two years, I swapped the Brooks B67 saddle for a narrower Selle [...]
[...] Dupont handlebars. The Aldrich is the flat bar in silver with a 50 degree sweep, the Dupont is the North Road type bar in black with a 65 degree sweep and 60 degree rise. In the first and second photos, the [...]
Hey, does anyone know if the albatross bar is available anywhere other than Riv? Their shipping is a little steep for non-us buyers.. thanks!
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