Mark's Bar

Of course it's made by Nitto, and in this case Mark didn't actually design it, but he wanted it for his own Roadeo, and so went leafing through the Nitto book until he found what he wanted, and then asked Mr. Yoshikawa to make it even lighter. So according to Mark and The Scale, it's a light Model 185. That means this:

Reach: 82mm. Less than Noodle's by 13mm.
Drop: 135mm. That's 5mm less than a Noodle's.
Ramp: 32. That's 17 steeper than a Noodle's.
Weight: 311g in a 46cm. About 50g less than a Noodle.
Sleeved or bulged in the clamp area?: Sleeved, like a Noodle.
Other: Noodle-like, it has no flat spots, cable holes, or cable grooves. No need, not desirable!

You can angle the bar up 10-degrees and make that 32-degrees 22-degrees, and yes, you can do the same with a Noodle, and turn 15 into 5. But basicallyfor club-style riding, you can easily live with the 32-degrees (it'll go by unnoticed, since that's a common dimension on drop bars), and you may regale in the bar's incredible lightness of being: 311g in a 46. (Lighter in 44 and 42).

Nowthenyoumightsay that 311g is nothing to write home about. Right. A snapped handlebar is something to write home about, and that's way, way less likely to happen with a Nitto than it is with any other handlebar.

All in all: If the Noodle bar is too avant guard for you, with its slight sweep back on top and it's flexible-suggestive goofy name, or this time around you just want a pure, traditional drop bar with a minimum of funky American influence, then get the Mark's.


Requires brake levers with a 23.8mm brake clamp diameter. Mt bike brake
levers have a 22.2mm clamp diameter and won't work!

Nitto name for the Mark's bar: Model 178