I love this bike, don’t care for drop bars. I would like a bit of a riser with some sweep but don’t know that I want to go albatross swept or Ron’s ortho wide. When I’m riding I know right where I want the bars but I always end up regretting the stem/bar purchase.

I have more bars than I need because of the buy and try method. Wish I had better advice, OP! But have you looked into VO Klunker or Crazy bars (same sweep AFAIK)?

That’s a beautiful frame and fork

I have the same problem. If you know your currant setup, I’ve in the past put some bar ends or whatever to try to imagine where I feel the most comfortable. It gives me at least a little idea what stem/bar combo will get me close. I usually go to my local coop and grab a cheap parts to try.

That said, I’ve been pretty surprised by the combo I end up with.

Go to a bike shop and let them help you find the right combination.

I used to have a Nitto B302AA North Road handlebar on an old sport tourer like that, absolutely loved it.

What about the V.O. Granola Bars? I’m thinking of those.

Nice ride.

I’m in a try-out phase myself right now. The following is something that has successfully worked for me in the past: Build myself a modular test setup until I am 95-100% sure that I like the fit.

You need:
– Quill stem adapter (velo orange type or something similar),
– two cheap ahead stems of different length (guestimate length and angle around your idea of a good fit, 10-20 mm apart, take changes in bar width into account),
– cheap handlebar with moderate width and backsweep and maybe a bit rise (I like 9 or 10 degree backsweep to start with; not too wide not to narrow, I like ~ 630 mm)
(- long bar ends like back in the 90s)
(- I got myself a zero setback seatpost, because I have short legs, and more specifically I have short femurs. That way I could experiment way better within my desired fore-and-aft range.)

Then, during a shorter test ride, experiment with different bar height and rotation, stem length, grip and bar end width and rotation. Unless you are 100% sure that your saddle position is perfect: Experiment with small changes in saddle height, saddle angle and saddle fore-and-aft, as well as different foot positions on the pedals.

Observe and feel your wrists‘, elbows‘, shoulders’ and hip’s angles while you ride. Try to achieve a neutral position (i.e no super round or super straight back aka get a neutral hip position, try to avoid overly sideways bent wrists, slightly bend your elbows, center your shoulders. Usually those are good indicators. If something is really off, you’ll see or feel it. Tweak your setup and/or body position if necessary.

If you are confident, go for a longer ride on different terrain. Ride slow and fast. No setup is perfect for every riding style on every terrain. Ask yourself what you want to prioritize in your setup (aggressive or relaxed position, control vs. aero vs. comfort). If you can’t create a fit that you like or like to try with the parts you have, buy another cheap bar and/or stem. If you find a setup you like, keep it and see it as a good fit for your current needs. Decide if you can live with the aesthetics of the test setup components. If not, look online and find out whether it is possible to recreate the exact dimensions of your cockpit with a nicer bar and (quill) stem. Decide if the aesthetics are worth the extra cost.

For a bike like this I love albatross bars. More zippy than the wide rons, and don’t come back quite as far. The hand positions are great on albatross bars. You still want a long stem to make the handling work nice.