Commuting - mr. moustache???

so in a DESPERATE ;) attempt to be both cool and comfortable i have built up this bike here as an alternative commuter to my cross-check.... a fixed gear with moustache bars.

at first i had a lower stem, instant discomfort, so i got a higher stem resulting in this....

http://s94916384.onlinehome.us/fixie/DSC02024.JPG

not bad but still not what i'd call comfy.... anyone who rides similar bars now or in the past care to comment on how i might make this better?

my next step is to just say screw it and put on some flat mtb bars. why is good ugly style so hard to achieve??? ;)

I hate to say this, but... the bars are still too low.

I didn't believe it, either, but the Rivendell catalog means it when it says the bars must be level with or above the seat. Yours look a bit low in the photo.

Good luck. I'm still trying to love my m-bars.

One of my commuters is a CrossCheck (http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2005/may/FixedGearRider.htm), but I also ride an Bridgestone XO-3. I found bringing the m-bars high and tight gives me the greatest comfort. I also have a set of dummy brakes installed on the backside.

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/6329/xo35yf.th.jpg (http://img123.imageshack.us/my.php?image=xo35yf.jpg)
I've been fartin around with the positioning of the levers, hence the lack of tape.

Heres some additional info (http://www.stanford.edu/~dru/moustache.html)

I went and bought a set of moustache bars from Rivendell too, mostly hating the drops on my Langster. The idea was to put the 'staches on. Well, in the time I've been riding, too lazy and then too cautious to put the 'staches on, I've come to appreciate drops more and more. You grow into them. And the 'staches are wider than drops, while drops are wide enough for me. Mr Rivendell would like my bikes though, both have the seat and top of the bars level, the beauty of drops once you're used to them is you can get down on the lower part and get down low for beating the wind or beating the wind while sprinting. So with drops you have a couple of hand positions where your hands are level with the seat, and a couple where your hands are lower than the seat. Not bad!

I put a moustache bar on my cross check and tried to love it. I had the
bar configured high and tight. It didn't work out, so the bike and bar parted
ways.

The moustache bar eventually found a place on my conversion fixie. Contrary
to conventional wisdom, I have it mounted way below saddle height, and the
setup feels really natural. I have even thrown on some fatties (700x38) and
done some technical fixie offroading, where the setup felt surprisingly good.
Reminded me of Stamstad's affection for the moustache and mtb endurance
events...

baker

I agree that maybe your bars should be a little higher. They also say that most people seem to be most comfortable with moustache bars when they use a stem that's about 2cm shorter than what they'd use with drops (so for example if you use a 11cm stem with drop bars you'd probably want a 9cm stem with m'bars). I've been running m'bars on my cross bike for about three years now and ever since I got used to them (which did take a little while) I've really liked them a lot. Some people just don't like moustache bars though and maybe you're one of them.

Oh and ummm... your grip tape made me a little nauseous and nearly sent me into a minor seizure! LOL! ;)

Cut your stem reach almost by half. I use a 60mm high rise Nitto Technomic stem.
Steamroller has the Nitto Dirtdrop stem.

These are BMX style bars off of my son's old toddler bike. These sit at a comfortable height for me. When I put on the long bar ends as "drops", my son said the front of my bike reminded him of a goat...
http://home.swbell.net/mcpoop//MMACH_5/images/GoatBars.jpg
The GOAT (Geek's Obsessive Aberrant Transport)

I agree that maybe your bars should be a little higher.

Oh and ummm... your grip tape made me a little nauseous and nearly sent me into a minor seizure! LOL! ;)

yeah i gotta raise em up (i got a little rasing of the stem i can still do) and try again before i decide i hate them and find some other use for them...

as for the the length, it feels allright so i think the stem is OK (i'ts a much higher and a little shorter than the one i had on previously).

oh and that bar tape was on sale somewhere for 98 cents (and it's cinelli) i wonder why??? no one wants ireland's colors on their bars??? they'll be perfect for st. patricks day... :p

These are BMX style bars off of my son's old toddler bike. These sit at a comfortable height for me. When I put on the long bar ends as "drops", my son said the front of my bike reminded him of a goat...
http://home.swbell.net/mcpoop//MMACH_5/images/GoatBars.jpg
The GOAT (Geek's Obsessive Aberrant Transport)

What an innovative arrangement. I love it ! Just a couple of questions...when riding the 'drops' does it take much lower back effort to get back to 'cruise' position ? have you ever had to go from drop to cruise position in an emergency ? Thanks. :)

What an innovative arrangement. I love it ! Just a couple of questions...when riding the 'drops' does it take much lower back effort to get back to 'cruise' position ? have you ever had to go from drop to cruise position in an emergency ? Thanks. :)

It's not really difficult to transition back to the top bars. The only issue so far is when I'm on the drops and I need to shift. I just added these, so I'm still getting used to it.

As of yet, I haven't had any emergencies present themselves while on the drops. It's a bit nerve-racking to have no way to stop so this weekend, I'm planning to add a supplemental brake lever to one of the drop bars.

...oh and that bar tape was on sale somewhere for 98 cents (and it's cinelli) i wonder why??? no one wants ireland's colors on their bars??? they'll be perfect for st. patricks day... :p

LOL! I was just teasing. I've done the same thing. I went to the local LBS and grabbed a roll of "the usual" black Colnago cork tape 'cuz I needed to retape the bars on my commuter bike. They charge something like $12 for a package of it and on the way to the cash register (while wondering why the stuff costs so much) I noticed they had some bright orange Colnago cork tape in the "clearance bin" for $2! I figured "this is just my commuter bike, I'm doin' it!" I thought it looked okay but my wife thought it was hideous. :o

oh no offense taken.... if i was easily offended i never coulda slapped that tape on to begin with... ;)

i actually wish i left it that way to go on a group ride sunday but i took the moustache off in favor of some mtb risers.... you thought it looked funny before? now it looks like a fixed gear for a retired person.... those bars are WAAAAAY up there. any they are so wide they just look out of place but i'll be damned if it isn't super comfy.

i'll see if i can't snap a pic this weekend.

I got moustache bars on my '70's road bike 'cross conversion and they make my hands go numb, even on short rides. I wonder what I'm doing wrong? They're an inch or so lower than the saddle. I wonder if I should raise the stem?