Mountain Biking - Noob question- What is the benefit of bar ends?

I have seen bar ends on mountain bikes. What is the benefit of using them when you ride.

I have seen bar ends on mountain bikes. What is the benefit of using them when you ride.

Hey, Hey, Hey Average Jose,

The bar ends give another riding position for your comfort and are a tremendous use for the uphill dirt climb. I feel they are benefit to the mtn riding. They are a little expense for the pay off that they give! :)

They're great on flat bars but shouldn't be used on riser bars

Theyre great for uphill, thats why i have em.

Why not on Riser bars? Another noob here with his first post too :-)

I just bought a scott G-Zero FX 2005 that has riser bars. I also bought some bar ends based on the fact I had them on 15 year old Raleigh Yukon and loved the hand position change as much as anything else.

Is there a technical reason for not adding to riser bars?

When you grab onto bars ends while climbing, you're applying torque through the handle bars to the bike which pushes the rear tire into the ground for better traction on steeps. I had them for several years until I decided they were more of a distraction than they were worth. The same effect can be achieved by rotating your hands forward on the bars, gripping down tightly, and then trying to twist the handle bars toward you to apply the same torque. If you do this as you approach a really steep climb and get low and forward on the bike (nose of the seat in your crack) you will be able to climb anything without needing bar ends.

I am also new to the MTB side of biking, but going on the trails I have ridden I would think they would be lethal, as there would be a real chance of getting them hooked in a branch or undergrowth which could prove a little more entertaining than I would like.
I had them on a road going MTB a couple of years ago and they were good for changing hand positions and body angle on longer rides.

Why not on Riser bars? Another noob here with his first post too :-)

I just bought a scott G-Zero FX 2005 that has riser bars. I also bought some bar ends based on the fact I had them on 15 year old Raleigh Yukon and loved the hand position change as much as anything else.

Is there a technical reason for not adding to riser bars?

I have heard this before but could never figure out why. I too have bar ends on my riser bars & haven't had any problems with them.

I don't like bar ends; I find that they do not provide any benefits to me personally. I feel that I can climb better without them. Plus, I can't run them on the carbon bar I have on my bike.

The good thing is that they are cheap so get a pair and try them out...see if you like them and if they help your riding.

Barends turn your wrist so that your thumb is pointed up, this means that your radius and ulna are oriented so that the biceps muscle in your arm has greater mechanical advantage than it does when in the palm-down standard riding position. Hmmm. I should probably get some.

They don't usually show up on riser bars 'cause it looks kinda silly. Then again, riser bars are more about style than function. ;) [stirs the pot...]

Why not on Riser bars? Another noob here with his first post too :-)

I just bought a scott G-Zero FX 2005 that has riser bars. I also bought some bar ends based on the fact I had them on 15 year old Raleigh Yukon and loved the hand position change as much as anything else.

Is there a technical reason for not adding to riser bars?

I have heard this before but could never figure out why. I too have bar ends on my riser bars & haven't had any problems with them.
Riser bars aren't designed to cope with the stresses produced by barends. They add to the leverage at the bends of the riser.
This is another reason why carbon riser bars don't reinforce the ends of risers to allow barends to be mounted.
That plus with many bar ends the angle is way off when mounted to a riser due to the greater sweep. Some companies have a pivot mount for their bar ends that allows for some tinkering, but the space allowed between the bar and the interior surface of the bar closes down reducing the effectivenss of one of the main postitions the bar end is there to provide.
If you want bar ends skip the riser and go to flat bar with a steeper stem to keep your ride height

Thanks for this RAIYN I guess I should have asked this question before buying them then :-(

Noob here (to the forum, not to riding). I live live in West Virginia, so it goes without saying that you are either going up a hill or down a hill. I use bar ends due to the amount of climbing I do (50% of every ride). I can climb better with them. YMMV.

They also work great to impale you in a crash. :D

The only caveat I would note is that it is possible (sometimes quite easy) to snag a tree limb or a bush with bar ends.

On my first ride with them, I rode a narrow bit of single track that happens to have a few bits where you have to slalom between pairs of small trees. I snagged one of the trees, which stopped all of my forward momentum (instantly) and sent me off my bike.

Having said that, I still use bar ends, and find them to be a big help on steep/technical climbs. Just be careful.

I used to use bar-ends on my old bike, but had the bars cut rather narrow.

I no longer use them on either my old or new bike, although i might put them back on for old-time's sake.. they're the old knurled aluminum Control Tech Stix I ones from the early '90s.

They catch tree's like hooks catch fish. And I don't need the help, I catch plenty of tree's without them thank you.

Thanks for this RAIYN I guess I should have asked this question before buying them then :-(
There's always http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/9280/ebay6sg.jpg.

They also work great to impale you in a crash. :D

Or anybody in your way......

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lirpa.html#bayonetz

They block your hands from any moving trees that come at you too quickly...

Jose,
Bar ends will be good for open single Ts, but may pose a problem for tight winding Single Ts...may grab a branch or a trunk of the tree!
JD

I use Onza bar ends (http://www.bikepro.com/products/barends/bar_end_jpg/b1b_onza_200_top.jpg) with a double bend. I usually only use the secondary hand positions on flat roads when I want to stretch out a bit. Mainly I put them on as I am new to mountain biking and I wanted something to protect my hands from tree trunks and they do that!

They don't usually show up on riser bars 'cause it looks kinda silly. Then again, riser bars are more about style than function. ;) [stirs the pot...]

Some days you just can't get a break! Maybe you need to drift that fly over that pool again, you didn't get any risers last time ;)

Well, I know that are way out of fashion, but I have had bar ends on every mtn bike that I have since 1990, and yes, I have a set on my riser bars today.
I have a set of the Profile Boxers, purchased in the matte black finish, used some much, that finish is worn off in spots.
I use climbing, as it stretches me out, and keeps more weight over the front wheels. Long climbs as well as cleaning technical waterbars and rocks.
It is a personal preference kinda thing, like so many things in mtn biking, maker you own choice.

Riser bars aren't designed to cope with the stresses produced by barends. They add to the leverage at the bends of the riser.
This is another reason why carbon riser bars don't reinforce the ends of risers to allow barends to be mounted.
That plus with many bar ends the angle is way off when mounted to a riser due to the greater sweep. Some companies have a pivot mount for their bar ends that allows for some tinkering, but the space allowed between the bar and the interior surface of the bar closes down reducing the effectivenss of one of the main postitions the bar end is there to provide.
If you want bar ends skip the riser and go to flat bar with a steeper stem to keep your ride height
I did not know that .thanks. I will be removing my ergogrips ASAP. I barely use them aymore anyway

While I respect everybodies right to put useless cr@p on their bike I recommend you save your money...they're useless and unneccessary.

I did not know that .thanks. I will be removing my ergogrips ASAP. I barely use them aymore anyway
Happy to be of help

Anyway, I love barends. There is a few advantages, first of all is the if you fell off your bike, ur bar end will absorb the damage and bar end is cheap to change rather then changing your whole handle bar. Beside this bar end will give you the comfort when riding on a strait road (pavement or non-pavement) just make sure that you are quick to pull the brake just in case, lol. Anyway I agree with a few ppl who says that bar end is good for cycling uphill cause it makes you feel more comfortable. Well thats all my reason. Maybe i might have more but i made my point already.