Long Distance Cycling - Handlebar Help Anyone?

Hi anyone and everyone that may or may not read this,

I have a Giant Racer (the simplest/cheapest kind) and want to put some dropped Profile "aero"-bars unto it. However, I use my bike mainly to ride around the city and not in time trial races and would therefore not want to use tri-bars. My question then is, where else can I put the gear levers, as the brake levers will occupy the end of the handlebars? Usually they go at the end of the tri-bars but surely there are some alternatives to this?

I would be extremely grateful if anybody could advice me.

Many thanks,

MM

A set of "Clip on" aero's, like Sun-Flyte or Century!

So there is no way to do it without aero-bars huh? Clip on aero-bars are essentially the same thing as tri-bars aren't they?

So there is no way to do it without aero-bars huh? Clip on aero-bars are essentially the same thing as tri-bars aren't they?
OK, I think I may have misinterpreted your question. What bars do you currently have on ther bike? Flats or Drop bars? If you use like the Century or Sunflyte Aero clipons, the brakes stay where they are currently in the handlebars. Do you have Brifters or are the brakes on seperate levers on the top bar? How about a pic of the bike so I can maybe get a clearer idea what you want. Here is a pic of a friends bike with the Century Clip on bar (or something very like it!). She used it on the Trans Am this summer. Does this help you with your question? (The Pic)

Thanks for your help so far, really appreciate it. Right now my bike has a normal flat handlebar, a picture of which I will post tonight when I get back from work. What i want to install are bullhorn handlebars and the problem would be that the brake levers would be inserted/attached at the end of the handlebars. Without wanting to use aero clip-ons there would then be no place for the gear levers, unless perhaps I tried using standard road bike levers attached to the handle bar at a middle position. Do you see what I am saying?

I think I will have to consider my options carefully. The other alternative seems to be to get a fixed gear/wheel, which I have always wanted especially as it is a good form of introductory training (getting a good cycling rythm, etc.) How to convert my bike though is another matter I know very little about at this stage.

The questions posed as simply as possible: Do you know of a way to have gear and brake levers on bullhorn handlebars without the addition of aero clip-ons?

Use normal dropbar brake levers at the end of the bullhorn bars. Fit gear levers in ends of bullhorns. How hard is that?

Yeah, just use a set of Brifters, or a set of Barcon Barend shifters. The brake and shift levers stay on the primary handlebar anyway. The Clip on Aerobars I was talking about don't get brake or shifter levers on them unless you want them there anyway. They are simply a way to tuck down tight and aero in a headwind. Don't worry , by the way if you feel like you aren't getting what I say. I'll try to stay with plain language as much as possible and stay away from cycling slang if you are new to the sport. We all start somewhere!

Have you considered moustache handlebars?They ofer a more upright position for city riding have multiple places to put your hands and work with brake levers used on drop bars and should work with brake levers that you insert in the bar ends.Nashbar has them and so does Rivendell.Shift levers can go on the bar ends or you can get some thumbies and place your shifting near the handlebar stem.

Bar end shifters do seem to be the best solution, but I thought that the only brake levers you could use with bullhorn handlebars are ones that would take up the same position as bar end shifters, i.e. in the end of the handlebars?

I didn't think that regular dropbar brake levers would work with bullhorn handlebars but I guess they do? So I should try and get some small dropbar brake levers and bar end shifters and that should do the trick huh?

Bar end shifters do seem to be the best solution, but I thought that the only brake levers you could use with bullhorn handlebars are ones that would take up the same position as bar end shifters, i.e. in the end of the handlebars?


The cyclocross type in-line brake lever will work. One advantage is that you can mount the lever up near the stem.

In-line brake levers were actually the first kind of brakes that crossed my mind, but for some reason I thought it would overcrowd the handlebar, especially as bullhorns aren't particularly long anyways. I would prefer them to the standard dropbar brake levers though; don't know how well they would work with this kind of handlebar anyways.

Part of me is really tempted to try and convert my bike to a fixie, although I fear that this will end up costing me loads as my frame has vertical dropouts and not the preferred horizontal. Some of the one gear bolts are pretty expensive. Anybody have some serious fixie experience? with hills?

By the way, is it possible to get extensions for bullhorns? Have seen some pretty cool pictures of what must be just long bullhorns..?:D