Mountain Biking - Bar ends and grips question

Do you need special grips for bar ends, if so what kinds will work?

Nope you just have to cut the ends open. Personally I never saw the point to bar-ends, but that's just me.

If you ride 5+ hours bar ends will become your best friends.
In addition to cutting off the ends, there are open ended grips available with plugs so gunk doesn't get inside the bar.

Amen!

I find myself relying on those bar ends after several hours in the saddle, otherwise, my hands would go numb!

KB

I think riser-bars are supposed to do the job of bar ends.

Riser-bars only elevate the hand position, they don't allow for multiple hand positions. As montlake-mtbkr and Koffee Brown have said you'll love them if your in the saddle for hours.

Any of you guys and gals use them as a guard for your shifters and break levers? I guess for your hands also when rifing throught tight trees.

Originally posted by BikeTyke
Any of you guys and gals use them as a guard for your shifters and break levers? I guess for your hands also when rifing throught tight trees.

Nope, I have used them to hook a sapling or two though.

I swore I didnt need them, only for that reason, but after a two hour ride, I found myself wishing I had them on my new ride.

I havent seed anyone put grips on them, I have not had use for it myself. But thats not to say that there isnt a good reason not to, what ever makes you comfy!!

I've also been in situations where extended uphills would benefit from the help of some barends.

Originally posted by DiL
I think riser-bars are supposed to do the job of bar ends.
to me this makes absolutely no sense. what makes you say this?

Originally posted by jtown
to me this makes absolutely no sense. what makes you say this?

oh I guess you mean for the higher positioning, but what about the sides? with my ends I rarely use the part that's parallel with the handlebars, but I use the part that perpendicular ALL the time on climbs.

Originally posted by jtown
oh I guess you mean for the higher positioning, but what about the sides? with my ends I rarely use the part that's parallel with the handlebars, but I use the part that perpendicular ALL the time on climbs.

I think he is thinking that bar ends only raise your position up which is what rise bars do. Riser bars don't offer multiple hand positions or a really good torquing position thoguh.

well risers are supposed to give more leverage aren't they? either way, i find it inhibiting riding without bar ends.

I don't know about you guys, but I had the bar ends parallel with the ground, the idea I had was to extend forward during climbing. During longer rides, I just hung my thumbs on them at the clamp for a different hand position.
I'm thinking that if they are set up on too much of a vertical position, you run the risk of impaling yourself on them if you go onto the bars.
Well that was my thinking.
I'm guessing that you are using these for Mountain Biking? Rather than a commuting type of use?

I have thought about using them myself but some of the trails are so narrow and I already get hung up enough without bar ends I think it would be very difficult with them.

That and I couldn't practice x-ups. :)

pardon my newbieness but what's an "x-up?"

edit: btw did you mean you wanted to put grips on the bar end? i'd think regular grips would work depending on what shape is your bar end but another thing is people use grip tape for their bar ends.

Originally posted by tFUnK
pardon my newbieness but what's an "x-up?"


Unless you like watching dirtjumps or you watch bmx an x-up would mean nothing. Imagine doing a dirtjump (really this is a trick you can do when you have very little air) and while holding the handle bars turn them 180 degree around (your arms would cross) and then turn them back and land.