Classic & Vintage - Backwards Bullhorns?

You might think me crazy, but has anyone else done this? I recently bought an 80s motobecane with the stock drops. I cannot ride drops, very uncomfortable for me, especially in city riding. So what I did was cut a bit off and set them up like bullhorns, but facing down and towards me. The end result is pretty much like a touring or northroad bar, but narrower. I find this very comfortable and like how the bar ends dip down a bit. I think it looks cool too. Crazy?

Whatever gets you to ride the bike is good.

Pictures!!!!!

I think stronglight has done a variation on this theme. If you ask nicely, stronglight may put photos of his handlebar setup on here :) . It's pretty slick.

East Hill

pics ...

Kind of reminds me of a Nitto Promenade (I think) with less rise.

pics ...

Thank you!!

colintdesign, that looks really great! - Nice to see someone being creative!:D

One problem I personally would have with that set up is simply that it moves the bars back a bit too much for my comfort range. _ This is just a matter of personal preference, but "porteur" or flat touring bars all tend to force me into either too cramped or too upright a position.

So, here are a few options I've messed with... and, believe me, I'll be forever experimenting with different set-ups on different bikes... glad I'm not alone! :)

This bike has a moustache bar, but an older chromed steel one. It's MUCH narrower than the modern alloy versions - which I find simply too wide. The reach is comparable to where my hands would wind up when riding drop bars with hands resting on the brake lever hoods.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1343/1332143960_b6478065b1.jpg

This is my winter commuter bike. The bars are basic bullhorn time-trial style, BUT they are now inverted so they are raised up slightly from the stem rather than dropped down... And, the curved ends were also cut off so the brake levers now reach farther back along the bar and are also positioned closer to it - effectively making them more like MTB levers (... only backwards). This makes it very easy to grab the brakes with heavy gloved hands in cold winter weather, and raising the bars seems to make the bike just feel more stable (to me) on slippery roads, and allows me better vision in traffic during crappy weather conditions.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2128/2054257500_cbcafb8f8f.jpg

This bike originally had randonneur style drop bars, but with the old Mafac Guidonnet style brake levers there was nothing to rest my hands on (no hoods) so I kept slipping forward along the curve. So, this bar is another old french drop bar with very square corners which I simply hacked off and then inverted. I left just enough of the curve to offer a good "stop" to keep my hands from slipping forward. Might look odd, but it works... in fact, I guess it is forms something like bar-ends on flat MTB bars, but this is only 40cm wide at the tips, and I really like narrower bars than I can usually find.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1362/1354574102_46a5f2068b.jpg

I've done this before with my Profile Design Airwings. They have a good amount of drop, so when flipped and reversed they make for a very upright promenade style bar.

Someone sent me this image in an email, just after Ihad purchased a Mixte bike earlier this year. Not sure if the original source, but it appears to be a Nishiki fixed gear or single speed conversion. Looks pretty cool with the modified drop bars!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2035/1544810487_42574534e5_o.jpg