Utility Cycling - Alternative Handlebars!

This is modified from a post I have in the Women's Forum - thought it might be good to have here...

Let's have a look at the huge selection of non-drop, non-flat/straight handlebars out there these days. :D

Soma


Sparrow Bar (http://www.somafab.com/barsparrow.html)
3-Speed Bar (http://www.somafab.com/3spdbar.html)
Oxford Bar (http://www.somafab.com/baroxford.html)


Nitto


Promenade Handlebar (http://yhst-84224226242177.stores.yahoo.net/niprha.html)
Velo Orange Montmartre Handlebar (http://yhst-84224226242177.stores.yahoo.net/vomoha.html)
Velo Orange Left Bank Handlebar (http://yhst-84224226242177.stores.yahoo.net/volebaha.html)
Moustache Handlebar (http://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?id=416)
North Road Handlebar (http://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?id=411)
Albatross Handlebar (http://www.rivbike.com/products/list/handlebars_stems_and_tape?page=1#product=16-127)
Dove Bar (http://www.rivbike.com/products/list/handlebars_stems_and_tape?page=2#product=16-123)


Velo Orange (non-Nitto)


Tourist Bar (http://yhst-84224226242177.stores.yahoo.net/touristbar.html)


OnOne


Mary Bar (http://www.treefortbikes.com/79_333222337404__Mary-Bar.html)


These handlebars might require some people to get a seatpost with more setback than is traditional on North American-style bikes. Besides the Brompton folder part fix (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=5836902&postcount=26), I recently saw this seatpost made by Nitto for Rivendell (http://www.rivbike.com/#product=11-048). It's really expensive, but very elegant, and you don't have to worry about lots of parts.

Know of any others or do you have any reviews of the above?

The Velo Orange Milan bar is also very nice. Inexpensive to try too.

http://yhst-84224226242177.stores.yahoo.net/milanbar.html

Here are my images comparing some of these bars next to one another.

http://homepage.mac.com/awcg/.Pictures/Bike/Handlebars/North.mary.jpg
A North Road on top of a Mary

http://homepage.mac.com/awcg/.Pictures/Bike/Handlebars/Alb.mary.jpg
An Albatross on top of a Mary

http://homepage.mac.com/awcg/.Pictures/Bike/Handlebars/Rise.jpg
Comparing the difference in rise and width between the North Road and the Albatross. The Albatross is in the foreground.

Nice work D...

My economy route has been to recycle old cruiser bars which is basically where moustache bars originated... older bars often have the lesser diameter so a shim may be required for some stems.

I have these Dimension Cruiser Bars (http://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=details&PageID=30&SKU=HB2060) on my frankenbike. Similiar to the VO Milan bars but with more rise at 3.6". I was able to use a regular height stem to get an upright position.

There's also the Nitto/Jitensha Studio bar. I have one and love it.

http://www.jitensha.com/eng/flatbar05.html

I forget to mention -- it's similar to the OnOne Mary, but slightly different and silver.

http://www.niagaracycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=11122

That's something like what I have, bought for $12 or so at the local bike shop.

The DOVE Bar is delicous especially with nuts,mmmmmmm! I like north roads or pullbacks all good bars.

Titec Hell-Bent

Maxwell posted this in another thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=6711118&postcount=8). Something to add to, perhaps?

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e97/maxtheheathen/H_bars.jpg

dang!

All the bar choices I've been looking for (Soma!) and a few other good ones with some nice side-by-sides...

I have some pondering to do...

Thanks all!

I am really digging the montmartre bars from VO. Anyone have experience with those?

I'm eyeing the albatross bars for my upcoming frankenbike. Just plain good looking.

http://www.niagaracycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=11122

That's something like what I have, bought for $12 or so at the local bike shop.
I don't know about other locales but if you are inside the US,,,, -before you go and spend $30 for one of these fancy bars from a pretty website, you might want to go to cheaper bike parts websites that sell the Wald and Pyramid accessories. The websites and photos are not as nice and the bars may not be finished perfectly, but Wald and Pyramid make a whole bunch of different relaxed/cruiser style steel bars and most sell for only $6-$7 + shipping.
~

I would be very curious to see if any has tried the On One Midge on either a road or commuter set up?
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/14502-195_ONOMD5-3-Parts-398-Handlebars/Road/On-One-Midge-Handle-Bar.htm

I am really digging the montmartre bars from VO. Anyone have experience with those?

Me too. C'ept I would like double the rise. Looks like a lot of space on the handle bars for things. I'm happy with the ergonomic position of my Northroads, but there only about a half inch to attach things. I was thinking of getting some inexpensive cruiser bars and try bending the ends back.

Also, a useful thread topic. Thanks for posting it Donnamb.

I like any bar that allows me to sit upright on my butt not my arms/shoulders like an ape. ;)

Also, a useful thread topic. Thanks for posting it Donnamb.

+1

Van Dessel sells a version of the moustache bar. Mtn diameter, narrower than the Nitto version. I liked them on my (stolen) superfly.

http://www.vandesselsports.com/images/vstuff/handlebars.gif

http://www.vandesselsports.com/vstuff.html

Had the On-One Mary bars on an IRO ss bike and liked the angle well enough, but a bit wide for my tastes and basically only one hand position.

I use Nitto Moustache bars on my commuter and have always liked them--they work well for me.

Just got a set of Soma Sparrow bars for a beater, and the juries out on them right now, but out of the box, I'm liking them.

I think the bars I'm really waiting for is something like a narrow drop with the drop splayed out at 45 deg or so. Dirt drops like the on-one midge are simply too wide for my preference--cut about 6" out of the middle and they might very well be perfect. Anyone know of bars that fit that description?

Treking bars, AKA butterfly bars, are another option for upright cycling. I have mine mounted "upside down", as I like the angle that puts my wrists at when I use the outer part.

For what it's worth . . .
I just installed a pair of Soma Sparrows and so far I'm loving the feel and position. When they're in the stem with a drop to them, it gives them a definite "cafe racer" feel. You're definitely in the cockpit of the bike, as opposed to riding above it. Flipped, with a rise, they have more of a "townie" feel to them. They'll need a little more riding to dial them in, but as of now, I'm really digging them.

What about butterfly bars? Are they a good compromise between performance and utility?

For what it's worth . . .
I just installed a pair of Soma Sparrows and so far I'm loving the feel and position. When they're in the stem with a drop to them, it gives them a definite "cafe racer" feel. You're definitely in the cockpit of the bike, as opposed to riding above it. Flipped, with a rise, they have more of a "townie" feel to them. They'll need a little more riding to dial them in, but as of now, I'm really digging them.

Awesome! This is exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for on this thread. :)

I'm glad to know my comment could be of help, and in the spirit of furthering that:
I looked at many of the options listed in the original post and even tried a couple that were on bikes around town. What made me settle on the sparrow?
I needed something compatible with MTB style trigger shifters, fairly narrow, and something I could flip for a more aero position.
At first, I thought the Mary bars were awesome--and they are, in fact they're perfect for off road riding, little bit of a rise, great sweep so your wrists don't hurt and they're nice and wide for more technical turns. They were just TOO wide for me to ride on the street.
The sparrow just loooked like it had the perfect bends for wrist comfort, enough of a drop to it that I could tuck down and, I'll admit it . . . they matched the color of the bike. There I said it. The bikes' black, the bars are available in black.
Like I said, I just put them on (two days ago). Maybe I'll drop back by after I've got a week or so riding on them.

Treking bars, AKA butterfly bars, are another option for upright cycling. I have mine mounted "upside down", as I like the angle that puts my wrists at when I use the outer part.

Great thread.

I have trekking bars, too. I do like them, but I can't say I love the angle of the outside part. I have mine "backwards," with the open end farthest forward, and I tend to swap positions between the far forward ends and the farther back flat spots.

I'd love more of a swept back handlebar that gives me the option of full, up-right, cruiser-style riding with another lower, more forward hand position for tucking in out of the wind. Does anyone find that they use their bars that way. A lot of the swept back bars that I really like the look of also look like they may only offer one hand position.

Great thread.

I have trekking bars, too. I do like them, but I can't say I love the angle of the outside part. I have mine "backwards," with the open end farthest forward, and I tend to swap positions between the far forward ends and the farther back flat spots.

I'd love more of a swept back handlebar that gives me the option of full, up-right, cruiser-style riding with another lower, more forward hand position for tucking in out of the wind. Does anyone find that they use their bars that way. A lot of the swept back bars that I really like the look of also look like they may only offer one hand position.

Flip an Albatross bar, and you have one that has some nice aero positions, Especially if you have Ergon grips on it. The flair on the Ergons makes for good elbow pads when you are using the front of the flipped bar in a tuck.

Flip an Albatross bar, and you have one that has some nice aero positions, Especially if you have Ergon grips on it. The flair on the Ergons makes for good elbow pads when you are using the front of the flipped bar in a tuck.

Great. Thanks for the tip. I had also been looking at the mustache bar, but it looks like it's mainly drop, but not much forward sweep. The Albatross may be a good combination of both.

Great. Thanks for the tip. I had also been looking at the mustache bar, but it looks like it's mainly drop, but not much forward sweep. The Albatross may be a good combination of both.

Chip runs a flipped Albatross on his Big Dummy.

http://www.chipcom.net/bikes/BigDummy.jpg

His rig.

When I look at that, I wonder if the swept back part isn't too low for me, but the "hood" area may be about right. Maybe I'd like the Albatross right-side-up. I really need to play around with some different options, I guess (I really need to get the bike these bars would go on, first, I guess). There's lots of times I'd rather be straight up, looking around, and taking my time. For that I feel that the bars should be almost parallel to the top tube, and at least a few inches higher than my seat. But there are definitely times when I want a boost of speed or to just get out of the wind, so I feel lower and far-forward drops would be the thing. I'm just not sure I'm seeing anything that has quite as much difference as I think I want. Of course I could easily find that I'm not actually able to use a bar that's set up the way I think I want it. The Albatross seems close, though, and I've heard more than one person talking them up.

http://homepage.mac.com/awcg/.Pictures/XtraLite/XL1.jpg
Right-side-up Albatrosses on my Xtracycle set up, for contrast. No real good tuck position though.

You may like the On-One Marys. I find them to be a good compromise between upright and tuck. Only one hand position, but they are comfortable to hunker down on.

http://homepage.mac.com/awcg/.Pictures/Bike/Handlebar.jpg

One thing I've learned from swapping my flat bars out for the trekking bars is that I love being able change hand positions. Whatever I outfit my next bike with, it'll have more than one option in that department. I believe the Albatross is one that I've looked at before, and hearing more good things about it means that it definitely goes on my list of potential handlebars. The On-One Marys look like a good compromise between different styles, but I don't see them as something I'd prefer over my current set up.

1) What do you all do when you have to brake while in the alternate hand positions? Is it as simple as making a grab for the "braking" position?

2) Is that why some people run flipped bars on riser stems? To give a more upright "hood" position?

Yes to both.

Yes to both.

Sweet. Looks like I should try to get a very adjustable stem or two when I build my cargofrankenbike.

Looking at the Wald bars now, instead of the Albatross (I'm pretty damn cheap)... although the general aesthetic of the Albatross may convince me I "need" them. After all, that's really the only thing you look at on your bike when you're riding it! :)

1) What do you all do when you have to brake while in the alternate hand positions? Is it as simple as making a grab for the "braking" position?


Another alternative, which I haven't used, but would like to, is a 2nd, in-line, brake lever so that you can activate the brakes from two different hand positions.

Question for users of alternative style handlebars. (donnamb has heard my question in Women's forum.) Are any of them narrow enough for a woman's shoulder width (16-17") and compatible with a Giant Suede, with SRAM MRX 7-speed twist shifters? Right now it looks like my grips, grip shifter and brake levers take up about 7" of space on the right side. Thanks.

Question for users of alternative style handlebars. (donnamb has heard my question in Women's forum.) Are any of them narrow enough for a woman's shoulder width (16-17") and compatible with a Giant Suede, with SRAM MRX 7-speed twist shifters? Right now it looks like my grips, grip shifter and brake levers take up about 7" of space on the right side. Thanks.

Nitto Moustache bars in mtn diameter. But with hands on the outside flats, not so narrow.
Van Dessel Moustache bars--narrower than Nitto.
Soma Sparrow--narrower than Nitto.

Another alternative, which I haven't used, but would like to, is a 2nd, in-line, brake lever so that you can activate the brakes from two different hand positions.

When I looked at auxillary, aka crosstop levers, they only worked with cantilever brakes since the folks mostly using them were cyclocross racers. There was one type available from Pauls Components that had an alternative pivot point to use with linear/v-brakes, but they were very expensive.

I always had extension ("suicide") levers on my old road bikes with drop bars. And I've seen pictures of vintage bikes where the brake lever was a long bar that ran nearly the entire width of moustache bars. Don't know how well those worked though. Too bad modern options like that aren't available.

Thanks mconlonx for your quick reply. Will be seeing my LBS soon to see what they can order.

Love the looks of all the bikes pictured.

When I looked at auxillary, aka crosstop levers, they only worked with cantilever brakes since the folks mostly using them were cyclocross racers. There was one type available from Pauls Components that had an alternative pivot point to use with linear/v-brakes, but they were very expensive.


You'd want to do some checking because I haven't actually tried this, but it seems like one of the Travel Agents solutions (from Problem Solvers) might work. It's supposed to make regular brake levers work with v-brakes, and there's a model that works with disc brakes as well. With that installed, it seems like you might be able use the auxiliary brake levers regardless of what type of brakes you have.

But I'm glad you pointed out the potential incompatibility, because I wasn't aware.

My old drop bars had brakes like you describe. It nice to have some stopping power from both hand positions, but I found that in general the extension bar did not work as well as the lever. And if you found yourself in an emergency situation, you would always go for the brake lever at your fingertips, not the most efficient one (or at least I did), so sometimes they were a bit of a hazard. I'm hoping the modern solutions are a little more efficient.

On our tandem, I have typical (long cable travel) cross levers with V-brakes, but we are using travel agents for brifter compatibility anyway. Using the inline version of the travel agent, mounted near head tube, reduces cable stretch related issues on the rear brake of the tandem due to the long cable. This approach might be helpful on Xtrafied cargo bikes or Big Dummies.

http://kevbo.smugmug.com/photos/286009522_CmtYs-M.jpg

I like any bar that allows me to sit upright on my butt not my arms/shoulders like an ape. ;)

Schwinn "Apehanger"/Stringray/Crate type

Are there any other black northroads bars besides the Soma Sparrow? I would like a bit more length for the shifters/brakes/grips than the soma provides. Must be black.

Donna (or anybody else), have you tried any of these on your Breezer? I've found the Breezer's stock bars to be less comfortable than the North Roads on my vintage 3-speed...