Touring - trekking bar pics?

Today I get to start building my new ride, complete with nashbar trekking bars. I'm not sure what combination of bar tape, grips, brake levers and shifters I'm going to use. The plan is to use non-integrated avid brake levers and friction thumb shifters but I'm concerned about space.

How about folks post pictures of their trekking bar 'cockpit' to this thread? There are a handful of pictures in various other threads, but I think that having a bunch in one place would prove useful to those of us in the process of designing our own setup.

Fantastic idea - I'd be very interested to see how different folk prefer to have their bits & bobs organised, and where they find their hands 'most' of the time (or on a run so short they don't feel the need to change)

I'll add my support for wanting people to post their pics. I will eventually be adding them to my Novato and would love a compilation of real world experiences with them. Are the Nashbar Trekking Bars getting a band wagon?

Do a search and there are a number of threads with Trekking bar pics. I know I saved several of the pics from other posters myself for ideas. Most people put the open end towards the rider.

nashbar trekking bar with standard grips and bar tape.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r154/n4zou/s5030005.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r154/n4zou/s5030006.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r154/n4zou/s5030007.jpg

That's an amazing lamp, n4zou! Pinched from a physics lab somewhere?? Presumably the giant high-tension lead coming out of it is attached to electrodes in the saddle, and is part of some cruel anti-theft system?

Couple of views..Nashbar bars, foam grips, little green man...
Ride mostly with hands by brakes/shifters move them around and have never had problems on 100 mile rides or daily commute

That's an amazing lamp, n4zou! Pinched from a physics lab somewhere?? Presumably the giant high-tension lead coming out of it is attached to electrodes in the saddle, and is part of some cruel anti-theft system?
Hooked up to my dynamo so no batteries are required. Cree XR-E power LED's with Fraen optics produce 400+ Lumen. See Martins site here for more information on building dynamo or battery powered LED headlights.
http://pilom.com/BicycleElectronics/BicycleElectronics.htm

Trekking bar from Wallingford Biking Parts. Simply moved the brake/shifter from the flat bar to the trekking bar. Added 2 (two) rolls per side of Nashbar bar tape over some gel pads. Next wrap will be simply 1 roll per side - It got a little fat for my hands. The bar is currently a little flatter than the top picture.
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m44/countrydirt/Ride-May10068.jpghttp://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m44/countrydirt/Picture040.jpg

Cree XR-E power LED's with Fraen optics produce 400+ Lumen

Ah - I've read about them on a flashlight website! Aren't they classified as weapons of mass destruction?

Thanks to all for the pics so far. Those bars do look like a good idea, but I'm still thinking they might be a bit weird with a Rohloff shifter. Hmmm.

Here's some pix's of my Surly LHT with Nashbar Trekking bars. I use Rivendale cork grips and tape and Paul Thumbies to mount the Shimano shifters

Brian

I used the Nashbar trekking bars for a few years and found that I didn't like the control location. levers and shifters were too close to my body, I rode mostly with my hands on the sides or the forward section. I prefer to have the controls in my most used position, so I switched to what I call granny bars, which I now prefer much more. Just something to consider, it's all personal preference with handlebar set-ups.

This thread is a big help!

I'm currently experimenting with Nashbar trekking bars on my Trek 820 mtb. Currently I have a setup similar to what gregw has, but I'm not entirely satisfied. The angle of the sides of the bars, which is where I ride my hands most often, seems wrong.

Countrydirt, I kind of like the looks of your rig. Do you find that having the controls on the part of the bar close to your body puts them too close? After seeing your pics, I may go home and switch them tonight.

tpelle - I added a longer stem to have the controls at the same distance as they were with the flat bar. Sorry, I don't remember the specs on the stem, but I purchased it at the same time as I purchased the bar for the purpose of maintaining this distance. The main difference I notice is that the controls are closer together than on the ends of a wider flat bar. I actually like this set up a little better.

tpelle - I added a longer stem to have the controls at the same distance as they were with the flat bar. Sorry, I don't remember the specs on the stem, but I purchased it at the same time as I purchased the bar for the purpose of maintaining this distance. The main difference I notice is that the controls are closer together than on the ends of a wider flat bar. I actually like this set up a little better.

I did the same thing at first, added a longer stem so the controls would not be too close, but then the rest of the bar was too far away. I then tried one of those adjustable stems to dial it in, but just could not find that happy medium distance.

But remember that's just me, lots of people have these bars and love them, if you have problems, you might try the adjustable stem.

I just want to thank everyone for the pictures they have posted so far and I am looking forward to more!

Sure, I'll play along. Done very simply.

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm320/robow7/IMG_1442.jpg?t=1216677302

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t184/GeorgeM-photo/HPIM0218-3.jpg

OK - I flipped my trekking bars on the Trek 820 around last night to match the ones posted by Countrydirt and others. I took a brief ride and so far they seem to be OK. I was concerned that having the brake levers so low and close wouldn't feel right, but it's not so extreme as I thought it would be. I may try buying a longer stem to shift everything a little more forward.

Question - how does one measure a stem? Is it center-to-center or what?

EDIT:

Here's a pic of my wet weather/winter bike with the trekking bars after I flipped 'em around:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c354/tpelle/Bikes/DSCN0473.jpg

Sure, I'll play along. Done very simply.

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm320/robow7/IMG_1442.jpg?t=1216677302
What trekking bars? I can't see any trekking bars! How are the shifters and brake levers mounted? They appear to be just floating in the air. Oh wait, did you use camouflaged bar tape?

n4zou, smart aleck, :)

Actually that bar tape makes for easier stealth camping :thumb:

robow - I see you and I have similar tastes and reasons!

Yea countryd, and I also wear those same retro crochet gloves at times as you. We'll tell everyone the bar tape is for stealth camping but you and I know that it's good but cheap tape from Performance.;)

Wow these are really great, Im ordering some in the morning! Does anyone think that they are a little bit too wide? Do trekking bars come in different sizes? What are everyones favorite so I know what to buy? I gotta get them online since no store seem to carry them.

I don't think they come in sizes, at least the ones from Nashbar don't. There were other European ones out there that were available in a size or two at one time but I couldn't find anyone that imported them. As far as the width, yea they are a little wider than I feel would be perfect but they're not too wide, YMMV, and they are really stable, when your hands on the sides, like driving a bus, which is really nice when you are bombing a big hill fully loaded. I feel far more secure and rock solid than say my road bikes with 44 cm drops in said conditions.

I put a set of the Nashbar trekking bars on my Raleigh M60 mountain bike and really like them. I have noticed that getting the saddle and handlebar height set right is important. I had things dialed in and had great comfort. Noticed that I needed to raise the seat a little bit and did that but need to redo some cables before I can raise the stem. Took a 35 mile ride yesterday and noticed that a significant decrease in comfort.

For anyone looking to buy a set, they go on sale a few times a year for about $14, which is $8-9 less then their regular 'sale' price. I keep checking for the real sale window to open so I can pick up another set for a Schwinn Sierra waiting for its rebuild.

Do you Trekking handlebar people use gloves when you ride or do you just put like 15 layers of soft gel stuff under the grips?

One thing to note, Ergon large grips plus the Nashbar trekking bars do not allow you to fit a separate shifter and brake onto the bar without cutting the Ergon grip down somewhat. That's the issue I ran into on my refit. I trimmed a little off the grips with a hacksaw and cleaned up the cut edge with a Dremel and made everything fit however and it doesn't feel cramped. The large grips are probably the best fit if you're a man and have a normal sized hand.

Reg $27.99 Now $22.99 17% Off! Nashbar,,,,,,

You guys got me thinking, my MTB is now my touring machine and I am in the market for some hand and arm comfort......

interesting that some of you have them "wings up" and some "wings down".

i have these bars, and i thought they would be the end all to all my handlebar dreams. grabbing the sides is nice, but other than that i just couldn't get comfortable. they are also so damn wide that it's a little precarious to ride one handed.

i switched to bullhorns and its more enjoyable for me. i like holding the bar in the middle, and you cant with a trekking bar.

Do you Trekking handlebar people use gloves when you ride or do you just put like 15 layers of soft gel stuff under the grips?
I use padding underneath the bar tape. Grips are nice just the way they are. Here's how you do it.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Padded-Road-Bike-Handlebars-on-the-cheap!/

I have extra padding under the bar tape at the widest part of the bar where I grab it when climbing. You can see the bar tape bulging a little from it in this photo.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r154/n4zou/s5030005.jpg