Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - shock absorbing from INSIDE handlebars

has anyone ever heard of this or tried it? im thinking that a good way to keep vibration down (and if you're into aesthetics and don't want to keep the bars thickly wrapped) may be injecting some sort of hardening foam inside the handlebars or maybe stuffing them with silly putty (a good shock absorber).

i've seen the gel inserts for underneath grip tape, but im thinking inside like twinkies.

I think there are bar plugs that are said to do this.

try carbon bars. or a carbon fork, my wound up does wonders.

Hey,

You might want to try filling your bar with sand. I know super expensive audio speakers is stuffed with sand.

Or you can fill the bar with sealant glue. Cheap.

T

Sand is heavy. carbon would be best: weight saving and vibration absorbing imo.

or you can try gloves with better padding or use fatter tires with lower pressure, or get a suspension fork altogether.

I just put some Fizik bar tape with gel inserts underneath on one of my bikes. I was having issues with my ulnar nerve being pinched and causing numbness in my ring and pinkie fingers. I really like the Fizik tape (I just had classic cloth, bar wrap before). Not only does it absorb the vibrations from rough roads but it makes the bars feel thicker which just feels a lot better in my hands. Two weeks in and no numbness of any kind and I did about 30 miles today some of which was on some rough cobble stones.

I think there are bar plugs that are said to do this.

Bontrager BzzzKills. Work pretty well.

or u can try riding a suspension mountain bike...

Bontrager BzzzKills. Work pretty well.

Its a placebo effect. Those have been determined to be a sham by just about every review done on the product. Its another way of the wonderful TREK corporation to get people to buy things they don't need.

Nothing beats road buzz/vibration than good tape. I'm using Arundel that I bought at $14 and it is by far the best I've ever used. Pair that up with some really well padded Pearl Izumi gloves and its happy trails.

some motorcycle riders use that spray insulation foam in the bars......

Bontrager BzzzKills. Work pretty well.

Yep, good way to add weight to your bike for no benefit.

I think wine corks would be excellent at vibration dampening. shave them down with an exacto knife to a fit size and push through with a coat hanger wire.

These are supposed to work, as mentioned above:

http://media.bontrager.com/images/products/square/white/280/05bt261714.jpg

Bontrager BzzzKill (http://bontrager.com/model/04579/en)handlebar vibration dampening plugs.

Never had a problem with handlebar vibration with Nitto bars though.

thicker gloves + wider tires + lower pressures = smoother rides.

Bar Snakes, available at lots of motorcycle dealers. A rubber rope that is pulled thru the bar (then it expands) and is then cut to length.

Yes, they really work.

The Bontrager plugs DO work, but as someone mentioned above, it is not worth it. The aluminum ones are not heavy enough to make a difference. The much heavier brass ones work infinitely better, but they seem to lose effectiveness the further you get from the plugs. Essentially, they only worked, albeit very well, when I was in the drops near the end of the bars.

Frankly, they helped me get used to the drops when I first started biking since I was a newbie with a death grip and needed all the comfort I can get, but now I just use gel bar tape or I tape with cork tape pretty thick and my Bonty plugs are in my spare parts bin somewhere.

As for it being a placebo effect, that was not the case for me. I was riding with the flu once on a MUP (flu mentioned to note that I really wasn't too aware) and my right brass plug fell out (Oval bars' IDs are bigger, I suppose) and I definitely felt the difference (I was in the drops... go figure). Luckily my riding partner had a good eye and found them for me.

"Great Stuff" foam.


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/stumpyspic/stuff1.jpg

^ Will that really work?

I think i have a cross fork cause i have those buzzkill things in my fork. They work down there that's for sure

^ Trek/Bonty put skinny versions of those things in their forks for a while - not just the cross forks, but road forks also, kind of like Specialized Zertz inserts.

How bad can the vibration really be?

sometimes bad enough to cause nerve damage.

i ride on the streets mostly. if its possible to reduce how much of the road vibration gets into my hands im all for it. especially since (like many of us here, im into bike aesthetics):

1. i can't afford carbon track drops
2. i don't really like the look of other carbon (cheaper) bars
3. a carbon fork looks terrible on a vintage lugged frame
4. i realize the gel inserts would help, but if its possible to reduce vibration internally, i can keep my chrome drops shining in the sunlight haha.

If we are talking about resonance as opposed to road shocks, then there is an old cure.

This used to be a problem with motorbikes in the days of big capacity single cylinder bikes before the Japanese bikes civilised them.

The answer was to stick a very small piece of lead at each end of the handlebar. It need not be very heavy, but it is sufficient to change the resonant frequency of the handlebar.

I dont think anyone wants to have lead that close to their hands.

^ Will that really work?

Yup, try this little experiment, get yourself two small sections (about two feet each) of 1 1/2 or 2 inch PVC pipe, fill one with expanding foam and leave the other as is, when the foam dries tap them both on any solid object and ask yourself which one gives your hand more of a vibration/shock.

I usually keep a rabbit in there

Yup, try this little experiment, get yourself two small sections (about two feet each) of 1 1/2 or 2 inch PVC pipe, fill one with expanding foam and leave the other as is, when the foam dries tap them both on any solid object and ask yourself which one gives your hand more of a vibration/shock.

that expanding foam looks very messy. would it be easy to fill up drops evenly? I would be worried about one side being more heavy than the other.

I dont think anyone wants to have lead that close to their hands.

Should have made it clear, it goes inside the bar.

well, like I said, I dont think anyone would want that much lead that close to their sweaty hands.

Very odd thread. Get some bigger tires with higher TPI, that will give you more vibration dampening than any carbon bar or silly gimmicks such as sand(!!!) or expanding foam(wtf!!!) in the bars.

that expanding foam looks very messy. would it be easy to fill up drops evenly? I would be worried about one side being more heavy than the other.


Its easy, just slide the tube that comes with the expanding foam into one end of the drops, use tape to seal the tube around the bar, then spray away! when you see the foam come out the other end they are full ;) just remove the tape and spray foam while you pull the tube out. Let dry, the foam will expand while it dries but dont worry, the foam will come out of both sides and dry, use a knife to remove the dry foam thats sticking out of the ends and your done ;)

Very odd thread. Get some bigger tires with higher TPI, that will give you more vibration dampening than any carbon bar or silly gimmicks such as sand(!!!) or expanding foam(wtf!!!) in the bars.

Ever think that some people might like the size tires they have and want to seek out an alternative method? also, you call these ideas silly gimmicks? have you ever tried them? if so you'd know that the expanding foam works great. Dont beleive me? Try the experiment I mentioned and see for yourself :) I dont know about the sand? Ive never tried it ;)

Its easy, just slide the tube that comes with the expanding foam into one end of the drops, use tape to seal the tube around the bar, then spray away! when you see the foam come out the other end they are full ;) just remove the tape and spray foam while you pull the tube out. Let dry, the foam will expand while it dries but dont worry, the foam will come out of both sides and dry, use a knife to remove the dry foam thats sticking out of the ends and your done ;)

does the foam add alot of weight?

I considering using wine corks due to the lightness of cork and excellent dampening properties. of course, inserting corks around the bends seemed like a pain in the ass and I never got around to that experiment.

does the foam add alot of weight?


I think it's minimal, especially for the volume of handlebars. Bruno Meres used it inside his bamboo frames with great success and minimal additional weight (he describes it as "a few grams" (http://www.instructables.com/id/S8FGK42FAQEDGGU/)).

does the foam add alot of weight?

I considering using wine corks due to the lightness of cork and excellent dampening properties. of course, inserting corks around the bends seemed like a pain in the ass and I never got around to that experiment.

Heck no! After its cured it weighs practically nothing. Thats why its called "Great Stuff!" :lol: ;)

cool.

does it work in your opinion?

cool.

does it work in your opinion?

:twitchy:

sometimes bad enough to cause nerve damage.

More like a poor fitting bike. If I can run a chainsaw for 5+ years without nerve damage, you're note going to get nerve damage from your bike vibrating slightly

Very odd thread. Get some bigger tires with higher TPI, that will give you more vibration dampening than any carbon bar or silly gimmicks such as sand(!!!) or expanding foam(wtf!!!) in the bars.

Solid Advice FTW!

I usually keep a rabbit in there


I tried that - none of them fit. They also like to eat CF.

Yup, try this little experiment, get yourself two small sections (about two feet each) of 1 1/2 or 2 inch PVC pipe, fill one with expanding foam and leave the other as is, when the foam dries tap them both on any solid object and ask yourself which one gives your hand more of a vibration/shock.

I'll probably try it with my spare bars I have.

More like a poor fitting bike. If I can run a chainsaw for 5+ years without nerve damage, you're note going to get nerve damage from your bike vibrating slightly

notice I said "sometimes"

but the issue is a real for some. improper fit is typically a cause and vibration only makes it worse.

http://www.google.com/search?q=handlebar+vibration+nerve+damage&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=com.ubuntu:en-US:unofficial&client=firefox-a

or you could all man up and stop being ***** babies about it. wrap your bars and ride your bike.

or you could all man up and stop being ***** babies about it. wrap your bars and ride your bike.

OHHH thats what i was looking for. thank you: i am no longer wondering. if you can't contribute, gtfo.


<start flame war = aesthetics vs. practicality / hipsters vs. "im real" / ive been doing this for X years vs. new school> GO!

or you could all man up and stop being ***** babies about it. wrap your bars and ride your bike.

yee-haw

because experimenting with bicycle modifications that might improve your ride --even if only slightly-- is not something a real man would do.

A real man would just keep riding until his hands go numb and drop off from gangrene, and then that doesn't stop him either! He just lashes his stumps to the handlebars with handy zip-ties. He doesn't need to operate brakes, since he's already a fixie rider (like all real men).

Also, real men don't need some sissy cushy saddle, they just hammer all the time. Not only do they not wear helmets, they wear a claymore on their head, so that if they go down, they go down for good, and take some people with them besides.

Real men use tires of solid steel.

Once Chuck Norris tried to beat up a real man on a fixie, but the real man just severed his head with the exposed teeth on the cog, without, of course, dismounting.

Paradoxically, real men need no foot retention whatsoever--propelling the cranks by pure will--yet they have their feet nailed to simple, rough planks attached to the cranks. Just to show commitment.

chuck norris doesn't know how to skid, he just yells "stop".