Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Nitto RB-018 Bullhorns

I am looking to get good bullhorn handlebars. I found these: http://www.amazon.com/Nitto-RB-018-BULLHORN-HANDLEBAR-Silver/dp/B0013FE44Y/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I296MDRO4WD0MO&colid=1AU3J0K0BTEUG. Anyone have these, or heard of them? Are they any good? What do you all recommend for doing some skidding and track standing while also doing some riding.

Thanks,
klp14klp

ive ridden them before, and they were pretty great for city riding, however i did not like them as much as i loved my nitto rb-021s. idn, the had great leverage for when i was climbing the drop in the bar allowed a more aero position if you really feel the need to go fast

I have them and prefer them over bullhorns with drop. I liken them to a nice version of flip&chop bars. If flip&chops work for you then you will love rb-18's.

+1 on the RB-021's!

So many hand positions.

And sexy too.

Profile Airwings.

http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=188_232_593&products_id=2942
here they are for about 10 bucks cheaper...idn why amazon has them for so much

check out the tranz-x bullhorns. much cheaper and very nice if you dig black bars

Will the RB-021s fit on my Mercier Kilo TT?
Here is the Kilo TT link: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/kilott.htm

I would get these: http://www.amazon.com/Nitto-Bullhorn-RB-021-420mm-Handlebar/dp/B001S0I2M4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1237955751&sr=8-2... correct?

RB-021's are what I have coming in! The extra hand positioning looks to be ideal!

I've used both and I prefer the 018's to the 021's. I never felt like i could quite get comfortable on the 021's. the 018's are really sweet!!

Will the RB-021s fit on my Mercier Kilo TT?
Here is the Kilo TT link: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/kilott.htm

I would get these: http://www.amazon.com/Nitto-Bullhorn-RB-021-420mm-Handlebar/dp/B001S0I2M4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1237955751&sr=8-2... correct?

not on your stock stem

I've used both and I prefer the 018's to the 021's. I never felt like i could quite get comfortable on the 021's. the 018's are really sweet!!

Must be a 916 thing. :)

I've used both and I prefer the 018's to the 021's. I never felt like i could quite get comfortable on the 021's. the 018's are really sweet!!

I feel the same way. I could never get comfortable with RB021s also. If anyone wants to buy/trade, pm me.

I am looking to get good bullhorn handlebars. I found these: http://www.amazon.com/Nitto-RB-018-BULLHORN-HANDLEBAR-Silver/dp/B0013FE44Y/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I296MDRO4WD0MO&colid=1AU3J0K0BTEUG. Anyone have these, or heard of them? Are they any good? What do you all recommend for doing some skidding and track standing while also doing some riding.

Thanks,
klp14klp



my favorite bar on earth for riding in a city. a true flat portion for cruising, and a rock solid extension for sprinting or climbing...

i will say that you'll want to use them with a pista/negative rise stem so you can get a bit aero without mounting the bars like a moron.

Sp00ki cosign on all points.

I too prefer the RB-018. Love mine and can't even imagine using anything else. I love sprinting with them and I feel like I have great control. Got the heat treated ones because I liked them so much.

Also +1 on Benscycle, that's where I got mine awhile back.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/TigerPrawn/bullhorn-1.jpg

EDIT: Picture was too large

profile airwings. +1

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/TigerPrawn/bullhorn-1.jpg

EDIT: Picture was too large

I'm really digging your bar set up, did you fabricate the grips yourself? Also, what kind of brake lever is that, I feel as if I need one immediately.

I'm really digging your bar set up, did you fabricate the grips yourself? Also, what kind of brake lever is that, I feel as if I need one immediately.

Hey thanks!

I wish I had the skill and ingenuity to make those covers, but I did not (But I did sew them on!). They're elkhide bar covers Velo-Orange.

The brake lever is Gran/Dia compe shot lever. A little on the pricey side, but I like it a lot so far. Benscycle has them I believe.

I have the RB-018 bars. I also prefer them over drop bullhorns. They're my favorite handlebar for city riding. The horns are longer than flipped and chopped road bars, so you get extra leverage when climbing and you can stretch out more when seated. Great for sprinting and climbing. They are a little flexy, but not too bad.

not on your stock stem

They're 26mm at the stem right? Of course they'll fit the stock stem, maybe not by the numbers, but it works (.4 mm is really super negligible).

I've done it, I have a friend who put 31.8 bars into a 26 stem. It's fine, though you might get some marks where the stem attaches.

I have a friend who put 31.8 bars into a 26 stem. It's fine, though you might get some marks where the stem attaches.

uhh... that sounds really sketchy and unsafe. i'd like to see a picture of that.

I'm really digging your bar set up, did you fabricate the grips yourself? Also, what kind of brake lever is that, I feel as if I need one immediately.

that brake set-up is definitely the mutt's nuts

uhh... that sounds really sketchy and unsafe. i'd like to see a picture of that.

He rode them (they were deda pistas) for a while like that, no sweat. I don't have pictures because he finally got a proper sized stem. But you can do it, and if you tighten it well, it's perfectly safe.

He rode them (they were deda pistas) for a while like that, no sweat. I don't have pictures because he finally got a proper sized stem. But you can do it, and if you tighten it well, it's perfectly safe.

I agree with stripes, that sounds sketchy. I had 26 bars in a 25.8 stem and they went wild over bumps no matter how tight. The previous owner didn't realize they weren't compatible and ended up putting in a sheet metal screw.

I have 18s on my winter bike and used to have them on my summer ride as well. At the end of last summer I switched to 21s on it. I disagree with posts saying there are more hand positions on the 21s. The opposite is true since (at least for me) it is very uncomfortable to ride on the angled drop sections. I do like that the horns are lower though. Unless you feel your bars are too high I would go with the 18s over the 21s.

I would get this instead
http://store.somafab.com/sourpubar.html
similar but much cheaper.

+1 on the rb018s
& use a 25.4 to 26.0 shim or cut up a beer can.

Has anyone ever seen bullhorns that angle IN instead of the sides being parallel? I swear I saw some like this on the street once way back before I was interested enough to look closely. The only ones I can find come on a Dahon folder bike... http://www.dahon.com/us/speedprott.htm

Could you do it yourself with a pipe bender without ruining the bars' integrity?

Is there a bar out there that you could hack up to get this result?

The 18s come in silver alloy, or heat treated, which is a grey silver and costs more $. So be sure which you are buying. I have the heat treated 18s on my 1976 fuji track bike and like then for all around urban riding and medium length (~20 mile) road rides. I also have the same brake lever as tigerprawn, they look cool but I found the leverage on the short side was a bit lacking, so I moved it to the "wrong" side of my stem clamp for better access to the long side, and don't really use the short side at all. Here's my set up before I switched the lever over:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/jvpro/bianchi019.jpg
rear brake only in this pic, I have since replaced it w/ a kierin front brake.

is there an advantage to the heat-treated ones? i bought a used, heat-treated RB-018 a few months back, but haven't installed it yet

I use the origin8 zero-drop bullhorns. They are a cheaper build, but they also cost me $15.

Does anyone use the RB-009s? They seem to be the most comfortable option from the looks of it.

heat treated = harder, stiffer, more hipster points.

Has anyone ever seen bullhorns that angle IN instead of the sides being parallel? I swear I saw some like this on the street once way back before I was interested enough to look closely. The only ones I can find come on a Dahon folder bike... http://www.dahon.com/us/speedprott.htm

Could you do it yourself with a pipe bender without ruining the bars' integrity?

Is there a bar out there that you could hack up to get this result?

You can't really tell from the picture but they do angle inwards a few degrees: http://www.outsideoutfitters.com/p-569-syntace-stratos-bull-horn-bar.aspx

Very comfy bars!

I also have the origin8 bars (figured i'd try them out since the lbs had them for like 8 dollars). seem like decent bars, I dont know if you could really tell the difference between these and the pricey nittos

that said i have a pair of syntace stratos on order with a bit of drop. they look pretty comfy...

I have been riding with the RB-018's for about a year now. I find them preferable to the 021's because you get the flat section like you do on normal drops for a more casual riding position. heat-treated=less flex also.

anyone use the trans x bullhorns? like 22 shipped from bikeisland was thinking about those.

You can't really tell from the picture but they do angle inwards a few degrees: http://www.outsideoutfitters.com/p-569-syntace-stratos-bull-horn-bar.aspx

Very comfy bars!

+1. I love mine.

http://www.syntace.com/imgserver/syntace/images/2000/2200/2224/picture2224_Syntace.jpg

Yeah i love my Syntace way more than my RB021, but the RB021 come in silver so they stay on my Cannondale, and the black Syntace on my Kilo

You can't really tell from the picture but they do angle inwards a few degrees: http://www.outsideoutfitters.com/p-569-syntace-stratos-bull-horn-bar.aspx

Very comfy bars!

Thanks!

Has anyone ever seen bullhorns that angle IN instead of the sides being parallel? I swear I saw some like this on the street once way back before I was interested enough to look closely. The only ones I can find come on a Dahon folder bike... http://www.dahon.com/us/speedprott.htm

Could you do it yourself with a pipe bender without ruining the bars' integrity?

Is there a bar out there that you could hack up to get this result?

Delta makes the "ErgoBar" that angles inward.

Delta makes the "ErgoBar" that angles inward.

Thanks!

i agree with the Trans-X -> I love mine. Stiff, light and inexpensive. I did a 50 mile ride Saturday on my fixed & had no hand/shoulder issues...lots of positions to mix it up & plenty of leverage for the occassional trick etc.

This is a little bit of a resurrection, but I thought we could add some more good information here. My wife just got some RB-018s for her bike, and we wanted to try some time trial brake levers rather than cross levers. I read on Ben's Cycle that TT levers won't work for this application, but I don't see why they wouldn't.

Has anyone on here successfully gotten TT levers to work on these bars?

i've never used the 18's but to me they look so much like flop and chops that i can't see paying so much for them.

RB-021's are overrated for street riding.

ditching mine for a normal set of bullhorns with no drop. the drop is far too extreme on 21's.

what about 19s?

19's and 009's aren't very comfortable compared to the rb-018's, let alone rb-021's.

Another happy origin 8 user... basically same thing at a fraction of the cost. With nitto, you are paying for a name (and heavy ass handlebars sometimes)

This is a little bit of a resurrection, but I thought we could add some more good information here. My wife just got some RB-018s for her bike, and we wanted to try some time trial brake levers rather than cross levers. I read on Ben's Cycle that TT levers won't work for this application, but I don't see why they wouldn't.

Has anyone on here successfully gotten TT levers to work on these bars?

Yes, I'm currently using a Cane Creek 200TT brake lever on mine. I read all that stuff, too. I don't know why they say that.