Touring - Handlebars?

Hello, I'm building up a Soma Saga. right now it is equipped with 8 speed Ultegra bar end shifters, XT rd, 44/29 coda double crankset, mini v brakes, 105 aero levers, and regular drop bars. A friend of mine suggested bull horn handle bars with bar end and interrupter brake levers. Almost a tri set up without the elbow pads and areo bars. I rarely use the the drops - Any wisdom on handle bars?

If type of touring is a factor, I do the Blue Ridge Parkway, and want to do the GAP, C&O towpath, as well as some shorter trips in coastal NC and SC.

Thanks for your help.

If you put bar end brake levers on bullhorns where will your bar end shifters go? Paul thumbies?

Personally I like drops, you get the bullhorns with the advantage of being able to go into the drops.

If you dont use the drops cut the dang things off. :D

http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/45954/2136243770037547136S600x600Q85.jpg (http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2136243770037547136CxKtQj)

I did that on this bike but on a touring bike i would want all the hand places i can get. What is it you dont like about drops?

All my bikes, in more than 40 years of touring, have had drops. Can't beat them when your into a headwind but it may take a bunch of rides to toughen the core muscles and get accustomed to the position.

One of my bikes has bullhorns and I like them a lot for shorter rides in town, but they are not good for riding on a windy day. If you live in ENC, I would think that you would want bars with drops. I ride Cycle NC every spring, and that is some of the windiest weather I have ever ridden in, and I spend a lot of time in drops when riding down there.

Have you ever tried a shallow drop handlebar as well as a taller stem? I find that many cyclists never ride in the drops because their stems are so short that they can't comfortably ride in that position. My handlebars are even with my saddle height, and I can ride in the drops all day if I need to.

BTW, Soma makes a great shallow-drop bar for a very reasonable price. It's called the Soma Highway One bar, and costs about $40 and available in 26.0 and 31.8 diameters. I just put one on my Salsa Casseroll and it fits so nice that I might order another one to put on one of my other bikes.

Thanks for the fast response. I like the drop bars and on windy days I do use them, just more of a hood rider. My buddy who recommended the bull horns has a habit of being right all the time, but not so much in this case. I do have shallow drops. I'll defiantly check out the soma bars too. Thanks!!!

Here is are some shots of my De Bernardi with bullhorns. It is probably my most fun bike to ride, particularly shorter routes in town. With bullhorns you basically have two positions, the tops and near the hooks -- which is like riding on the hoods with a typical road bike. I rarely take this bike on longer rides because if you are out on the open road and the wind kicks up, you have nowhere to hide. My longest ride since I installed the bullhorns is probably about 40 miles.

The other shot shows my Waterford, which has FSA shallow drop bars that are very similar in shape and drop to the Soma Hwy 1 bars.

that waterford


drool worthy!

Sounds like a solution in search of a problem... I wouldn't mess with your current setup unless there's something that actually needs a change.

equipped with 8 speed Ultegra bar end shifters, XT rd, 44/29 coda double crankset, mini v brakes, 105 aero levers, and regular drop bars.

Perhaps Consider Trekking bars ,& Pauls Thumbies to re use the bar ends, and then Avid Speed Dial
straight bar brake levers .. knob varies the lever geometry..
Figure 8 bend has a forward reach corresponding to down in the drops , into the headwind,
a side grip, like the bull horn, and a near side for the brakes levers ,
which on steep descents also improves the butt off behind the saddle weight shift
technique for braking on the slope.

you can use the existing brake lever on the front for a Mustache bar like setup.
though you can also just get the Mustache bars, instead ..

Thanks for the fast response. I like the drop bars and on windy days I do use them, just more of a hood rider. My buddy who recommended the bull horns has a habit of being right all the time, but not so much in this case. I do have shallow drops. I'll defiantly check out the soma bars too. Thanks!!!

Since you do use the drops sometimes it makes no sense, to me anyway, to do away with them entirely.

Brad

When I was touring on a DF, the bar evolved from drops to bull horn with aerobars, interrupters, and bar ends. I found that to be the ideal combo for winds, climbing, and overall comfort. All double wrapped for ergonomics.