Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - How "low/aero" are bullbars?

Do bullhorn bars give a position similar to something on standard road bars inbetween the drops and on top?
I ride around town on my roadie on the tops and use the drops down hills, etc. I'd like to use the front section of the bars for a diff. hand positon but don't want to be stretch out like my back is about to be whipped.

I understand there are different kinds of bullhorn bars- some used my track racers that are lower, etc. I'm talking 'standard' bars, such as:
Nashbar's Bullhorns (http://www.nashbar.com/profile_moreimages.cfm?category=92&subcategory=1180&sku=8448)
http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/NS-TTB.gif
or Chuck's Bikes Bullhorn bar: (http://www.chucksbikes.com/store/br001.htm)
http://www.chucksbikes.com/store/br001.jpg

(Also, I'm looking for a crazy fixed-gear rear wheel $50? less? Let me know.)

I'd say they give you something akin to most positions between tops and hoods. My finding was that bullhorns were too much bar for my preference. I have the Nashbar bullhorns and cut about 3 inches off each end. They're perfect now.

I rode on them for awhile, and never really liked them. I have track drops now, and they feel a lot better. With the horns, when you tilt them down, there's not much to grab onto on the front. If you like the drops, stick with them. IMO, the only reason for horns is aesthetics, and I don't really like the look anyways.

As far as a $50 fixed wheel goes - don't waste your time. Get like an entry level Surly fix/fix laced to a Mavic MA3 (they go for around $115-125 around here) and have a wheel that will last longer than a couple of months.

Are you just wanting to try out fixed gear? Because that Univega in your sig looks like it has gears.... At any rate, if you try it and love it, you'd end up with a crappy wheel that you'd have to replace soon if you go the cheapo route. If you get a decent wheel, ride it for a few hundred miles and hate it, well there's always ebay and craigslist...

I rode on them for awhile, and never really liked them. I have track drops now, and they feel a lot better. With the horns, when you tilt them down, there's not much to grab onto on the front. If you like the drops, stick with them. IMO, the only reason for horns is aesthetics, and I don't really like the look anyways.

As far as a $50 fixed wheel goes - don't waste your time. Get like an entry level Surly fix/fix laced to a Mavic MA3 (they go for around $115-125 around here) and have a wheel that will last longer than a couple of months.

Are you just wanting to try out fixed gear? Because that Univega in your sig looks like it has gears.... At any rate, if you try it and love it, you'd end up with a crappy wheel that you'd have to replace soon if you go the cheapo route. If you get a decent wheel, ride it for a few hundred miles and hate it, well there's always ebay and craigslist...

The world is coming to its end. HereNT posted a friendly, coherent, useful message that had no mention of alcohol.

It happens.

I have actually been complimented on my coherency and usefulness here. Well, at least the coherency. And that might have been measured relative to other posts of mine...

I think that I very rarely post anything that isn't friendly, though. Not sure where you got that from...

I have the Syntace Stratos 200 TT bar which looks a lot like the Nashbar bar. I like it. It is comfortable and the brakes are handier (compared to drop bars). You have got a choice between a normal straight bar position, i.e. relatively upright or a more aerodynamic leaning forward position (though probably not as aerodynamic as drop bars) for a bit more speed. It does change the fit of the bike a bit though. If your bike is on the large side then it may not work.

I'd say they give you something akin to most positions between tops and hoods. My finding was that bullhorns were too much bar for my preference. I have the Nashbar bullhorns and cut about 3 inches off each end. They're perfect now.

I use Profile Stokers which have no drop and found that I needed a stem about 3cm shorter to prevent feeling too stretched out. The bullhorns give me a more elevated position which I like for city riding. On my Rodriguez I use a 120mm stem with drops and a 90mm with bullhorns. When I'm out at the ends of the bullhorns, it feels like riding the hoods of my drops (except raised alittle).

Jim

I rode on them for awhile, and never really liked them. I have track drops now, and they feel a lot better. With the horns, when you tilt them down, there's not much to grab onto on the front. If you like the drops, stick with them. IMO, the only reason for horns is aesthetics, and I don't really like the look anyways.

As far as a $50 fixed wheel goes - don't waste your time. Get like an entry level Surly fix/fix laced to a Mavic MA3 (they go for around $115-125 around here) and have a wheel that will last longer than a couple of months.

Are you just wanting to try out fixed gear? Because that Univega in your sig looks like it has gears.... At any rate, if you try it and love it, you'd end up with a crappy wheel that you'd have to replace soon if you go the cheapo route. If you get a decent wheel, ride it for a few hundred miles and hate it, well there's always ebay and craigslist...


I rode on them for awhile, and never really liked them. I have track drops now, and they feel a lot better. With the horns, when you tilt them down, there's not much to grab onto on the front. If you like the drops, stick with them. IMO, the only reason for horns is aesthetics, and I don't really like the look anyways.


Oh ahh my heart is broken. You don't like the look? Man they look great. Everybodys got drops even wal mart bikes. Well where I live you don't see many horns nor fixies for that matter. Tilting them down would suck definitlly. I actually have my Nitto horns tilted up a bit slightly.

The horns pictured above are very flat. The ones I have have a drop built into them:

http://www.businesscycles.com/graphics/nittobull19.jpg

You can also get a stem that drops too. I find horns to be easier for stopping brakeless and skidding. The horns themselves are like a lever for unweighting the rear tire for skips etc...

But still you will not get as aero as with track drops. But imo for street riding horns are the shiette

Eh. I like to point mine down a bit, gives me leverage for out of the saddle sprinting.

I lose some of the deep aero positions I get with drops, but for street riding, I think that's ok because I want a more heads up position anyhow.

Track drops... almost as good as Pie.

Bullhorns... well duh, have you seen them? Not like Pie at all.

Milo

Height has more to do with the stem than the bars themselves.
There was a pic on one of the forums of a track bike with bars mounted to the top of the fork tubes

I find horns to be easier for stopping brakeless and skidding. The horns themselves are like a lever for unweighting the rear tire for skips etc...
But still you will not get as aero as with track drops. But imo for street riding horns are the shiette


I like them too. But I got a deep drop coming in today from Nashbar, and I want to see if leaning down and forward that little extra bit lends to skid/skips.

charlesw, why don't you experiment before you buy?
I flipped and sawed down a set of ill-fitting dropbars that came with my bike, and they are now pretty handy, no pun intended. Kinda like being on the hoods, only there's less to grab and less positions to worry about - grab the horns for a sprint, ride the flats when chillin.

Oh ahh my heart is broken. You don't like the look? Man they look great. Everybodys got drops even wal mart bikes. Well where I live you don't see many horns nor fixies for that matter. Tilting them down would suck definitlly. I actually have my Nitto horns tilted up a bit slightly.

The horns pictured above are very flat. The ones I have have a drop built into them:

http://www.businesscycles.com/graphics/nittobull19.jpg

You can also get a stem that drops too. I find horns to be easier for stopping brakeless and skidding. The horns themselves are like a lever for unweighting the rear tire for skips etc...

But still you will not get as aero as with track drops. But imo for street riding horns are the shiette

If those are the Nitto heat-treated aluminum bars, I have those same bullhorns on my track bike, I find them to be the *most* comfortable bars I have ever ridden. They are a bit pricey though.

On my commuter I use Mavic TT bullhorns which have a very deep drop. They have a small flip at the front and are relatively short (for those who complain of having 'too much' bar).

I can't ride track drop bars for more than 10 minutes without developing severe wrist pain, that lasts for a day or two after riding them. Some people have told me that it will go away after I ride them for a while, but that doesn't seem right. Like there's probably a good reason that I'm getting pain from them and it's probably a sign that they aren't for me...

I have bullhorns (time trial) bars on my Mirage
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2004/c/kresge20.htm
and they are mounted higher than most to fit a smaller sized frame.
They don't offer as many hand positions and tend to flex a bit on a climb.
Still, they look great on the bike and function well enough to leave on.

Your best chance for a $50 rear wheel is on eBay. Stay away from cheap hubs though.

If those are the Nitto heat-treated aluminum bars, I have those same bullhorns on my track bike, I find them to be the *most* comfortable bars I have ever ridden. They are a bit pricey though.

This is kind of off-topic, but are there any rules against racing with bullhorns? I like bullhorns better than drops for the same reason as you, and was considering a track bike to amuse myself this summer. I couldn't find anything in the rules other than track nuts, no brakes, and fixed, but all the pictures I look at have the riders only in track drops.

oh yeah i have seen that bike..i think it was a russian team track bike.

This is kind of off-topic, but are there any rules against racing with bullhorns? I like bullhorns better than drops for the same reason as you, and was considering a track bike to amuse myself this summer. I couldn't find anything in the rules other than track nuts, no brakes, and fixed, but all the pictures I look at have the riders only in track drops.

It will depend on the velodrome. For example I know Kissena in NYC requires drop bars. All track rules are locally determined but will tend to be largely similar.

It will depend on the velodrome. For example I know Kissena in NYC requires drop bars. All track rules are locally determined but will tend to be largely similar.

It also depends on the event. Mass start events (points race, madison, etc.) are drops only at every track, since they don't want people getting impaled. I _think_ bullhorns are still allowed for individual events like the kilo, pursuit, etc but since everyone abandoned bullhorns when aerobars came out in the mid-eighties its not really an issue. Bottom line, don't bother bringin' em to the track.

It happens.

I have actually been complimented on my coherency and usefulness here. Well, at least the coherency. And that might have been measured relative to other posts of mine...

I think that I very rarely post anything that isn't friendly, though. Not sure where you got that from...

You are right. I don't recall you being unfriendly. I apologize.

in general, 99% of the time, you MUST rock the drops to ride the 'drome. and you must have plugs for your bars, too. too much flesh depends on it.

while we're talking about diverse bars and set-ups - who's ridden with a shortened MTB or straight handlebar? How did it handle on the road?