Huffer

I notice that several 2006 Dahon bikes are pictured with mini-bullhorn / TT bars - particularly the Hammerhead 7.0 and Speed Pro TT models.

I'm still in the "just looking" phase of buying a folder, but this style of bars looks like exactly what I would like for my somewhat lengthy commute (approx. 21 miles each way) and for rec. riding.

Are these bars readily available in the aftermarket? I presume they are special folding versions, or that they must fit the maker's (proprietary?) stem. How easy (or difficult) is it to adapt different shifter types to these bars? I see the 2 models mentioned above are using the SRAM Dual Drive 24 drivetrain. Are these types of brifters adaptable to other drivetrains?

Since I don't necessarily "need" a bike like either of these two (or have that kind of money at the moment) do you think it would be possible to get a Speed P8 or even a comparable non-Dahon bike and add something like those bars after the fact?

Maybe I'm just jumping the gun here and should wait until more info comes out on 2006 models and components. I'm also not necessarily set on a Dahon yet. I just want to gather some info to assess my options for a purchase maybe 6 months down the road.

Thanks to all for any advice or other options you may have. I learned a TON just reading through this forum for a week or so, and hope to learn much more here.

Mr_Super_Socks

they are readily available and standard road bar diameter.
https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=

brakemeister

the ones on the dahons are propriaty handlebars made by dahon. They seem a little narrower than "regular" bars.. but i can be wrong

regular bars should fit as long as they are 25.4 dia ( and not the widely available 26 )
shifters should be no problem

thor

pharnabazos

This is my 2005 Speed P8 with the Nashbar TT mentioned by Mr. SuperSocks above. Although it's 26mm I had no problem with the nashbar clamp--just readjust the bolt on the quick release.

The fat part in the middle of the old bar was 25.4, but the bars become really narrow, so that the stock brakes won't fit on a fatter bar without remolding/bending. I swapped out for tt levers and pipe-clamped a bar-end shifter to the end.

oboeguy

pharnabazos your thumbnail isn't clickable. I'd really like to see your mods!

As for the OP, getting less expensive bike now and upgrading to Ultegra brifters doesn't strike me as a very cost-effective solution. The brifters cost hundreds of dollars! OTOH, I guess you could go with, say, 105 brifters and save some dough that way.

I'm happy with my current '05 SpeedPro especially as having the brakes on the tops is best for commuting IMO, but I must say, that TT setup is off the hook!

Huffer

Thanks everyone, for the advice and information.

The bars in the pic above (from the 2006 Dahon catalog) just appeared to be a little narrower and/or shorter than stock road bike TT bars. I suppose it's unlikely that anyone would be mounting clip-on aero's in the center, but it's hard to tell dimensions from a couple of grainy photos in the .pdf file.

Does adding these bars (or regular drop bars, for that matter), affect the ease of folding or the size of the folded bike dramatically?

I agree that upgrading brifters after purchase isn't cost effective. If I couldn't get what I wanted at the time of purchase, I'd have to turn it into a long-term upgrade, picking up parts on the cheap over the course of several months / years. It's a lifetime hobby, so I'm not rushing into anything just yet.

I just think those bars are largely what makes the Hammerhead look tremendously fast and sexy-looking, rather than looking like any other folder. And I generally don't get that feeling with seeing bars like this on a regular fixie or commuter bike.

pharnabazos

I regret to inform you that I am a techno-moron and this was the only way I could figure to get pics under 100k. How does everyone else do it? Just retake the picture on lower quality?

pharnabazos

When I added TT bars I expected it would be harder to fold, but I just needed to get in a building so it wasn't crucial to be compact. But it turned out to be exactly the same size--instead of turning the handlebars *up*, I turned them around and then folded them *down*. The curve of the tt bar curled over the front wheel nicely. PS this was on the Speed 8 and with 40cm bars.

v1nce

Yeah i really like the clean, light and fast look of these bars, but i always wondered: are they comfortable? Not too many grips and hand positions i am guessing. Still might some one day though...

Huffer

Excellent! Exactly what I hoped to hear.

Huffer

That is a valid concern, but they seem to offer some (limited) variety of positions over the stock flat bars, it seems to me. They also could enable the rider to stretch out forward a bit more, depending on stem length and the fit of the bike otherwise. In some cases, I heard that putting a little more weight over the front wheel helps stabilize it a bit, especially at speed.

Again, I haven't had a chance to ride any 20"-wheeled bike yet, so I have to go on what I read here and elsewhere...

Mehow

Where are you finding these '06 Dahons? I can only find the 05's on their website.

(Sorry, for being off-topic)