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Drop-style bar ends

Old 06-26-02, 12:15 PM
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Drop-style bar ends

Apparently, Newk either went out of business, is no longer selling products or Scotty beamed them up. All existing stock appears to have been depleted, at least on the North American and European continents.
So......
Does anyone know of any other manufacturers of drop-style bar ends, that is more specifically, bar ends for mountain bike handlebars that are mounted underneath the bars and are curved similarly to road-style handlebars?
Or...
Does anyone have an old set of these they'd be willing to part with?
Or...
Does anyone know of a store that still has these things or anything like them in stock?
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Old 06-26-02, 05:59 PM
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I punched newk barends on a search engine and got newk barend- L drops at https://www.bikeusa.com/components/ha.../barends.htm#n I don't know anything about this company but maybe they still have some in stock.I didn't know Newk was out of business but I noticed Nashbar doesn't carry them.The website I posted still comes up ? :confused:
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Old 06-26-02, 06:42 PM
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If you can find some, buy them. There great, im not sure why they went under with such a great product.
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Old 06-26-02, 08:13 PM
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Bikes-N-Drums:

I posted this under the Mountain Bike topic for you, but here it is again.

If you can't find the drop bar ends, maybe you can just switch to drop bars:

Bridgestone MB1 from the 1988 book The Mountain Bike Book by Rob Van der Plas
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Old 06-26-02, 08:52 PM
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Newk went out of business a couple years ago. I ordered a set of drops from them, and was informed by the owners son that he had passed away, and that he (son) would not be continuing the business. Sad. I was really looking forward to the drops to use on my MTB for commutes. If you find any, let me know.
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Old 06-26-02, 08:52 PM
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check out what this guy did!
 
Old 06-26-02, 08:53 PM
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Old 06-26-02, 08:57 PM
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Yikes, im not sure if i would trust that setup at any speed.
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Old 06-26-02, 10:26 PM
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and the purpose of that is...? Looks like someone with more time than brains
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Old 06-26-02, 11:01 PM
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I think he did that so that he could have a lower mount for aerobars. He came up with another solution to the problem, found elsewhere on his site, where he had a special K-shaped stem made...the lower leg of the K extended below the roadbars and was used to mount the aerobars. But, if you imagine this, you would have to place your arms under the roadbars to rest in the aero position...which, I imagine would be difficult to get out of if there were an emergency. So, I think this is his carrying forward and improving that idea.

His site is valuable, to me, because it inspires innovativeness and outside-the-market thinking...and I have to admit I like that as much as riding. elaboration on his K-stem idea
 
Old 06-26-02, 11:02 PM
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Old 06-27-02, 02:16 AM
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I think www.SJSCycles.com do a complete conversion kit for adding drops and brakes to an MTB.

Richard
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Old 06-27-02, 02:41 AM
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Originally posted by usnagent007
image:
Wow, what a cool lightweight system!!!

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Old 06-27-02, 05:45 AM
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of course, innovativeness has its skeptics...I imagine some people were reluctant to comprehend even the first bicycles...the recumbent, for example; it wasn't developed by a weight-weenie.
 
Old 06-27-02, 09:06 AM
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Thanks for all the advice, everyone. I don't think I'll be doing what that guy did to his bike for curved bar ends.
The idea about attaching drop style bars to my hybrid seems more feasible. A few questions......
Are there drop handlebars that fit typical ATB stem widths or would I be required to switch out stems? And, if there are such handlebars...
A lot of people tell me if I switch to drop handlebars I'd probably have to replace some components on the bars such as shifters and brake levers. Why? Incompatible handlebar widths I can understand but saving that, shouldn't the components work OK? I'm not looking for a top-performance bar configuartion, rather, just something that's more comfortable to ride long distances.
These may seem like ridiculous questions but I'm not mechanically inclined as far a cycling goes, don't know what's available as far as parts and don't want to get finacially rooted in the process of trying to improve my handlebar situation.
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Old 06-27-02, 09:52 AM
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I like "outside the box" thinking too but NOT thinking is dangerous. That K stem, as you said, would not be good if you had to get up quickly. That happens all the time! There is a reason all aerobars clip on top of the bar!

It sounds like you should just get a cyclocross bike- or like you said, convert a hybrid.
If you go with drops you will need new levers because flatbar levers will not work in that arrangement.
You will need new brakes if you currently have V brakes. The travel is too great for road levers. You can get a roller/ reducer to shorten travel if you want to keep the V brakes.
Most likely need a new stem as diameters are different and your position may require a different length.
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Old 06-27-02, 09:53 AM
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You might need a new stem. You will need new brake levers, since your existing ones won't mount on the curved part of the bar, among other reasons. If you get Dia-Compe brake levers, they'll work with your v-brakes; STI levers won't (unless you add a Travel Agent to reduce the cable pull). And you'll need new shifters; you'll probably want bar end shifters since you're using separate brake levers.

You might or might not need a new front derailleur.

The Newk bar-ends were an attractive product, weren't they? Their primary drawback was how far they put your hands from the brake levers and shifters.

Putting drop bars on a hybrid is more complicated than it first appears. If you're patient, can do the work yourself, and good at sniffing out bargains, you might be able to do the job for as little as $150. But you'll still have a hybrid with drop bars, not a road bike.

I usually urge people to keep the hybrid intact -- a good hybrid is a dynamite backup bike -- and save up for a road bike if that's what they really want anyway.

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Old 06-27-02, 11:03 AM
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SJS Cycles in the UK has a few pairs of Newk anatomical drop bar ends - I just ordera set about a week.5 ago - when i ordered they had four sets left... so now that have no more than 3 left... good price and fast shipping even considering that it went from UK to Boston.. I like them a lot - if they still have some get them while you can! Otherwise i think Mud Sweat and Gears still has the L-drop style... good luck!
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Old 06-27-02, 11:10 AM
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That reminds me...

Would it be that different from Newks to mount L-shaped bar ends upside down in the drop position on a hybrid?

Or instead, or even in addition, you could add clamp-on aero bars. The whole contraption would look weird, but you'd have all sorts of alternative hand positions and aero options, if that's what you're looking for.

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Old 06-28-02, 07:12 PM
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Just had to post a picture of my hybrid with Newk barend-drops.
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Old 06-28-02, 07:35 PM
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Nice bike! I love the newk barends. I hope they sell the design to another company... Would love to pick up a set for my city bike.
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Old 06-29-02, 06:24 AM
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I tried SJS on Monday and placed an order but they said they had sold out and had no plans to purchase more. A guy with a tandem shop in NY also sold out about 2 weeks ago. Newk's US distributor in the Dakotas said they couldn't get any and that the guy making Newk products had died. I called a number of bike shops around the US looking for remaining stock and nobody had them, although some dealers were looking for them for their own bikes.

If anyone has a pair they want to part with......PM me!

(Bike looks great, Hillyman)
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Old 06-29-02, 11:16 AM
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There were flaws with the Newk system. They didnt replicate the drop bar position. the drops were too close to the riders knees and could interfere.

Flat bar brakes and shifters dont fit onto drop bars, they are different designs. Drop bar shifters can be integrated into the brakes (Shimano STi), or fitted to the bar-ends as in the Bridgestone.
You need to take care with the cable routing. Most drop bar bikes have the gear tensioner on the downtube fitting. Most flat bar bikes have it at the brakes.

You should also note that the standard hand position on drop bars in on the brake hoods, which are 6" forward of the stem. This is your cruising position. Can you afford to move you normal riding position that far forward ? The tops of drop bars are for a more relaxed upright position, and the drops are used when cycling into the wind or going downhill.

As an alternative, you should consider butterfly style bars. These accept flat bar components but offer more hand positions. You may also be able to fit aerobars or Cinelli Spinacci bars add-ons.
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Old 06-29-02, 08:14 PM
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Originally posted by MichaelW
There were flaws with the Newk system. They didnt replicate the drop bar position. the drops were too close to the riders knees and could interfere.
I never had this problem.In fact I cut about about a 1 1/2 inches of each end of the handlebars to get a closer feel to drops.It needs to come in a hair more to be 'right on' but the bar is tapered and my grip shifters won't go in anymore.My knees never hit anything even when pedaling out of the saddle.I love my Newks but truth be told, I love my roadbike more.But my hybrid still has its place
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Old 07-02-02, 10:34 PM
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i saw these in the new Dirt Rag mag.

https://www.endless-innovations.com/recproducts.htm
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