SFtrackpro

I ride a Fuji Track Pro, as an everyday bike, I love it, but in San Francisco, sometimes the drop bars are more hassle than they're worth. I'm thinking of switching to a straight bar. Other than looking ugly, what downsides are there to riding w/ mountain bike bars on a track bike?

hyperRevue

Less hand positions = bad for long rides.
Just ask the pinched nerve in my left hand.

iBarna

I don't think it looks ugly. And you can always use bullhorns too.

queerpunk

i have chop and flop bullhorns. they're only 38cm wide, which is charmingly narrow. also, they're cut pretty short, and it's real comfy to ride on the shoulders. lotsa different bullhorns offer lots of different positions, which is real nice. maybe try some cheap syntaces, available at chucksbikes.com, and try some chopped and flopped road bars... maybe try road drops with aero levers on them, ride the hoods a bunch... just keep swapping. i go back and forth between syntace bars, my shortie chop n flops, road drops, tracks, and 15" straightbars. whatever i feel like, whatever's comfortable for wahtever week...

gregg

Bullhorns are a nice middle ground between drop bars and a flat bar that you are looking for. The best part about bullhorns is that they allow you to hold your hands close to the stem, taking pressure off of your neck/back, and to stretch out when your hands are out on the horns.

You can make a pair of bullhorns by taking an old pair of drop bars and chopping the ends off with a hacksaw.

cmcenroe

Hmmm, how about a versatile set of nitto B123's combined with a Jaguar stem?

padelsbach

nitto 021. my vote for best looking bullhorns.

onetwentyeight 

Those bullhrons are great, I used to rock them. if you want to use flats, talk to clayton (46x17)

Thor29

What exactly is the hassle about drop bars? Do they look at you funny and say nasty things behind your back? Do they get hooked on light poles when you ride backwards? Really, I don't get it. I use drop bars (in San Francisco, not that it matters) and I like them. I usually ride on the tops (which is where the Salsa cyclocross lever happens to be if I need my front brake) except when hammering out of the saddle - then I use the drops. And for different hand positions I sometimes move my hands to where the "hoods" would be if I had hoods. No hassle here.

hyperRevue

I love my B123s.
Got them on both my bikes.

you

nitto promenade bars! hard to do trackstands and skids but they give you a great lookout over traffic and they make you look oh so urbane and european.

crayonsemble

i think thats what i have but i was told they are called nitto all rounder
it does make track stands harder.
i was thinking about switching to some home made drops, i was told
16 inches is good, is that correct?

onlythebest

i recently made the switch from bullhorns to drops and it seems hard to adapt to. i miss the leverage that the bullhorns gave me, they came in handy for hills and it seems like i'm not able to climb as fast in the drops. anyone else have this transitional problem? i'll give it a little time to see if i can adapt, but right now i'm missing my bullhorns

hyperRevue

Took me a couple weeks to make the bullhorn - drops transition.
Now I can't go back.

46x17

I like flat and riser bars for the width. I ride 56cm bars and never had a problem in SF traffic. I like the leverage you get from them especially in combination with the single gear. Helps you breathe too. Allows you to see better. Makes riding more fun.

46x17

I should have a pair of flat bars for you by the end of next week if my new ones arrrive on time. Nothing fancy but It'll give you an idea of what it's all about. You can have them for free if you still want them by then.