ModeratedUser24102018

okay so im getting a fixie to use for commuting to and from work, i mainly want it for the challenge of no gears, because im going from a really active job to one where i dont do as much as i used to(physically).
so i really want the work out. although the bike im looking at comes with riser bars. im going to buy some new bars when i get the bike.

Now i was thinking of getting bullhorns because i really like the sticking out look, i think it makes the bike look really aggressive, and i also really like the look of drop handle bars....just wondering if i was to get drop handlebars, how would it work if you were to put the drop handle bars upside down? or would that be like stupid? painful for my wrists?

also what is your favourite style of handlebars and why?

Edit: also just thinking, maybe a noob question but.... i cant find any aero brakes i really like for the colour scheme im going for, (red and black) the brakes that come with the bike are black, if i was to get drop bars, couldn't i just buy brake hoods and apply them to the stock brakes?

Leukybear 

Hooded compact drops. Most plentiful hand position set up imo and hoods are a must for climbs.

hairnet

I like classic bend drop bars. The Gran Cru feels great to me.

Bum Bars



double bum bars

ModeratedUser24102018

ah yeah those are like the ones i was thinking of getting, the larger ones i think would make me feel uncomfortable while riding

ModeratedUser24102018

holy crap theyre like cobras! awesome!

rustystrings61 

+1 for the classical drop bar, what the bike writers called "Maes" bend in the early 70s. Nittos are very nice, and the model 176 "Dream" bars are my personal favorites - the alignment of the tops and the drops works really well for me and I can make smooth and comfortable transitions between positions on them. By all means hooded brake levers, total agreement with leukybear - I find myself riding on the hoods a lot when I need to cook along, riding on the tops when I'm just cruising, down in the hooks when I need to focus on spinning through a fast descent, and down on the bottom of the drops going into the wind and for some seated climbing. You can use a whole bunch of different muscle groups with drops, especially if you decide to really stretch out the distance on your rides.

jlafitte 

When you're in a tucked position in the drops, you have less visibility and are less visible. Something to think about if your commute is all in heavy traffic.

murrellington

That's why I started with bull horns and stuck with them. I'm constantly looking up and around and watching for cars. Drop bars just wouldn't be practical for me. Plus I can ride many miles with bull horns. Still, it could be preference. I'm sure many people ride drops in traffic areas but just have their hands up top instead of in the drops

ModeratedUser24102018

i think thats one of my main worries with drop bars, not having the feel of complete control while being on the lowest part, i think id feel more comfortable either on the hoods or the very top

wingtipsdown

+++

murrellington

Well if you get hoods on your drops then you have nothing to worry about. You have the best of both worlds and can ride the hoods when in traffic

herzogone

My dad flipped the drops (and chopped 3") on his road bike and loves it. He's in his late 60s and found he was no longer comfortable in the drops mounted conventionally. He rides 500+ miles a month during the season typically. Although I don't think he was aware of double bum bars...

I personally love drops for the flexibility of hand positions (and easy possibility of multiple brake positions, if you run brakes).

murrellington

What is going on. That looks ridiculous and I don't see how most of that bar can be utilized. But I'm impressed he uses that for 500 miles a month.

ThurberMingus

I have some risers, bullhorns, and I recently picked up some track drops. I like them all for different reasons, and I can switch them around whenever I get tired. If I only had one set of bars they would be bullhorns.

50voltphantom

That bike would be so proper otherwise.

50voltphantom

I've been riding Profile Design Airwings with bar-end levers for a few months now. I've considered switching to compact drops w/hoods but the longer I use the bullhorns the more I like them. My saddle to bar drop is enough that I'm in a fairly agressive 'drop' position most of the time, yet can still reach the brakes. The drop portion of the bar is good for climbing and the tops are there if I so choose. When I grip the very ends of the bars my back is flat and can two-finger the brake levers. Works great.

TMonk

drops long ride risers short ride

ModeratedUser24102018

where abouts are your brakes? are they on the bullhorns themselves or in the middle? i think the brake levers would look pretty cool on the horns, pretty easy to pull too if your constantly gripping there

id say its a very hard choice between bullhorns or compact drops, atm im heading more towards compact drops because ive found a bar for a nice price, where as i cant really find bullhorns i like 100%.

bmontgomery87

bullhorns if you have any hills.

drops on the track, or if you don't ride with a messenger bag,(mine likes to slide around when im in the drops) or in heavy traffic (hard to keep head up).

risers in the city

50voltphantom

I'm using these

Product Description | Origin8

caloso

Classic round drops. Medium drop (~135 mm).

herzogone

Yeah, it definitely looks a bit ridiculous, but I don't think he cares much about aesthetics. I haven't paid much attention, but I think he usually rides with his hands on the uprights. He can also grab the tops of the brakes (where the hoods would go) to be very upright, or get a little lower on the flat section to either side of the stem. He wears gloves so he didn't bother replacing the hoods or tape. To be fair, he sometimes rides a Dahon Mariner folder for some of that mileage, but this is his primary ride.

True, it's all original otherwise. Here's a little closer-to-proper bike eye-bleach, my bike (smaller frame version of the same thing), and my dad's previous road bike, a 1981 Trek 613 he bought new:




More on topic, drop bars can still be used in conventional form without being very low; just use a steerer tube/quill extension or a longer-quill stem (if threaded). Also, interrupter/inline/cyclocross levers give easy added braking on the flat part without losing the regular drop levers.

MattFoley

I run bullhorns on the around-town/in traffic bike and compact drops + hoods for the go fast bike. When I only had one fixed gear bike, I swapped bars out as needed, depending on the ride.

IAmSam

Since I went back to using my track bike that takes a quill stem for all of my pavement riding and realized that I could not find 1 perfect handlebar to make it comfortable for all the different kinds of rides that I do...I now actually switch among 3 different set-ups [pista drops/no brakes; bullhorns/cross lever; compact drops/hoods] depending on what kind of riding I am into at that particular time. I have an extra unused stem and lately I've been thinking maybe I should get some risers too...

Is that weird???

bmontgomery87

nope.
it's a bit cheaper and more practical than having a handful of bikes for certain purposes.
i like to swap bars around depending on my riding as well