veloiseau

ok so i rebuilt this nishiki road bike, keeping the stock drop handlebars. i dunno why, but i've always felt more comfy riding in the drops all the time. is this weird? does anyone else do this? my back sometimes gives me trouble after long rides with a pack on, but so far i've been ok. i just feel like i have little/no control if i'm gripping right above where they curve down (area right above the brake lever hoods). and i have ridiculously small hands, so i cannot reach the brakes at all from that position. anyway... i've been observing fellow riders (especially fixies) and the latter position seems to be incredibly popular. i don't get it!

so recently i tried my friend's fixie that has the bullhorn handlebars (flipped and chopped drop bars) and i was totally into them. felt really comfortable and in control.

so my question is...

i'm just about to start building my very own fixie and i'm wondering what i should do about the handlebars. are bullhorn bars better for fixie riding? they seemed really nice on my friend's ride, but since i haven't tried anything else, i'm not sure. or should i put my roadie's bars on the fixer and get bullhorns for it? or bullhorns for both? or drops for both? also, are there any particular brands you would recommend, or should i try and modify some bars myself (friend has chopping device)? any input is most appreciated.

mcatano

In this matter, as in so many others, few words have e'er rung more true than those of Humpty Hump. Simply put, "Doowutchyalike."

m.

xthugmurderx

go buy some cheap used bars somewhere, chop and flop them, and see how you like it for a while...if you don't like it, but the drops back on...I personally love the bullhorns..

-jason

x86

Bullhorn handlebars give me more leverage when powering up hills.

gally99

this is going to be stuck in my head all ****ing day now...

thanks a ton...

mcatano

You're not seriously complaining about a chance to do the dance are you?

m.

peripatetic

I do the hump, I do the humpty hump!

veloiseau

i totally agree... just trying to get ideas/personal experience stories/etc. so i can figure out what i'm gonna try. example--i had a similar dilemma with my seat height. i thought it felt fine, but a friend suggested that i raise it just for the hell of it. man, that made all the difference--so much more power and control. but i wouldn't have thought of doing that because to me it felt ok the way it was. similarly, i want to get suggestions from you guys so i can be better informed... because as of now i've only ridden drops (and a little stint with my friend's bullhorns), and i ride them differently than most cyclists i see. to me it feels fine to always ride in the drops, but i could just be missing some incredible way to ride them! or i could me missing out on some amazing way to utilize bullhorns. i just have a limited scope of knowledge at the moment and would welcome and thoughts. anyway, thanks for your input!

prodigal son

I have some bullhorns I could lend you. Pm me if you want to borrowthem for a while.

queerpunk

if youve got bar ends lying around, you could put them on your drop bars so they're bullhorning forward. or brakes with hoods. then you've got horns and drops to ride on, to experiment and get comfy with.

i rode on drops for a few weeks when i got my fixie, then flopped and chopped a real narrow set of bars i scrounged. love em but every now and then i kind of miss the feeling of getting low.