bull horns vs. drops
 

i've been thinking a lot lately about springing for some bullhorns because i like the thumbs forward position when climbing but i don't know how it would affect my handling through faster corners if i couldn't get my center of gravity as low as on the drops

does any of this make any sense?

there's an amazing link right here:

http://www.bikeforums.net/search.php

it makes sense. try the horns with a lower stem so you can get down, get down.

I found it took some getting used to in the handling dept. It is a different motion, and a little twitchier in response. It took a week to get used to it.

some folks ride drops with brake hoods, or the fake-lever nubs made for tandem stokers:

http://www.precisiontandems.com/cat_pics/brstkrstub.jpg

this gives you both drops, and the above bar hood position, a la bullhorns.

I do this. It is the most functional IMO. It definitely makes your track drops look way less badass, but it makes the most sense if you actually care about handlebar ergonomics. I use the hoods on big, out of saddle climbs and to skid (which is usually just for fun, because I have a brake). It's also just nice to have that extra aero-style hand position on the hoods. People here will say it's ugly, but if you want to keep your drops (which I actually use A LOT too), rock a brake, and have a bull horn-esque feature to your bars, it's the way to go.

sorry dubs, that just takes me to the search page

yeh me too ... whats the amazing link r-dub?

I think the amazing link is the search function. This bullhorn vs. drop discussion has occured what seems like thousands of times on this board. So search for the old discussions.

I will, however, contribute since I have gotten bullhorns in betweeen the last discussion and now. I didn't notice any difference in handling. I do find them really comfortable. Be warned though, if you are already stretched out on your bike, bullhorns will stretch you out even more.

C

Ditto that. I love the hoods. Actually I realize that I like touching the brake levers while I ride too. I subconsciously flick at the nonexistent rear lever while pedaling along. and that, along with my newfound propensity for riding up and down mountainous roads, will probably lead to the installation of an entire rear brake (not just the dummy hood) on my fixie. As soon as I buy a decent caliper that is.

which is kind of too bad, cuz I was going to use the rear brake lever to activate a bell. Wouldn't that be neato! Maybe I'll employ a bar-end shifter for that purpose.

r-dub was exercising his (rarely-used) sarcasm privilege

Don't do it! Use the lever for the bell and hook a barcon up to the brake.

Then on long descents you can flip the barcon a bit and use it as a drag brake.

i've got this weekend off, and i'm totally gonna find a way to rip off that brake lever bell thing.

steel track drops and stem, i tried everything else and it all seems corny compared to classic steel track drops and stem... this is my opinion, i know alot of people like b horns and flat bars and other types of bars. however i think a classic track bike looks best and rides best with drops. maybe if you had an alpha it would look "good" with b horns. hahah. seriously though this is just my opinion so keep this in mind when you talk smack on my post.

i just posted about this earlier in the week. drops look badass, but when riding without a brake bullhorns are the way to go. they give you much better hand positioning for skids. for me it's either drops=brake, or horns=no brake.

Are horns and no brake a bad idea?

Trevor. That rules. I will try it out. Have you used a brake as a drag brake before? how'd you set them up? (i ask cuz you use the term with authority--i've never heard of it afore now)

d'you think front or rear would work better? i'm thinkin' rear, if only because my regular brake lever should be front...

pics! (movies with sound!)

my two cents: i switched to the syntace style horns a while ago and haven't even considered going back. but i hardly used the drops before, and didn't have two levers, so i like the balance. i like the slightly bent back top position of the bars, and there are a couple inbetween positions too. none of this answers your question, but you can still tuck on bullhorns.

I've never done any of it before, though I seem to recall seeing some guy on FGG that had a brake attached to a barcon. I'd think you'd want the drag attached to the rear to avoid compromising the handlinge.

Of course keep in mind that, as far as I know, a real drag brake tends to be a disc or drum to avoid excessive rim heating. You'll still have a brake that heats the rim and could theoretically burst the tire. But it'd still be pretty badass.

yep. worth a shot. i will report back.

I like bullhorns b/c of the number of different hand positions. With the traqck drops, i really only had one comfortable position. I would tend to place my hands where the hoods would be and after 30 secs or so i would start sliding down. I never really used the drops because it would smash my junk into my seat---not comfortable. I have noticed a slight handling difference since switching to bullhorns, however, i tend to like it as it seems easier to stear. ---My 2 cents

Yeah, that's an old tandem trick. My old boss (who pretty much only had one working arm, yet captained a tandem) had a thumbshifter attached to a rear drum, and then a big scary magura brake lever that operated both front and rear cantis.

How awesome is this:

http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albup1..._and_extension
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albup1...ull_assembly_1