Accordion

Just bought a 2011 Safari with the butterfly handlebars and gripshifts. Coming from the roadbike world I'm not sure how I feel about this. I want to use the Safari for leisurely 20 mile trips to the beach this summer to hang out. I bought clipless pedals for it and will change the seat to the same one I have on my CAAD9 because I know it works.

My question is on the handlebars. Frankly, I don't need all those hand positions and options and I don't particularly care for the look of the butterfly handlebars.

What are my options? I see online that I can purchase just a standard drop bar or even more of a cruiser type handlebar but I'm concerned about how to get those gripshifts on there. I'm relatively mechanical and don't want to pay somebody to do it. I can change out the cables and don't really mind the gripshifter concept but don't know if they'll work on mountain-bike/cruiser-bike style handlebars.

I like the handlebars on their Novara Buzz bike if that gives you an idea of what I'm talking about.

Thanks!

aceofspaids

The bars on the Buzz are moustache bars, and you shouldn’t have any problems transferring the gripshifts over, however I would find those bars w/gripshifts to be very awkward.

look here for some greeat bar options.
https://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...andlebars.html

fuzz2050

The bars on the Novara Buzz aren't Moustache bars, they are just swept flat bars. Moustache bars take road brake levers and wouldn't work for your purposes.

I suggest just keeping the trekking bars for the time being. Who knows, you might come to find you end up liking them.

aceofspaids

REI's web site calls them moustache bars.

https://www.rei.com/webservices/rei/D...:referralID=NA

Accordion

Thanks for that Velo Orange link. That's good stuff!

I will try the trekking bars for a short period but honestly I don't like the looks of them. I don't need the hand positions for what I want to initially do with the safari. I like that Left Bank handlebar that you linked to but I'm not sure grip shifters would work with that. Then again I don't intend on shifting 1000 times per ride like I do with my road bike.

I bought the Safari because it has a large, plush steel frame that should last and after all the 20% discounts and my dividend it cost me about $400 which is cheaper than any quality steel fixie I could purchase.

fuzz2050

That's terribly annoying of them; when most people (or companies) refer to moustache bars they mean a bar like this



With wide curves, a multitude of hand positions and sized for road brake levers. The Nitto bars and the cheaper knockoffs are like this. The Buzz has bars with sharp bends and is sized for mountain bike controls. More like this

Accordion

Yep. I'm after your "B" picture more than your "A" picture.

sjt78

REI is misleading people calling those bars on their mainline bikes Moustache bars.

Accordion

"Moustache-style"...there's probably an out there somewhere....

twerney

did your safari have to be B/O?

Accordion

Does that mean Built to Order? If so, then yes. I needed an XL and even though they have a Medium and a Large in the store around the corner from my house I had to get the XL shipped to the store and put together there. No extra charge but about a week wait.

fietsbob

Need a 7/8 tube bar to use the gripshifters , again. 22.2mm

road bars are 15/16" so incompatible. 23 something

more bars .. https://www.somafab.com/bars.html


B/O traditionally means Back Ordered, IE not in stock some distance up the supply chain.

Accordion

Thank you. I didn't know that.

Oh, Back-Ordered.....No, I don't think so...supposed to arrive at REI store on or before Friday 3/25.

twerney

Sorry I meant back ordered, I ordered a large, also shipped to the local store, I unlike you am planning on a cross country ride 2012. I think you mentioned you were using it for local rides. I will spend this summer getting use to it. Most of my riding the last few years have been on speed triathalons, I would like to have some speed on the tour not like on my fuji carbon fiber but 75-80 miles a day. My safari is due in the warehouse 11 April, keep me posted how it goes.. thanks Mike

Accordion

Just got a notice today that it was shipped from their Washington State warehouse and will arrive at my local store (Southern California) tomorrow. Usually takes one day to build it so I'm expecting to ride it out of there this Friday! X-Large for me.

twerney

Excellent . You test rode the bike before? I agonized over which bike to get, I was so tempted to get the LHT but I really wanted something different and money was / is an issue so with the memebr discount I feel it was a no brainer, I can use the 400 dollars i saved by not getting the LHT to buy my gear. I guess Ill never know what the difference in bikes is so ignorance is bliss.

Accordion

Didn't test ride it but sat on a large and rolled on it! I'm not all that worried about it. I have a fixed gear, high-end road bike, beach cruiser, two mountain bikes and I've made them all fit. The only one I really had the $250 professional Retul fit done on was my road bike. Everything else just needs to be close enough.

I bought the Safari because with my 20% off and my dividend it literally was under $400. That's a no-brainer. I'm not touring with it. The large was not big enough in the store so the X-large was the only way to go for me. It will be fine. I plan on taking it 12 miles to the beach, hanging out there for a couple hours and taking the slow ride back home. 10-12mph tops. What a cheap way to get a really nice steel frame with relaxed geometry and trouble-free components! I'll update this thread when I pick up the bike.

Only thing I am changing are the pedals. I already bought some Shimano R540 SPD-SL clipless pedals. I use Ultegra pedals on my road bike and I want to be able to use the same pairs of shoes for the Safari. I think the pedals were $49 delivered from Amazon and I don't care about the weight at all.

I've taken my beach cruiser the 24 miles and it's a pain. It's almost all bike path and there are about 10 underpasses you have to go under and back up to avoid roads - a major pain on the cruiser but on the geared Safari it should be no problem.