There have been other threads like this. Search on trekking bars or butterfly bars. I just bought a Novara Safari with trekking bars, so I've also been pondering things to do. The Safari is setup with the open end closer to the rider. The flat part of the open end is the primary hand location, with the grip-shifters and brakes mounted at the very end (inboard) of the open end. The bars are taped from there, up and around the butterfly loops. I use the outside of the loop as I would use bar ends on a mountain bike, for out-of-the-saddle pedaling up a hill. I use the bend as an alternate hand position for comfort, much like changing from the flats to the hoods on a road bike. I use the top front of the loop to stretch out, and get a little lower if there's a headwind.

One modification I will make soon is to add Ergon grips on the flats. I am also looking for solutions to mount a mirror. The best one I've seen is to take a bar end from a mountain bike and mount it up near the stem end of the trekking bar, then mount a mirror designed for bar end mounting in to the end of the bar extender. I'm also thinking about just buying this mirror by Electra, and mounting it so it hangs down from the stem end of the bar.

-Keith