Originally Posted by Mississippimom
I am in need of some brainstorming for alternate handlebars for my Trek 520. I am riding a 21" bike and with an adjustable stem extender I have been able to produce a fairly comfortable reach to the tops and hoods. The problem lies with the brakes. My hands are too small to comfortably reach the brakes. Only the tips of my fingers can reach and this is becoming more and more uncomfortable as I have arthritis in my hands.
I would like to keep my bar end shifters (I've become quite fond of them) and switch to handlebars that would give me more comfortable braking and perhaps even a more upright riding position. I find that the older I get, the more comfortable a slightly more upright riding posture is. I don't ride in the drops often, but appreciate them when the wind kicks up.
What are my options?
Thanks!
i had similar issues with my trek 520 ... so i modified it to flat bars with barends, and it is so comfortable now ... i originally had brahma bars and shimano rapidfire plus brakes/shifters, but i have recently upgraded this to straight flat bars with barends, v-brake levers, pauls thumbies and some comfy anatomical cushy grips ... awesome set up for me now ...
pictures of my trek 520 here or email me and i can send you some decent pics of the set up ... the webpage on this bike needs updating, but it is similar to
this too