pastorbobnlnh 

Those handlebars, which were also on Continentals and Sports Tourers, are my favorite bars. I use them on my '71 P-13 Paramount and a few other bikes.

Just yesterday, I de-wrapped, de-levered, and de-stemmed, three pairs I had rescued over the years. Interestingly, two were branded "GB British Made" and one had the date stamped above the GB mark. The third had no branding or marks, and the drop ends were longer than the GB models. I was surprised that the one with largest "S" stem, the stem was visibly bent to one side. I need to take some pictures, and I want to see if a vise can remove the bend.

sd5782 

I like those stock bars also. As Pastorbob said though, they are not all exactly the same bend. My experience is only with a half dozen 72-73 SS. There seems to be slight differences in the rise and the flair of the ends as well. I find them comfortable but to each their own. Nice progress on a fine example.

Velo Mule

Thanks @sd5782 . I have two pairs of randonneur handlebars stuffed in my rafters in the basement. One from the Super Sport and one from a Mississippi built LeTour.

With the handlebars complete, I was able to get the brake levers in place and attach the front brake cable to make it ridable again. I ran out of new brake cables, so I couldn't hook up the rear. I put a short cable in there just for pictures.

I tried tilting the handlebars upward. That might be comfortable, but I couldn't get past the looks. It just didn't look right. Some of you may think similar things about my bullhorns on this Super Sport.



This is not a classic style. But they did feel like the upper portion of dropped bars when riding.



By welding a 25mm straight tube to the end of the curve, it allowed the brake lever to fit right.



DIY bullhorns from a dropped bar have some limitations. My criticism with this DIY attempt is that the area between the forward bend in the bars and the brake lever was too short and the curve too much to be comfortable. I though about welding 25mm of straight tubing into the section before the bars curve up, but 4 welds plus filing may not be the best use of my time. Most bullhorn bars that I see seem to be longer in this section. Maybe it is time to buy bullhorn bars or try out some other style.

One other criticism is that the steel handlebars seemed to transmit more jolts and vibration to my hands than aluminum. But the handlebars lacked tape. Perhaps cloth tape is bigger insulator than I thought.

Anyway, I am unsure what my next step will be. The bike also had some other issues that I have to sort out. The chain didn't want to settle on one of the rear cogs and the steering felt stiff despite my loosening the head set to the point of being too loose. I'll dig into those issues next while thinking about handlebars.

sd5782 

Looks like your are close to roadworthy. Have you put any miles on it before the rehab? I find the ride quite nice. Comfortable yet sporty.

Velo Mule

I only took it for a short ride before the rebuild, so I got a bit of a feel for the bike but there were some issues and I felt that I needed to get the bike right before a proper evaluation. Also, almost all the feedback on BikeForums is that the bike rides nicely. Heavy but a good frame. I have my temptations with removing the kickstand and replacing the one piece crank with a three piece, but I'm sticking with my plan.

You are correct. I am close. I went through the bike to correct the two problems I found with the test ride. In both cases it was parts flipped. Damn mechanic (that would be me).

I may take it for a ride one of these weekday nights with the DIY bullhorn bars. I am thinking that on the plus side of bullhorn bars is that the ones that are purpose made have better shapes than my DIY, no cost, lots of work solution.

While I was riding the bike today, I thought, that these bullhorns are just like the upper portion of dropped bars, if that is so, then what did I gain? I lost the lower portion of the bars which while I use it only 10% of time, but at least that option is there and I lost the classic look of a dropped bar bike. I have a pair of standard upright bars that I may try next. After that, I have a pair of Velo Orange Postino (upright) bars that were intended for the Lambert, but haven't gotten around to switching over yet.

pastorbobnlnh 

I say--- and this is just my two cents--- go for the time-trail/triathlon look--- and add Suntour barend shifters!

Just think of all the CF $$$$ roadies who'd gawk.

Hobbiano 

Seems to me you increased the reach over just riding on the hoods with regular bars. Maybe too much?

Velo Mule

I was able to go for a ride tonight. It was much more fun with the little problems solved. The bike rides nicely. It seems stiffer than my Traveler and LeTour Luxe, and it also feels rock solid. Part of that feel might have to do with the new-old stock Velo Orange saddle courtesy of fellow BikeForum member @jeirvine . Thank you. The new saddle is plenty stiff which of course makes me think that the bike is stiff. Perhaps, I should have kept the old plastic saddle on for this ride. Anyway, I like the seat and it is here to stay.

The other big question is what about those DIY bullhorn bars? I liked them better on this ride. I still had some minor complaints, like my hands sliding on the corners. That won't happen when it's taped. I do not feel stretched out. My hands felt good while riding, but my palms were tingling after getting off the bike. I am thinking that is a result of steel handlebars and no tape. I think that tilting the handlebars up a little may help with comfort, but I already tried that out for looks and I don't like it.

Now I am curious enough to go ahead and spend $27 on a pair of Sunlite Bullhorn handlebars plus bar tape and of course, I will be adding some other goodies to the cart.

These might be really nice with bar end shifters. And again, it might be a looks versus function issue.

Velo Mule

I was able to take a spin with the Super Sport this afternoon, before our Thanksgiving diner. There were less people out then normal, however, riding through the park there were four people around a grill and two more around maybe four or five picnic tables full of condiments. It looks like they were expecting a bunch more people to show up. Not a bad Thanksgiving tradition at least with favorable weather like today. A little closer the original Indians and pilgrims.

For the ride, I installed a traditional drop handlebar from a Fuji. They measure 40.5cm from outside to outside measured at the brake hoods. This is only 2 cm or so more that the Randonneur bars. The bike looks more comfortable with dropped bars (or randonneur) bars than bullhorns. I almost feel like the bike looks like a middle aged guy trying to look younger than he should.

Anyway, I liked the dropped handlebars, however, I have similar handlebars on my Traveler and Le Tour Luxe. I am also wondering if the bullhorn bars might look better without the cable going forward and perhaps it can use "aero" brake levers and route the cable under the bar tape? I don't have aero levers so, I would have to spend more money without knowing if I will like the results. Well, that is just the nature of this type of experimentation. Not that I have the money for aero levers. But I have pictures, imagination and BikeForum members.




No tape or rear brake yet since this handlebars swapping is experimental. Next up will be an upright handlebar that was originally planned for the Lambert.

Velo Mule

Here is the Super Sport with Velo Orange Postino handlebars.


The Postino bars are flat. The Super Sport has a 95mm stem. This places my hands right about inline with the steering axis.



I have one unexpected complaint with these bars; they place my hands closer than I would would like to my hips and my knees. I think I would prefer something that places my hands more forward. Which is why I wanted to try the bullhorn bars. I will continue to ride on these handlebars when I get a chance. I already straightened out the handlebar to wheel relationship. The rear brake cable housing is too long because I didn't want to cut it down yet since these handlebars may not be final. The grips are temporary as well.

Suggestions accepted with the caution that I don't want to spend a lot of money on something that I may not keep. For instance the Nitto Albastache handlebar looks interesting, particularly the set up that Russ at Path Less Traveled settled on. But at over $120 plus shipping, it ain't happening.

I'll report back again after getting some miles on this Postino's. It may take some times because I have personal/family issues pulling me away.

What do you think if these Postino handlebars?

daverup 

I think something like the Soma Sparrow bars might be a better fit.

Velo Mule

Thanks @daverup . Those were not on my radar, until now. They are checking the boxes.

Soma Sparrow

Soma has quite a line up of handlebars. There is a touring bullhorn??? Who know (not me). And Moustache, Albatross, Albastache, North Road and Sycip Wonder Bars. There are plenty more if I was willing to change my stem. This is like handlebar central.

At this point, I am also checking out WhatBars to be able to compare the various handlebar shapes without spending any money.

fender1

On the pricey side but I found these comfortable and I generally don't get along with flat bars that well.

https://www.ahearnecycles.com/shop/ahearnemap-handlebar

sd5782 

On my upright SS conversion, I got some aluminum bars from my co-op that are not swept back as far. To me, they avoid that steering with a tiller feel of the swept back bars. These also allow the use of my favorite bar end mirror.






I have purchased ones like these on eBay I believe for around $20. The important measurement to me is that I think they are listed as 15 degrees of sweep. Another measurement listed is rise which may be 50-60 mm on these. Perhaps around 600-650 mm width which can be trimmed. These allow a comfortable semi upright ride while still allowing good control without the more aggressive hybrid or mtn bike flat style.