Is there a source for Ville-type alloy porteur bars (see the link, which by the way if you haven't checked out Joel's site you should. it's amazing) or are Nitto Promenades (B603) as close as I can get? Thanks.

I lost the link, but I'm trying again.

https://www.blackbirdsf.org/courierracing/velos.html

the nittos seem like quite a faithful copy to me..
what difference is it that youre specifically looking for ?

i whish someone was sstill making the inverse brake levers !

dia comp makes reverse brake levers for drop bars, they work on moustache bars fairly well.

i know there are modern versions for the ttrials but i really like the looks of these:



can't say how well they work yet, but i'll know soon enough

I don't think the Nitto Promenades will take bar-end brakes or shifters unless you drill them out (as MnHPV guy showed awhile back). I have a pair of similarly shaped French-made bars that have large enough inside diameter, but the outside diameter is quite large, too, so finding brakes that'll fit is a bit of a challenge (I planned to put bar-end shifters on them as well).

Neal

yes.. i'm using albatross bars and it's taken some modifications

I have Cane Creek or Tektro (I can't remember which at the moment and I don't want to go to the garage) TT levers on Nitto moustache bars and they fit perfectly. They are black but could probably be stripped and polished with a little effort.

vjp

Neal - where did you get the French bars? Another reason I'm looking for an alternative to the Promenades is I want to install bar-end brake levers. I'm leaning toward dia-compes.

"the nittos seem like quite a faithful copy to me..
what difference is it that youre specifically looking for ?"

I believe the Promenades angle out a bit. The Porteur bars I've seen appear to eventually run parallel to the top tube.

Those levers look great. Are they vintage?

Those bars were an eBay find awhile back; when I'm home later today, I'll check the brand/markings. Unlike the Albatross bars, they do run parallel to the top tube, like the Nitto Promenade bars. As I noted, they'll accept bar ends, but outside diameter is around 24mm, so finding brake levers to fit has been a challenge.

Neal

yes, they're old clb levers

they require around 19mm internal diameter
also holes for mount screw (countersunk) and internal cable routing

The Dia Compe 188 reverse brake levers that somebody mentioned above were not originally designed for tt bikes. They were a cheap modern version of the reverse levers like those CLBs for use on city bikes. They used to come with special grips with a slot for cable routing. Lance Armstrong used them on his bike to win a Tour de France time trial and somebody wrote an article about the $3 brake levers that won the Tour de France. Other companies started making reverse levers for tt bike use and the price of the Dia Compes went way up after that. I've seen them for as much as $30, and that's a lot for plastic bodies and painted, not anodized, levers.

Reverse levers are a superior design because they put your strongest fingers at the point on the lever with the greatest leverage.

I finally checked the Nitto Promenade-like bars that I have: They're marked "ITM Special" with a map of Italy, so by my powers of logic, I'd have to say they're Italian, not French. I fitted them with Dia Compe reverse levers (all metal, no plastic) and managed to get one cork grip on fine, but split the other in half when installing. Grrr. Another pair is on the way.

Neal

How about these for very cool retro reverse levers?

https://cgi.ebay.com/MAFAC-brake-leve...QQcmdZViewItem

That'll be a pricey item for the winning bidder.

Neal

Tektro also makes them. They're a bargain on Velo Orange, where I got mine! They fit with no problems at the ends of a Nitto Albatross handlebar, which recalls the old French porteur bar in its design.

VO Porteurs take bar-end shifters
https://www.velo-orange.com/vopoha.html