SolBadguy

I've changed the handlebars on my Cannondale from drop to trekking. While biking in Boston on Tuesday, some random guy who said he was a bike mechanic said my handlebar is mounted in the wrong direction. He also said it was dangerous. This is what it looks like now:



This is how he said they should be mounted:



I've seen many pictures on the interwebz of trekking bars mounted either way. Am I safe with what I have, or did random mechanic man have a point about my safety? Are all the people who have the bars mounted "backwards" wrong? I mean, they're on the internet and we all know the internet is never wrong!

bradtx

I'd think brake lever position preference has more to do with which direction trekking bars are mounted.

Brad

Pompiere

I have mounted trekking bars both ways. When the brake levers are mounted with opening to the rear, it was hard to route the cable to my cantilever brakes because the front cable stop was too close. With side pull brakes, it wouldn't be a problem. With the opening to the front, I don't care for the angle of the sides of the bars, it makes my wrists hurt. I don't see that either way has anything to make it safer than the other.

jimmuller 

That's not quite what we all know.

If it's on the Internet it must be true, but that doesn't necessarily mean it isn't wrong. "True" and "wrong" are orthogonal concepts.

(Interesting bike!)

wrk101

Random guy is an idiot. Mount them how they suit YOU best. +10 I have mounted them both ways. One way of course moves the controls further away from the rider, one moves them closer to the rider. Its what fits you best. I might have mounted them so they curve up across the front, rather than curving slightly down (flip them over). And given how you have them tipped, I might consider a dirt drop stem instead.

pastorbobnlnh 

I mounted mine like you did but tried them the opposite way first. There's no way one way is more dangerous then the other. That's so laughable!

bikemig 

I like yellow:

bikemig 

I'm with Bob and mounted by trekking bars with the opening facing back. It can clearly be done either way:

Grand Bois

The way you have them is the way I've always seen them mounted.

This seems to indicate that it is the most popular way to mount them:
https://images.search.yahoo.com/sear...=trekking+bars

The Golden Boy 

I think there's another style of trekking bars that is only intended to have the open end facing forward.

That being said, if I were to get a set, I would set them up like you have them.

SolBadguy

I had a feeling random "mechanic" guy was making a big deal out of nothing, but since I'm still getting my wheels back under me I wanted to be sure. Thanks for the confirmations folks. I may still flip the bars or change the angle a little like some of you suggested but that's really more for fine-tuning than drastic changes. I'm happy with the open end towards the rear.

headloss 

Nothing wrong with what the random-mechanic-guy said... it can be an issue. That doesn't mean it needs to be swapped around. At one point I had a really short stem that was effectively about 60mm when accounting for the angle... it was twitchy and dangerous for steering, so I swapped it out with a longer stem at a slightly different angle. It wasn't inherently dangerous, it was just near impossible to ride in a straight line. Mileage may vary, consider what he said while riding and think about whether or not the steering is affected in any way that bothers you. If not, then feel free to ignore his unprovoked advice.