davei1980

Points for creativity?? 🤔

skidder

I tried doing that once to simulate TT extensions, but it didn't work since they aren't as long as the TT extensions and didn't give me any advantage - if anything I felt they limited front end control since they were closer to the stem. I was trying to get an idea of what TT extensions would feel like on long rides/touring rides with the idea of using them with a flat bar instead of drop bars. Never did get extensions, but I did change the drops to flat bars.

mcours2006

Then they're bar-mids, technically speaking.

davei1980

Haha love it!

davei1980

Thanks for the info! These were $5 at the co op this am so threw them on there as a way to combat headwinds on my 8 mile commute. I figured, if I hate them, I’ll just move them out to the ends! I have the locking type of grips you screw to tighten so I can do that.

Just recently put flat bars on and this is $5 worth of new hand positions!!

Kedosto

Sorry, but SQLABS beat you to it. I’ve never tried them, but they’ve been around for quite some time so somebody must be buying them. It looks to me like it would eventually cause pain at the hypothenar region unless one could get separation from the handlebar. But I don’t use them so what would I know.


-Kedosto

BobbyG

I did until two weeks ago.


I'm 57. Sometime in my 40s the straight bar became problematic for my hands. I added in-board bar ends which worked well, and then an aero bar for even more hand positions, and aero for head winds.

But since I commute in traffic, I need brakes where my hand are, and the need for brakes and shifting kept my hands on the main "straight" grips enough to cause discomfort.

My hands are fine on my two drop-bar bikes.

So two weeks ago I put on drop bars.


And last weekend I added secondary cross-brake/interrupter levers for the uppers like I have on my other two bikes.

The inboard or mid-bar bar ends worked well (except for the brakes)...

...and your implementation shows they can look good, and be stylish.

My implementation...not so much. Of course the foam padding doesn't help the esthetics, but it does help my hands and allows me to keep riding.

With the bar-ends just a bit narrower than "hoods" I always thought of it as a "jockey" position. Very comfortable, and very aero.

Nice!..Enjoy!

davei1980

Which region is my hypothenar? I don’t anticipate using them for long periods - just to punch through the occasional headwind.

Think of these as the poor mans version if sqlabs handles- plus I am going green since they’re used from my local co op!

thanks for the link by the way!

davei1980

First of all, thank you for the compliment on aesthetics.

I really like your set up with redundant brake controls; however, have you checked out Jones H Bars? They have several hand positions, including spread out over the loop which helps if you encounter numbness. You could definitely use your current interrupter levers on the forward-most position on the front of the loop. I think the only reason I didn't go this route is because my end goal is to get a Jones LWB so not wanting to put a ton of $ in to my current ride.

BobbyG

My issue is not numbness, it's tenderness, and it has been a slowly progressing problem for more than just biking.

Thanks for suggesting the Jones bar; it does have its fans, and I had considered it along with other trekking bars (mustache, butterfly, bow-tie, etc). But since I knew I had no hand issues on my two drop-bar road bikes, I went with what has been working for me.

As far as the Jones LWB, have you read bikesnob's take on both the Jones LWB and SWB?

davei1980

I completely respect you for going with what works for you!!

thanks for the link! Good read! I actually got a chance to test ride the SWB, the LWB and one of Jeff Jones’s custom titanium space frames built up as a single speed.

We were passing through Ashland on our way back from a business trip

Kedosto

Google “hypothenar eminence.” It’s the pad that runs along the edge of your hand between your little finger and wrist. It’s the part of your hand you’d use if you were gonna give someone (something) a “karate chop.”

The typical use of bar ends leaves the hypothenar untouched. If you mount the bar ends towards the middle of the bar, the hypothenar could be pressed down on the top of the handlebar unless a grip could be firmly positioned high enough up the bar end. A little pressure in that area is no big deal but hold it against the edge of your desk (or top of the handlebar) for awhile and you’ll note it’s not fun.

It’s just an observation on my part. It looks like your bar ends are pretty tall so you should be good to go. I don’t think I could get away with it with my monster mitts.


-Kedosto

davei1980

Hey thanks again for the great information. I’m not a big guy and I don’t have huge hands. I just took it for a test drive this morning and I am considering pulling the plug out of the bar ends and taping them for a better grip in order to minimize the chance of what you just described

wolfchild

OPs set up wouldn't work for me. Having them mounted so close together defeats the purpose that they were designed for...I have my bar-ends mounted at the ends of my 620mm wide handle bars. The main reason why I use bar-ends is to give me extra leverage when climbing hills while standing on the pedals.

davei1980

For sure! I think we’re using them for different purposes: I threw them on there to combat the occasional headwind. Most of my commute is shielded by trees but the few exposed parts can get gusty. No real hills along the way. Plus you cannot beat $5 and supporting your local co op!

Skipjacks

I have bar ends in the middle like that.

They service 2 purposes on my flat bar commuter....first they give me alternate hand positions so I don't get numb. Second they are great for hill climbing. It's much easier to hold the upright bars when pushing up a hill. And they have the added bonus of not being on the ends that grab every since dangling tree branch and vine near the side of the road.

I also find them being in the middle gives me easier access to the brakes and shifters than when they are on the ends. I can drop my hand straight down to the controls rather than have to bring it around behind the bar end to get to them.

(For reference these are just big enough for me to wrap my hand around, no taller)

subgrade

Yes.
These are long enough to give me 3 additional hand positions, and they can be adjusted also by rotating them around their longitudinal axis (i.e. the hooked ends can be turned inwards/outwards). One of them (or maybe both, I don't really know) got slightly bent in a crash a couple months before. It can be seen if looking closely, but not really felt. Or maybe it just got turned a bit inwards, I'll see about that next time I rewrap them. Which might happen soon.

While commuting in the city I use the two hand positions where I can reach the brakes - the default one - on the grips, and one where my palms rest partially on the grips, partially on the bar-ends, with brake levers being accessible by 3rd and 4th fingers. On longer rides I usually spend most of my time on the bar-ends.

subgrade

I couldn't care less what was their intended purpose, as long as they work for my purposes - which is basically emulating a hand postion like on the hoods of a drop bar. I find I have enough leverage for climbing with my 640mm wide bars as they are.

davei1980

Thanks all for your great info, for not making fun of my ****ty paint job on my handlebars, for not making fun of my el-cheapo stem, and for not making fun of my cable routing.

motorapido

I'm a bicycle commuter and I salute your approach of doing what's right for your riding style regardless of fashion. I commute on a single speed that I built with the components I like, but which the hipster single speed riders probably think looks stupid. But heck, the bike works great for me winter, summer, rain, snow, whatever. And I tour on my 43 year old steel frame (which I bought brand new), which I set up -- and change frequently-- with whatever modern components suit my needs but which aren't at all fashionable or orthodox.

davei1980

Thanks that is awesome of you! I commuted two years on a single speed!

BikeLite

The late Mike Hall in his 2016 tour divide win used bar inners.

BMarino

No, but that's a great idea!

RubeRad

Whoa! Now that's some padding! Is that like hot water pipe insulation or something?

BobbyG

1/2" pipe insulation. 3/4" is too thick.

Also, it's the "foamy" kind like the pool noodles. There's a smooth black type that is too soft and tears too easily.

I secure each end to the bar with duct tape. In over 10 years, I have not had an issue with slippage of the foam, or my hands.m

I rotate between my bikes, but on the most ridden bike the foam usually lasts 6-9 months or so before squishing down. A six-foot length is good for three pairs of pads, and costs under 5 bucks, sometimes as little as $2.