Moustache Bars
 

Does anyone here use a moustache bar? I'm refitting my Torelli for a more upright ride and considering adding moustache bars. I'd love some feedback. Thanks.

ahh, moustache bars. I loved them very much. You might want to get a shorter stem if you're looking for more upright-ness. I had a set of moustache bars on my old commuter I got into a wreck with in sept. :(:(:(. I've gotten a new bike with drop bars, but they aren't as comfy as my 'staches were :(

in fact, I still miss that bike terribly.

Im gonna go cry now.

I tried them and really didn't like them that much. They look cool and are good for short, brutal climbs, but otherwise they were not thrilling. Drops give you more usable hand positions.

the dood wants a more upright position, and 'stache bars can offer that... but I suppose you could flip drop bars upside down and get the upright effect :P

the 'stache was great for my commuting during my bike's 2nd/3rd/4th/whatever-it-might've-been life, where I put in about 100-120 miles a week. Even worked alright for longer rides. I like the "aero" position in 'em, too :B <3

I don't like them for very long distances, like on a touring bike, for instance.
I've got them on my road bike and on a fixie, they're pretty comfortable, and great for climbing.

How do those Campy Ergo levers work with the Moustache bars? I was thinking of a set of Moustache on my Campy equiped bike. I am using drop bars with Campy barcons and they work well.

Tim

i have one coming with my Atlantis so i can't give you a real opinion yet. But i got them because they should give me the most comfortable hand positions like drop bars but give me the stability of straight bars without the wrist discomfort.

I had them for about a year or so and got rid of them. They look cool and I really tried to like them but I just couldn't get used to them, they're too wierd. Also my hands would go numb even on short rides, less than ten miles. Couldn't ever find a decent hand position where I could just leave them there rather than keep moving all over the bars. My back liked them, though.

I traded it for a Nitto Technomic stem and I'm using that w/ GB radonneur bars. Feels much better.

Actually they're not too awkward as I thought they would originally be. I got used to shifting them in those positions quickly. STI's would be even better, without the thumb levers, I suppose... :)

Isn't the "standard" setup for those bars to use barcons and non-aero brake levers as shown at this site?

Yes, as my former tourer/commuter used to be setup in that manner, except I used aero brake levers... :)

... except you have aero levers.

You beat me to it while I was editing! :D

Make sure if you do that you ride with blue jeans and a cigarette.

After further review...I've decided against the moustache bar, and am now looking at the albatross bar from rivendell. It seems to be more suited to an upright position.

tried em, never liked them... i think i didn't have them high enough.

the thing i didn't like was that it eliminated that flat stretch of bar righ on both sides of the stem that you get with drop bars or a bullhorn style bar. i ride on that part of the bar a lot and really missed it with the moustachio's. i actually never found any comfy positions other than the ends where they sweep back. so after i got tired to that grip i had no alternative. i like bars where i can switch it up.

The 'tross is the way to go if you're trying to sit upright. Wrap those babies almost to the stem and you'll have plenty of hand positions--from chair-like upright to fairly aggressive.

AK

or get bullhorn bars, install them backwards (ends of bars facing you), and raise your stem.

:B

I guess I got too comfy with my 'stache bars, so I miss 'em. I now ride with drops, primarily in the drops because I don't like being upright too much. My wrists and hands hurt much more often with drops than 'staches. I guess it depends on the person :B

Now I just have to figure out how what to do with my campy 9sp ergo-levers. The only bar end shifters campy makes are for 10sp.

hmm... isn't there a way to convert downtube shifters into bar cons??? maybe you could find some campy DT levers and go from there...? look it up :B I'm too lazy, and it's not my project!!

and I need to poop.

you can get ultegra barcons in 9spd and if they dont' work so hot they have a friction setting.

i got a pair cheap on ebay for my ladies bike, lots of crossguys use them so there seems to be a good amount floating around.

I always want to try mustaches, but to be honest, I'm a drop bar guy. My track bike has had bullhorns for about a year, but even that's going back to drops in the not-so-distant future.

A decent set of classic drops (Ritchey's Classic and Nitto's model 177 pretty much nail it) are so comfy with just an inch or two of saddle to bar drop. I think a lot of people who don't like drop bars just have crappy modern ergo drops.

Rivendell sells a set of converters that will magically turn your DT levers into bar end shifters. I'm personally waiting for a project to incorporate my ratcheting Suntours barcons. A set of new D-A barcons is $90, so a set of $25 converters seems like a deal. Or just swing by the local used-bike shop and see if they have a set of Suntours floating around.

I believe the official mustache style guide requires aero brake levers though none less than Grant himself will tell you that the bend required for aero cable routing on them is inferior to the non-aero setup.

That's only if one routes the aero cables under the bar tape all the way to the stem...

I love my modern ergo drops, but I will agree that some are better than others. I don't know of any component on a bike that people have stronger or more varied opinions about.

Saddles.

Feet aren't so sensitive, but where the butt and hands meet the bike, those are special places.