I guess everyone saw the pictures of the hand-made bicycles. Is it correct to say these hand-made builders are on the leading edge of bicycle funtionality? Okay we talked about the Rohloff hub, fenders, lights of all kinds, even baskets but what about albatross bars? That was the one theme I saw running through the NAAHMB show.

Edit: After a closer look, doesn't the ANT bike (blue bicycle) have North Road Bars?

Horrible. I can't imagine anything worse to steer with, to be honest.

I had something very similar to them on a bike as a kid. Dangerous at worst, and plain uncomfortable/unergonomic at best.

Albatross bars are certainly very classy. But, I wouldn't call them the ultimate for practicality. Of the upright types, North Roads definitely have that distinction, IMO. NR's were found on the vast majority of 3-speeds for many years - probably the world's most common and practical transportation device besides the human foot.

Fashion statement?

completely off topic that ant bike is STUNNING!

anyone see that cool little chainguard? the cool double headlight front rack?

that IS a commuter bike!

not really. i'm rockin' 'em on my monkey. ya gotta play with the stem. dial it in and they rock.

I think they're actually the Nitto Dove bars. Rivendell's (or B'stone?) had the Priest Bar which was a North Road copy, which begat the Falcon Bar, which begat the Dove Bar. Which was tweaked into the Albatross Bar.

These pics show the "classic" NR type. About 60degrees back sweep from the axle. Priest bars are much closer to Albatross, having a nearly 90degrees back sweep. They were often found with cam-roller brakes. Doves and such are all variations on the theme.

ANT bikes are the ultimate in Bike Porn.

https://i18.tinypic.com/2mxr70m.jpg
https://i17.tinypic.com/4868ui0.jpg

they're great bars ....put on some extenders and you even get further down into the cockpit for a stretched out ride.

Hey canali -- did you try aero bars on your Albatross set up?

I have a set on my town bike. For an upright riding position nothing beats them for comfort.

not yet...am considering bar add ons....see the ones that BBB sells...so i don't have to go all out on the aero bars option

For a relaxed upright ride I think they're the most comfortable

Doesn't match my urban riding though. I need something easier to maneuver and more stretched out so I prefer a flat riser bar

I've tried albatross bars, dove bars and most recently north road bars. I love the way they look, but I could never get comfortable on any of them. Surprisingly, the north road bars were the worst. Not only did I get wrist pain, but forearm and shoulder pain.

On trekking bars I couldn't get comfortable, except for the part of the handlebars that are closest to me and even most bar ends are uncomfortable to grip. Though they lack a lot of hand positions, my hands seems to be happiest with some riser bars I put on the bike that have a 20 or 25 degree sweep.

I've tried them before and found them perfect for cruising around and noodling around the area, especially if I'm not in a hurry. But for commuting you may want to give the moustache bars a try as an alternative to flat bars and drops. Personally I finally installed my noodle bars and love them. ymmv.

+1

I can respect the beauty of all of the townie bikes at NAHBS but none of them look particularly fun to ride. Comfortable yes, but fun goes out the window when you talk about albatross bars. As evidenced by my recent purchase, I like a commuter bike that an equal mix of sporty/fun, comfortable, and utilitarian.

I've got Albatross bars on my city bike-- they're lovely and afford me a very upright position that makes looking around (especially behind me) much, much easier than with drops. They do make the bike somewhat noodly in terms of handling, but I can ride this bike all day and be comfortable. They're not my first choice for riding fast, but the tradeoff is how secure I feel in city traffic riding with them.

Wow, that Ant looks a lot like my bike, right down to the saddle and bell.

hollums: how do you like the on-one mary bars (on your lovely kogswell) vs the albatross?...any riding differences?

I think adding some bar extendert to the albatross would give me even more
riding positions

I like your city bike, hollumns.

Are those the Dimension leather grips? How do they feel? I just purchased a set for when I put a North Road h bar (atop a Nitto Technomicon) on my commuter. When you mention the albatross bars, is that the same thing?

Edit: what stem is that?

greenstork:
you said "fun goes out the window when you talk of albatross bars"
********************?? sorry, but definitely not in my experience...set up right, with enough extension you get a bar to sit up with and get down with....what's not fun about that? (lovely bike, btw: enjoy!!!)

canali: The Kogswell isn't mine-- it's someone I "friended" on VeloSpace. It's sort of like MySpace for bikes!

Rick Smith: Thanks! The grips are the Nashbar Stitched Leather Grip. They're not real leather, but sure do look the part. I like them a lot, but the color is fading a little after about six months of daily use. Heck, they're cheap enough that I can replace them eventually. North Roads look to have a more severe curve and less reach than the Albatross bars, which curve pretty gracefully. I think Albatross bars are a modern take on bars like the North Roads and meant to be very pretty, perhaps forsaking function a little.

Those of you who like them, must have very oddly angled wrists...

No, but those are show bikes. Show bikes are about bling.

CD CF: on having oddly angled wrists.

no not really (LOL)...actually the way that rivendell has them featured
(and in those pics in the first post) are TOO horizontal...I find I like
my bar ends angled down to meet the natural position of my wrists.