OK, so this past Thursday, I picked up a Univega Activa Trail to be my primary commuter. The setup so far is with cantilever brakes and rapid-fire (drop) shifters on a riser bar (horizontally flat).

Now, I don't want to throw drop bars on this bike, as I like the upright ride for a commuter, but my hands start tingling after about 7 miles (I've got a 20 mile RT commute).

I'd like to switch handlebars, and have been seriously looking at getting a set of mustache bars (with road levers and bar end shifters), simply so I can still sit up while having multiple hand positions, but are there any other bars that would help me out as well?

I've looked at multiple bars that are out there that are more "ergo" and swept back, but I don't know if any of them would work well. The others I've noticed are the:

On One Mary
Nashbar Trekking bar
VO Milan
VO Left-Bank
NITTO Dove
NITTO Albatross

I'm seriously considering a cromoly albatross if I don't get the mustache.

As an aside, either way I go (bar-ends or retain the MTB-style shifters), it's getting friction shifters, so changing things isn't a big deal to me.

Trekking bar can be angled so that you can sit up when holding the 'tops' and be in an aero tuck in the 'bottoms'. It'll also take your stock controls. Love the one on my Safari.

The two V-O bars you listed are nice, and the Milan was on the short list of bars I was considering for my utility bike I'm building up.

I was looking at the Milan, the Tourist, and the Promenade as they all accept MTB shifters and levers. I went with the Tourist since it's the wider of the the two swept-back designs. I stayed with the swept-back designs to keep my shifters/brakes well out of the way from any large cargo, since I'm putting a CETMA rack up front.

If you dig the Nitto Left-Bank, check out the V-O Tourist. Similar design, but you wouldn't have to swap out the MTB shifters/levers you've got on the bike currently.

The Albatross ROCKS. Sweeps back to you, but still has horizontal "drops" (in the Moustache sense) to give you a longer, lower position.

Thanks guys. As far as the tourist and albatross, do you find them comfortable for "long" commutes?

My Albatross is comfortable as far as I go.....my commute is 20 miles round trip.

Consider the On One Midge as well. Yes, it's a drop bar, but it's meant to be set up high, and it's the most "compact" bar I've ever seen - very short reach and drop. It's very ergo. I'll post a photo if you want. I've got mine setup with bar-ends.

I've read many comments that moustache bars aren't good for distance, and 20 miles is distance to me. I went to my LBS and almost bought some, but didn't really see some of the various hand positions as very usable.

I ride my moustache bars long distances, and I'm not alone, there are plenty of touring bikes set up with them. In some ways I actually prefer them to drops, but I would strongly advise against putting them on a mountain bike convert. With MTB's already long top tubes, the added reach of a moustache bar makes them horribly uncomfortable.

Well, this thing is a hybrid. I'm 5'11", and the top tube is 21", so I don't think it would be TOO bad.

I disagree, I have moustache bars on 2 mtbs and love them. I went with a shorter stem with more rise.


Anyways I have 20 mile round trip and have a geared and fixed gear bike with moustache bars, have doen a century on them and find them great. I switched my other fixed gear from risers to origin8 space bars for the sweep and to take presure off my hands and wrists, love them too.

My mtb has dirt drops (mary bars) and I used to commute on them as well. They need a short stem with rise, as well the bars are meant to riden in the drops with the drops being the same height as where the grips would be on a flat/riser bar setup.

I tried for about 6 months to get them to fit on my mountain bike, and nothing I could do could get the hoods at a comfortable position. The difference in reach between the hoods of a pair of drops and the hoods of a moustache bar is something like 10 cm. It's hard to find a stem to account for that much difference.

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/275682-so-albatross-bars-ultimate-commuting-bar.html
That thread has a lot of info comparing different bars.

I don't understand. You have hand numbness problems but you want to eliminate the easiest remedy---drop bars. I suspect you have a fit issue. What's your bar height? If it's not at saddle height, that's where you should start, IMHO. I have 46cm Nitto Model 177(Noodle) handlebars on all my bikes. My position is as upright as flat bars(if not more so) but I have multiple hand positions available.

I'm relating this to you as someone who also gets numb hands(or did) really early into a ride. Switching position is key. I move from flats to ramp to hoods to drops all the time during a ride. My commute is 40 miles round trip.

Exactely, wery good advice. I`we got a locally bought cheap "North Road like" bar on my MTB convert. The bike is a bit long for me, and with this setup this bike has the best riding position of all my bikes. Can ride more stretched out and also upright.

Put the same bars on my favourite Mixte, no good. The bike is on the small side for me so with the new bars I`we got mu hands on my lap. First I was thinking longer stem to mowe it all forward, but I think I am buying moustache bars for this one. Also a really stylish bar if you like the style.

The reason I don't want drop bars is that I've already got a bike with drop bars, and I very rarely go into the drops. I'd like a sort of horizontal drop bar, where I have three or four positions, but I don't bend over for them. That's what led me to think Mustache bar.