steve-in-kville 

(This is for my MTB rebuild project I mentioned in an earlier thread...)

I am looking at something with more hand-placement options. I have seen some commuters install an older pair of drops but I will be the first guy to admit I never cared for drops. Don't know why... just never liked the positioning for commuting.

I've seen bar-ends are available again but never used them. Bull horns look promising. Some types of the older alum. areobars might be an option, too.

I would like to hear some opinions on this... and would love to see some pics if you got 'em. Many thanks in advance!!

exile

Look at Trekking or Butterfly bars. I know SixtyFiver has some pics of his rigid mtb with drop bars. I think AdamDZ has trekking bars on his bike.

Steely Dan

i just got finished putting bullhorns on my MTB winter commuter because the flat bar didn't have enough hand positions for me, and also because i really like having my hands oriented parallel to the direction of travel, as opposed to perpendicular on a flat bar. the change necessitated changing from grip shifters to rapid fires and also from flat bar brake levers, to reverse pull bullhorn levers. overall i've been extremely satisfied with the results. i toyed with th idea of putting drops on the bike, but i just couldn't go through with putting drop bars on a MTB for some reason. besides, riding out on the horns gets me aero enough for my commuting needs. i'm not going anywhere all that fast on my winter bike anyway with it's fat, knobby, studded tires.

here are some pics of the conversion. since these pics were taken a few weeks ago, i've put on a 80mm stem because the 120mm stem shown below was just way too stretched out for me.

corkscrew

I concur with the trekking bars. You might also consider an Titec J or H bar.

LesterOfPuppets

I've been thinking of a new setup for one of my MTBs. It's just in the cocktail napkin stages of planning so far.

The plan is for interrupters with shims on the flat bars and regular brake levers on the barends so I can spend more time on the ends. I'd have to get longer barends and cut them down and shave them down to fit the brake levers. The cable routing might be pretty wack. Will have to mull that over a bit. Maybe see if I can find barends that would fit reverse levers.

Rob Glatfelter

I really love this setup, however most MTBs tend to have a lot of top tube and this might make it feel a little too extreme in the length of the bike, I've got my seat slid pretty damn far forward.

wolfchild

If you are looking for comfort, lot's of hand positions, good control, then drop bars are your best option. I have two mountain bikes with drop bars and I love it. Bull horns are ok, I have them on my fixie. I hate flat bars and riser bars.

fuzz2050

Rob has the problem with moustache bars dead on, those bars have a lot of reach built in, and adding them to a bike with an already long top tube can make it downright awkward, even with the shortest of stems.

Lester, you might have better luck with 2 sets of interrupter levers, the cable routing would be much nicer. Although it might be easier to track down one of the old Scott bars.

Timothy

I was having the same problem as the OP. I went the cheap route and put on bar ends. I slanted them slightly down and put some bar tape on them. Along with shortening the handlebar by about 3 inches. It is not quite there, but is similar to riding on the hoods of my road bike, a nice hand position change in any case.

HaChayalBoded

Origin8 drop bars plus barend grips on a set of MTB or flat bars seams like a nice combo. Check Amazon.com for origin8 drop bars then look through the customer images. I'm thinking of going this route or with a trekking bar.

AdamDZ

I gave up on trekking handlebars after trying them on three different bikes. They make the bike handle weird, I couldn't get used to it. Sure, they're very comfortable, but I could never ride my bike(s) and fully relax with those bars. It could be just me, of course. I don't like drop bars either.

I ended up with normal flat bars, with a slight bend, and Ergon GC3 grips on my commuter and touring bike. So far I've done several 60 mile rides with this set up, no problems, I don't even wear gloves. I think I can easily tour like this and the flat bars offer much better control in particular at very slow speeds or going on unpaved roads.

You can also try an adjustable stem to raise the bars for more upright position.

xenologer

To brake from the bar ends these are an easier solution:
https://compare.ebay.com/like/1107221...=sbar&_lwgsi=y
brake lever extenders, it bolts a 90degree extension onto the tip of your mtb levers so they can be grabbed from the bar ends
dunno why no one manufactures them anymore, things are awesome.....





and as long as i'm in here
also been thinking about handlbars for a mtb/commuter
been thinking about pursuit bars (bullhorns) as an alernative to flat bar with bar ends.

but every picture i see on the internet of them has them set far below the saddle
when i've used flat bar with bar ends though, typically not near so low.

is that just a style difference? functionally the bullhorns look like a cleaner alternative to bar ends on flats..same hand orientation, just less bulky... would it be a faux pas for me to put them on a mtb in an upright position?


Oh wow, and i just noticed that this is a resurrected thread too, ohwell.

JAG410

Titec H-Bars are freakin' sweet.

woodway

Ergon makes many bar ends, I have some of the Ergon GC2 ends on my bike and find them pretty comfortable and not as obtrusive as some of the other options.

HaChayalBoded

Hey Adam, do you still have your trekking bars? I'd love to try them out if they're just sitting around collecting dust. I'm also local to you.

smoothness

if you're reluctant on flat bars and risers, you should try mountain drops. they're like road drops, but wider. they give leverage and multiple positions.

bullhorns and pursuit bars are set far lower for a specific purpose: racing.

LesterOfPuppets

Never tried them but reminds me of thee olde turkey levers too much. Anyways, yes this is an old thread and this is what I ended up with. Very nice setup that puts you in a bullhorn-like position with access to shifting and braking controls. I'm hoping to get another thumbshifter for the front derailer on the left because this freaky unit is a bit constrictive.

EDIT: I've decided to give up on the interupter lever part of the idea for now because this setup works great! I only get on the flats when I'm crawling up a long hill so no need for brakes then. I'll be wrapping the bars or installing some track grips on the bars one of these days.


Controls on the barends by Lester Of Puppets, on Flickr

sonatageek

I have been using trekking bars on a converted mountain bike for the past 3 years. For me they work just fine and I have not noticed any issues related to handling.

steve-in-kville 

Thanks for bringing back this old thread... I almost forgot I started it... way back in February! At the moment I am really leaning towards a wide drop bar.

HardyWeinberg

+1