JOHN J

hi everyone ,

Im on a roll here in my infant days on the BB.

as mentioned several times im setting up a older road bike as a commuter/day tripper.

Im debating what shifter to use but that will depend on if I change bars or not. im torn betwwen bar ends or thumb shifters at least with the drop bars.

Im very interested in the Nitto moustache bars do any of you have experience with them?? they look comfortable and very solid braking can be done while in the "on top" position per say.

again ill be commuting and fitness riding, my commutes will be 13 mile one way a few times a week.

eventualy this season Id like to get up to a 50 -60 mile ride. are the Moustache bars sutable for longer distances.

another reason for the inquiry into the nittos is I dont know how much time ill spend in the drops and I might get better service out of a set of the moustace bars??

my drop BARS are 46s as that was the biggest size I could get when the bike was fitted back in 92.

Idealy 50s would be perfect but ive never seen bigger than 46.

The Nittos look like a nice fit

Any input will be welcome

"John"

max-a-mill

here are a couple interesting bars....

https://www.on-one.co.uk/products/mungo.shtml

https://www.on-one.co.uk/products/midge.shtml

i was really toying with the idea of moustache bars as well (or one of the above bars)! if you go for it let us know how they do. i would especially like to know if you had to adjust your stem length/height to get them into a comfy position; and how you like them for longer rides....

oh and if you just want cheap moustachio's; nashbar just got a new set (and they are of course on sale)

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=

Blackberry

I've got moustache bars on one of my bikes and they are great. They were particularly helpful when I was recovering from some back problems (I had them a little higher than the seat). I really like the multiple hand positions much more than straight bars (even with bar ends). I would recommend that you give them a try.

DanO220

I, for one, think my mustache bars rock. I used to have drop bars but didn't find myself in the drops too often. I considered flat or riser bars, but I've always found them uncomfortable unless I added bar ends. And even then they don't provide the number of alternate hand positions a mustache bar does. I don't run Nitto's. But I found a pair of MTB diameter wannabee Nitto mustache bars used at a LBS. In fact, I think that they are superior to the Nitto's because I was able to slide my MTB brake levers, thumb shifter and bar ends right on. I mounted the bar ends inboard to allow a decent tuck when the need does arise. My wannabee Nitto mustache bars also flair out at the ends at what I think is a better angle than the straight back Nitto's. Unfortunately, I bought them used and couldn't tell you who made them - let alone if they are still available.

DanO

JOHN J

THANKS FOR ALL THE REPLYS.

DECISIONS DECISIONS .....

Im liking it, I looked at the nashbar moustache bars but they are cheapo steele bars and Im not fond of nashbars private label stuff.

Hmmm I may have to try the nitto GRRRRR more parts to buy but its still way less than a new touring machine.

Ive got a bead on a used pair of nittos but ill ride my bike a bit when I get it back from LBS before I decide besides its still snowing here in NY.

one thing i wonder will I need a shorter stem???

any others that wish to comment im all eyes.

"John"

rmwun54

https://www.nashbar.com/profile_morei...ku=9756&brand=

This is my bar of choice for commuting. You have more options for hand position and you can do a lean on the bar to get aero if you want. And you probably wouldn't have to change the stem. Mine's pretty custom looking with Delta ergo brake levers on them so that I can brake from any position (sweet). And it's aluminum alloy.

SpokesInMyPoop

I've been using moustache bars for about six months now, and I love 'em. Did 30-35 miles yesterday(*not exactly sure... I got lost on the way to a friend's house, and ended up a bridge away from Washington), and they were pretty comfy. Multiple hand positions are a def. plus. My shifters are on the stem, but I just got downtube shifters because they seemed more comfortable/ergonomic for me... I don't like reaching back to get to my shifters, so in light of that I ditched the idea of barend shifters.

Nightshade

I never had moustache bars on anything until now. I'm building a
poorman's cyclocross / trails bike out of an old NOS Sanwa road
bike. Since I can't bend over as far as I used to (broken back
years ago) I needed a bar to replace the road drops. Nashbar
to the rescue!! Check these out and they're steel to boot and
way, way cheaper than Nitto's.
https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=

I turned these over and put then in an adjustable stem to get them "up" where I
can reach them.

mattmatthew

i love my moustache bars. i didn't buy it from rivendell so it was a little cheaper but i got my other bar, the albatross, from rivendell. it's similar in shape except the ends come farther back than the moustache:

Nightshade

Not to defend nashbar per se but what happens when a bike falls over?? The bars take a lot of the shock
of striking the ground.......do they not?? That said, Steel would be way better than aluminum with much
less chance of getting bent....right?? Besides, as tight as I am with a buck the less I spend on EACH
component the more components I can buy for the same money. Designer names and all that rot don't
mean thing at the end of the day.Quality of the components......does.

riderx

Absolutely. I've done a few canal ride bike tours with them, 200 miles in 2.5 days. Love them for that and everyday riding. I've got the Nittos, don't really like the looks of the shape of the new Nashbar ones.

jnbacon

You raise a good point. I put mine on a bike set up for racing bars, and because the
top of the bar curves forward a bit (rather than flat) before going into drops, riding
on the top is a bit uncomfortable. I want to replace my stem with something 5-10
mm shorter. That said, riding in the drops-that-aren't-drops, upright but with a
comfortable grip, is really fine.

Quickbeam

I've been running Nitto moustache bars on my commuter bike for about three years now. They're great for commuting because you're in a more upright position vs. drops but you still have plenty of hand positions. As others have said you might have to switch stems to get them in the right position.

Sebach

Anyone have a shot of these on a bike? I was kinda interested in checkin them out.

DanO220

I, for one, say no. Definately wait until you install the bars to decide whether or not a different size stem is in order. Mustache bars offer so many hand positions you might stick with your current stem like I did. My bars offer positions far ahead of the stem (good for when you do wish to lean farther forward), slightly ahead of the stem, and even with the stem, as well as a couple behind the stem. This would be especially true of the Rivendell Albatross bars mattmatthew mentioned.

I also agree about maximizing your cycling dollars. I am a dedicated 'bottom feeder' who trolls for blow-out sales for the most part. I was lucky to find my aluminum MTB diameter mustache style bars for about $15 - used - at a LBS. I'd be hard pressed to pull the trigger on a new set of Nitto's ($57, non-member, at Rivendell). On the flip side, light weight has it's price. I don't think I would feel as good about the savings when I realized the Nashbar... bars... are double the weight. If I were you (are you getting tired of that yet?) I'd check out the Nitto Dove bar on the Rivendell site. I think the non-member price is $27, which is not that much more than the steel Nashbar... bar. However, the Dove is a MTB size bar.

DanO

Kodama

These Bars came standard on my Novara Safari. I love them, but I don't like the grip shifters they came with all that much. I'm going for Moustache with Bar ends on my next Cycle. Anyway to not repeat myself, I wrote a review of that bicycle after my last tour which you can read here.

jim-bob

Here's a shot of my do-everything, sort-of bike, set up with moustache bars - I like 'em, as long as I make sure to use a shorter stem with 'em.

roadfix

They're great...

mthirsch

Fixer, what's that rack trunk you've got on there?

Kodama

It's the Arkel

sutt

I just installed Nitto moustache bars on my Bianchi Veloce. It was the most satifiying mod that I have done. I used the existing campy ergo shifters but swiched them so the back brake is on the left and thumb contol is on the top. I did not have to adjust the gears or even cut the cables.
I did need a higher rise stem.

I find shifting more convenient with shifters on the moustache bars than when they were on the drops.

Sigurdd50

I'll be a dissenter... I bought some for a single and hoped I'd love them
I didn't

I'm just a road bar sorta guy

dobber

M-bars, like saddles, are very subjective. And they take a lot of fiddlin to get the right height/extension

jimcross

I have tried several bars on the commuter. Drops still offer the most advantages for me. The only thing that bothered me about the mustache bars was riding into a stiff headwind I couldn't get low enough. Even in the most extended of positions.

I have also tried the on-one Mary and Midge bars also. The Mary bars are now on my MTB, and they're great. The drops on the Midges were too small for my hands to really ride on the drops so they got replaced with a pair of the Ritchey Biomax shallow drop bars.

mconlonx

I just swapped from moustache bars over to some "dove" like bars. The moustache bars were a bit wide and I think I didn't replace the stem, so really they were too far away. I never ended up using anything but the end for hand placement. I had a pair of Mary bars and they were great--I think I like a 45deg-ish angle on bars in general. However, Van Dessel sells a house-brand moustache that is a lot narrower than the Nitto--I rode it the same as the Nitto, only on the ends, but it was comfy.

https://www.vandesselsports.com/accessories.php (scroll down a bit)