Thanks to everyone who has contributed.

@Giant Doofus:
I want to go with trekking bars because of the relative low cost versus switching to drops. I have tried Ergon GP2s and like them, but my hands still go numb. Perhaps the best thing about the trekking bars is that not only do they offer different hand positions, but also different riding positions (upright, more areo and somewhere in between). Not as aero as drops, obviously, but much cheaper as the exisiting brake levers and shifters can be used.

Plus, it would be unique as one does not see many trekking bars in the US. Though, I hear they are very common in Europe.

Had the same problem, do you have the grips positioned so the back of your hand is parallel to your forearm? That fixed it for me.

That makes a lot of sense. Thanks.

Yes, that makes sense. Minimalism is the ideal, let's convert all websites to pdfs. I'll now go and print out this website so I can read it on the pooper

Edited to add: apologies to OP for derailing the thread. I just got tired of the snide "you guys" type comments.

Does anyone have any experience with H-bars? https://www.jonesbikes.com/h-bar.html

There are a few posts about hbars on the hybrid forum. Quick summary: some love them, some don't. Guy in my office loves his hbar.

cool thanks

You need to learn to relax.

Also, that's the best handlebar resource possibly ever here.

In fact, it even had drops in MTB diameter which is great for conversions.

https://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/...43/561/afc.gif

Another option is the Nitto Bosco Bars. Google 'em. They were developed to provide more usable hand and body positions than the trekking bars. I bought a set for my Hillborne and, after riding both that and my touring bar with drops, I changed out the drops also. They are incredible handlebars and come in 3 different widths.


Marc

Those are interesting. Where do your hands go during a climb? If you are out on an all day ride, do you spend most of your time on the grips, sitting pretty upright?

were you in Japan at Nitto as part of the development team ,or did you just make that claim Up , to give your opinion a aire of authority?

(thats OK , Politicians do that all the time , but if it was a Grad Thesis , a foot note to find that design study white paper would be required)

Climbing, I have my hands just at the high point of the curve, it feels as if I'm pulling the bike behind me when I'm out of the saddle. Sitting upright with hands on the grips is reserved for traffic or when I have a tailwind. Most of the time I lean ahead of that point where I added "stoker" knobs, I lean on those as if they are a pair of brake hoods. The remarkable part about the bas is the fact that I have experienced absolutely no numbness or pain since I started using them..

Very helpful. Thank you! I also read your review on the blog. This might turn out to be the right solution for me.

Took the plunge and ordered trekking bars for my wife and I through the LBS. Should end up being a good weekend project to install them.

No, Grant Peterson designed them for Nitto and publicly stated his intention for the project before he started.

Marc

Thought it was a Grant P devotee..


I like the 2 ITM trekking bars I scored, while they were available .. the rear cross bar is missing on a pull back bar .
it has a rounded front curve somewhat like a wider radius Mustache , but curves around to be the back where the shifter and Brake levers are..

WB Bicycle Gallery: Robert Clark's Koga Miyata WTR

FWIW
Chromo Albatross have migrated to the studded tire bike , now.. rarely Icy here It got 2 weeks of use last winter .

storms separated .. weeks apart . Not 14 days in a row.

No devotee', just providing the information to answer your question.

Marc

Well, I added a trekking bar as evidenced by the crappy, low light photos above. I really like it thus far and it appears to be a good, cheap alternative to a drop bar. I would welcome any comments or thoughts you might have.

I have been riding with the bike set up as displayed in the pictures. The bar is technically upside down. This makes it very comfortable on the open end for a sort of upright, hybrid position. For a more aero position, I can grab the front of the bar and rest my forearms on the rear. The sides in this setup are not terribly comfortable though as they slope down toward the front of the bike. I will try it right side up tonight and see what that does.

This should stave off the purchase of a Surly LHT or CC for another year or so...hopefully...

Even if I do "upgrade" in the future, I will keep my Trek as a bad weather/dedicated commuter bike. Whether commuting by car or bike, your vehicle takes a beating.

A 507 gram titanium bar? WTF? :head explodes:

I haven't made the switch but my wife has. She's very happy with hers. As for the mirror question, she has installed the German made ( ultra light mirror ) again she is happy with it, but to me it miss represents distance too much for me to recommend it. Others are very pleased however so YMMV