hi,
I am thinking about switching out my drops for bullhorns...
what brand would you recommend...?
what brake levers do you use...?
how does this setup affect braking...?

bar end brakes are good if you use bullhorns.



You can never go wrong with Nitto brand handlebars if budget allows.

Drops with hoods offer pretty much the same position as bullhorns, which are more for the tri-geek pursuit and fixie crowd. Any particular reason you're interested in trying them?

what kind of bike is this? are you dealing with gears or fixed?

You too ? read up on the other ones asking the same thing?

i'm thinking of switching to mini-BMX handlebars or bullhorns.

why go bullhorns?

I do believe that is exactly the question under disussion...

My TT bike has bullhorns. Of all the different handlebars on my bikes (straight, drops, aero bars and bullhorns) the bullhorns are my least favorite.

For whatever that's worth.

They offer a good "aero tuck" position, but aren't designed for comfort over distance. They do look cool though, if that counts.

no.

the OP has decided to go bullhorn, until I asked, it was not clear why ... however, it is still not clear.

Technically, I proposed the "why" question before you did. So there's that. Now we are both at the edge of our seats eagerly awaiting the OP's justification for his choice.

fair enough.

it's a great question too.

I have the Origin 8 bullhorns on my commuter bike - bought of Amazon - but you can find them in LBS as well.
To go along with them I have the Cane Creek 200TT brake levers - also bought off Amazon.

It's my first bullhorn setup, and I like it, but I wish they had a little shorter reach (the bars). But I'm short, so, ymmv

the setup doesn't effect braking at all. its not really any different than being on the hoods of drop bars, except you can actually grip the brake levels instead of just hooking with a few fingers.

Don't do it, they are designed for <100lb riders, sometimes less than that.

I use Profile Design AirWings. IMO the first decision you need to make is whether you want a flat or drop style bullhorn. I personally like my AirWings because drop is like a happy medium between "on the hoods" and "in the drops" on normal road drops. I use mine with Origin8 bar end lever and they work great.

I ride on pursuit bullhorns fairly often on my commute, if my commute were longer than 15 miles each way I suspect I'd be swapping the handlebars for something like drops or north road. I can't imagine picking bullhorns specifically as bars for a dedicated commuter.

Ok! Can you recommend something interesting? Perhaps, I'll change the bar when I change the tape

I had bullhorns on one of my commuters for several years. I liked them a lot but eventually switched back to drop bars, mainly because bullhorns make it harder to tuck in on windy days.

My bullhorns were simply some old drop bars that I "flopped and chopped." For brakes, I used Nashbar bar ends that I bought for about $20, and I used down tube shifters.

I say give it a try. For some reason, bullhorns made my bike more fun to ride and I kind of miss them -- except on windy days.

I am also thinking about going bullhorn. My reasoning is that it will give me a more aero position compared to my MTB handlebars, but your saying they are not good for windy days. I imagine they act like drop bars without the curve.

bike is geared, just wondering if there is an advantage to bullhorns as I am never in the drops, bullhorns kind of look cool.
my hybrid has bar ends, (which is very similar to bullhorns except wider), which I like a lot.
in order to get a good braking grip, I have to move my hand to the drops and was thinking that I wouldn't have to necessarily move my hand with levers on the bullhorns...

Sure, but your back can arch, which is quite important from the aero perspective.

[QUOTE=the sci guy;17253512
the setup doesn't effect braking at all. its not really any different than being on the hoods of drop bars, except you can actually grip the brake levels instead of just hooking with a few fingers.[/QUOTE]

yes, that was what I wanted to know... so there is a bit better leverage with bullhorn levers?
also what is the "flat" versus "drop" bullhorns?

if I decide to go bar end shifters, are they awkward to use? do they conflict with the brake levers?

I have "flat" bullhorns on mine, which means from the center they go out straight to the sides, curve forward, and then slightly up at the end.
"drop" versions drop downward from the center/stem various amounts of degrees, before the turn forward.

flat


drop


It's one or the other.
If you bar end brakes (like the ones pictured in the 2nd post, and the kind i mentioned, then there is no place for bar end shifters. you can jury rig something, but that's much more complicated. my bike is a single speed, so the need for shifters obviously wasn't there. if you have a geared bike, you can eithe do downtube shifters, or do bar ends and get regular brake levers that go on each side of the stem like flat bar brakes.

ok, this is great info!... looks like I am a "flat bar" kind of guy... and my shifters are currently downtube so no problems there...

here is my bike: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rattleandhum/15024005524/
i don't remember my flickr login and i'm at work so i can't direct link the pic.
here's my blog post of building it: Rebuilding a 1984 Raleigh road bike into a commuter; a learning experience. | the surly biker