Help me Pick Handlebars?
 

Not too sure where to ask this question....
I bent the handle bars on my mixte. Need a new one. Right now it has rather wide North Road style bars on it. They are OK, but not great for any speed. Too wide.

I don't want drop bars, too low and I don't like them on mixtes. The bike has a twist IGH shifter as well. It's a Kensington 8 Windsor from bikes direct.

So... what all is out there that will fit my bike's shifter and brake levers but allow me to be a bit lower?

And, a picture. Those are sometimes helpful..
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=395238

Trekking handlebars from Nashbar- http://media.nashbar.com/images/nash...-NCL-FRONT.jpg

Cheapest solution - flip your Abatross bars and try riding them as drop bars. You can always revert back if it doesn't suit your riding style.

Oh... those look promising!

Can't. I bent them. Bike slipped on a hose, I landed on the bars. Got a nice deep bruise on my belly and the bars bent sideways.

Velo Orange Postino, maybe? Zero rise gives you a lower position. I'm not sure of your stem clamp diameter; also the grip area might not have as much sweep as what you were riding.

I bought a new bike this year and wound up swapping out the handlebars. The dealer from whom I bought the bike helped me make my choice. (Long story that dealt with spacers.)

I'd go to a bike store and take a look at what he already has on other bikes.

If you go to Koga Signature by Koga select Configurator, start with a frame (to get the process started) and then click on handlebars, you'll see eight options. That should give you an idea to start with.

I'm not suggesting you order from Koga as that would be expensive. This was just to give you an idea.

Nitto promenade has full sweep, zero rise, only 54cm wide, fits shifters.

Well, the stem is, from the website, a threaded 1 inch quill. I assume the handlebars are the standard size? I'll need to measure the clamp or the fat part of the bar..

Yeah, the sad thing about buying from bikes direct is the lack of a local dealer. But... no local shops had anything like this bike.

Great informative link, BTW!

I'm OK with loosing some of the wide-ness. I tend to ride this bike fairly fast in the street and it just feels awkward leaning over with my elbows sticking out.

Generic type "northroad" as on zillions of 3 speeds , cheap , Nitto 'albatross' wider not cheap. likewise Nitto Mustache Bars..

given the above statement , the Trekking bar suggestion is a good one , reaching the forward curve functions like

going in the drops, in that it lowers your upper body.. Brakes on the rear bend, .. rather easy to move your hands back & forth.

Well, they finally arrived and I was finally able to install and go for a ride. I rather like them, but they will take some getting used to! The bike feels 'twitchy' now. Great positions and the bike is actually more comfortable to ride.

I do not like the brakes at the back though. I will move them to the 'second' position, on the outsides of the bars. But that will have to wait until I order more bar tape (and maybe cruiser handles for the rear because my twist shifter just feels odd with just the tape) as the stuff has built in sticky stuff even though the website said it didn't. Bit annoyed about that.

So, pictures. Windsor Mixte, with trekking bars. Great match up.


https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5580/...6eb5d9ac_z.jpgTrekking Bar, First Set-up by katsrevenge42, on Flickr

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5574/...5002fbe3_z.jpgGrey Mixte, new trekking bars by katsrevenge42, on Flickr

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=403035 Maybe some foam rubber grips?

You can get "interrupter" brake levers, a second set of levers you can put where you want. My road bike has traditional drop bars, and brake levers on the front, but I spend most of my time on the uppers. So I got a second set of brake levers up there. It's like the old dual-lever brakes from the 60s and 70s, but they are separate and could be mounted anywhere. They're called interrupters because they interrupt the brake line or something like that.

You've already purchased the touring bars which look like a good choice. So FWIW to you or others, on my MTB-based commuter I sport wide bars with a slight rise. To achieve more hand positions I mounted bar ends, but INBOARD. This gives me a jockey-like position I have come to enjoy. I then added aero-bars that give me two more positions: stretched out and upright, using the elbow rests as hand-holds. See my video here: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=12EyzRuPlZA