is anyone using what some call alt bars on mtb. i see many versions and surly i think just released a new one that actually seems to be smart looking. Jones bars...look cool but $100 is alot if they are not comfy and feel weird.
just curious

I have Jones bars and will attest that they are very comfortable for me. The sweepback makes them feel beach cruiserish admittedly.

I put them on a 140 class full suspension bike and on my home trails they are the bananas , ----- (for me ) - but when i took the bike to Bentonville, AR for some gravity riding, the riding position --- is not good for that. Flat bars give much more control for me going downhill -- however, there are videos of guys going full send with Jones bars


The Surly Moloko's look interesting and id like to try those too ---- like having some wide aero bars. Thats another great thing about the Jones bars too -- grabbing that front loop on flat portions where you are just grinding out miles

Not mountain biking but have been using the Surly Moloko bars for a few years and doing some heavy riding on the Koga Denham bars recently. Love them both. The Koga Denham's are so awesome, decently light and really comfortable. I am less enthusiastic with the length of the grip section but for most it is enough. I would have loved 10mm more but everything is nicely positioned and I guess I could cut down my Ergon GC1 grips and it would be fine as they are quite long.

The Moloko's are nice but I wish the extensions were a bit long and wish the bars were lighter. The middle section for mounting lights and the bag is nice and certainly the steel does make it a very comfortable bar.

Just drop bars so far. I bought a Surly Moloko bar recently, but haven't installed it yet. Used to run On One Mary's years ago, but they were prone to breakage, so I stopped.

Here is what one of the Origin 8 bars did on the first ride.

I have the Crazy bars from Velo Orange. I started with a drop bar but can't use the lower position due to a neck injury. I tried the Jones bars but found the Crazy bar to work better for me. I have the Koga Denham bars on back order and will eventually try those out.

I'm no expert, but that don't look good.

It was awkward, but I still have all my teeth. Luckily it broke cranking up a hill and not when I was jumping water bars on the downhill runs.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeekk !!!!!!!!

Almost seems like bad luck to follow up on this thread given the photographic evidence presented.

Everyone should check out this website:

https://whatbars.com/

It allows you to compare handlebars in a graphic way, and find out about what is available out there.

My most altbars on bikes are the Soma Eagle and the On One Midge.

I commute daily on the Soma Eagle, and it's great. But I wouldn't use it on anything else. It's chrome steel and heavy. The ride is a 30 minute hustle, mostly flat.

​​​​​​The Midge is a dirt drop bar. The grip on the drops is 10mm too short, but can be tolerated. If Shimano barcons are used, the length makes perfect sense.

As far as real single track a flatter bar is where it's at for me. On one of the single speeds I have an Answer 20/20 bar which features a 20° backsweep. That's enough to qualify as Alt. These are good for single track.

More sweep than 25°, like the Eagle bar, gets into dodgy territory for hard core trails to me.

Once broke a handlebar when I was a teenager way back when sprinting from a dead stop. The brake and shift cables still worked and I held on to it, lest the bar flop into the front wheel. It was a close one.

For single-track riding with any amount of technicality, the few times I’ve tried more highly swept bars, I have not liked them.

But I do like them for cranking out the miles on less challenging terrain. I am building up an andventure bike over the winter and I plan to use something like the Jones H or Crazy Bar.

I like the look of the Surly Mokola, but damn that is heavy…. But I am wondering if the feel of steel might be appreciated on a rigid bike….. but then again, my experience with Surly steel stuff (I have a KM and a Wednesday) is that it is pretty overbuilt and not the most “steel is real” feel.

I've tried a bunch. Those that I've liked include the On-One Mary, Ritchey Kyote, and Surly Sunrise.
I've tried a couple versions of the Jones bars, but ultimately decided that 45º of sweep is just too much for me.
The Whatbars comparison tool is pretty useful, but nothing beats actually trying out a handlebar.

I have been very happy with my set of Velo Orange Crazy Bars. Technically, my set have been discontinued and replaced (rather unfortunately I think). The new version of the Crazy Bars have shorter horns and less sweep; this may be preferable to some, but not me.

My bars have 45° of sweep and several inches of forward extension. The sweeps are useful for an upright position, both comfortable and with good control; from this position, unweighting the front wheel is rather easy, even with a packed down bike. On the other end, the horns are long enough to change my position to a flat-back aero pose; though I can't reach the brakes, I can chug along into the wind for hours (switching back to the grips to reach for a brake or shifter is easy enough, but it does break the rhythm). I can also ride with palms rested on the flat bar at the base of the horns (even with my usual clutter); this position is the most natural, is close to the controls and helps keep the shoulders out of the wind, but doesn't allow for a strong grip -- it's 'resting' on the bars.

That said, these bars are most useful for long days in the saddle, or mixed terrain rides. If you're not needing an aero tuck, or you don't need to sit bolt upright for a bit, they are a bit overkill. Though I can ride rough terrain, these bars don't provide nearly as much leverage as a flat bar; in the really chunky stuff, it feels like it takes too much pressure from the thumb to keep the bars straight. If your ride is mostly tech, I'd opt for much less sweep; nonetheless, there are a lot of places mountain bikes can go where I'd take an alt-bar!