New member here. Have enjoyed the Board and all the good information and the new friends.

I have a question about bar ends for an older Trek 7.3. I bought this bike new in 07 and have enjoyed it fully but am wondering if bar ends would give more comfort for longer rides and if so what are the best ones to get for my particular bike.

Chris

Go ahead and get the Ergons https://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/home# I have the GC3s and like them quite a bit, but have nothing to compare them to. A lot of folks use Ergon in one form or another and they're pretty well thought of. Here's my awesome Mendota

Or you can go into any bike shop and get a pair of regular barends for under $20.

I did a $20 pair from my LBS but I extended the length to take a matching grip.

Wow! I like those. That's exactly what I had in mind. I'm curious, to install bar ends like this does one remove or cut the old grips in order to bolt on the bars? How did you extend the handlebar ends?

Chris

What kind of mirror is that and how does it attach to the Ergons?

I have Ergons on my bike and love them, but I couldn't figure out a good way to mount a mirror.

Thanks.

It's a 'Third Eye' https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i00_details It just uses asmall screw through the bar so fits nicely.

Hi Chris, and by the way welcome to the forum.

What I did was remove the old grips and went with two sets of grips that match. When I put them on I just pushed them on an extra half inch to allow for the bar ends. Mtn bike grips are open on the ends and come with a plug for the end. It’s a good idea to put the plug in because in a fall that bar can punch a clean hole in you if it hits just right. My mirror plugged the one end.

To extend the bars 2 inches I was lucky enough to have a machine shop at hand so I turned the end of an aluminum tube to press fit in. Most people won’t have that ability so maybe find a tube the right size or close and wrap it with some tape for a force fit of a couple inches into the bar end. Then give the outside a few wraps of tape to make it the right size as the bar end. It would be all covered up with the new grip. Just make sure it’s a sturdy connection because you will be working them a lot when riding. Another idea would be to get a hard wood dowel (like an old broom handle) and pound it in.

I think I added 2 inches in length so most materials will be very strong over that short a length.

Maybe others know of other methods that are better and would post in, or maybe someone makes extra-long bar ends.

If you like that, consider getting a trekking or butterfly bar.

Thanks!

I have the Ergons and love them,(much better on the palms) I like some bar ends, but them ergons wont budge...

I like the short ones with a smooth bend, I usually find them for $0-5 used,
DSCN1945 by Lester Of Puppets, on Flickr

I do have some long ones I bought new for $12 or so. I put the controls on them so I can ride most of the time in that position, then use the flat bar for long climbs and other occasions where I might want to sit up for a bit:


Controls on the barends by Lester Of Puppets, on Flickr

I almost said something about trekking bars when I made that post yesterday and I have used trekking bars before and they are really nice to add lots of hand and body positions depending on how you set them on the stem. Most people set trekking bars flatter the same way bar ends are commonly used, they extend your hand position forward for climbing. With trekking bars set up flat or slightly angled from level one position is moved forward from where a straight bar would place your hands and the other back. As you tip them more you get a straight bar equivalent of drop bars where one hand hold gets higher the other lower. I have seen trekking bars set up just about every way you can think of and there is no right or wrong way. They are something you have to experiment with and see what works.

The thing I liked about the extended bar ends is moving the bar ends has no effect on the normal grip position. Depending on what kind of riding I feel like doing I have adjusted them several different ways. But my home control position never changes. In the photo I posted they are really high up and that would be the best if someone wanted an upright position as a secondary hand position. Bar ends are designed to be gripped by the lower part much as how Lester has his shown and pointing more forward or even flat. Mine because I grip out at the ends are normally leaning forward but not more than about 45 degrees. I have also turned that mirror down now and that lets me grip that straight section also. If I was redoing this today I would most likely use padded bar tape on the whole length of the bar ends and the extensions.

Aerobars too!

Nice Coda!! what is all that stuff on the bars! looks cool

Thanks to all for the good information.

Chris

I bought these: https://www.amazon.com/Origin8-Pro-Pu...0955995&sr=8-2

They are amazing, and I use them around 80% of the time I'm on my bike. I don't have them wrapped or covered or anything, I was waiting to see how they felt when it got colder, but as it turns out, with cycling gloves on they're fine as-is.

My only complaint is that I had to move my shifters inward, making the regular flat parts of the handlebars tighter and perhaps a little less comfortable, but since the bar ends themselves are so much more comfortable to hold on to anyways it hardly seems to matter. If I was keeping this bike for long distance riding I might consider getting a wider handlebar, but I'm getting a road bike with drop bars for that, so my hybrid will stay with the same flat bars and bar ends.

Profile Design Boxer bar ends and Profile Design Jammer GT aerobars.

Yeah, that can be a bummer. For me 60cm is the perfect flat bar width, but if I have barends I like 'em in the 63-64cm range.

You're going to love bar-ends for changing hand positions. I recently rented a Trek 7.2 in Manhattan, and before I left the shop I paid for and had them install bar-ends. Those 400 touring miles would have been agony without them. I left them on the bike when I returned it - told them they could rent it out as the 'touring model' (it had a rear rack already).

I just added these, great on flats and wind.

I picked these up brand new for $14.99 at the local LBS, really glad I got them, real nice to be able to change up hand positions on longer rides, and love grabbing them when going up steep hills. Should have got these a long time ago!



When I first tried them out, I thought holding on to bare aluminum tubing wasn't the most comfortable feeling, so I found the original grips that my Ergon grips replaced, and slid them over the new bar ends, works great and feels much better to me.

Those look great, had I known Ergon made those bar ends I probably would have got those to go with my Ergon grips to.