Cutting down handlebars...
 

...any best way to chop them to length? They are old chromed steel and have already been flipped to create bullhorns.

A vice (or a friend holding the bike with the bars in the stem) and a hacksaw or pipe cutter has always worked for me.

I would guess a pipe cutter, but I could be wrong...

1 - Use a hose clamp as a cutting guide.
2 - Use a nice new hacksaw blade
3 - A nice vice is helpful for clamping them in a workable position
4 - Make a couple practice cuts further down from the intended final cut

I chopped my bars this past winter

http://img221.echo.cx/img221/6926/dcp05478bv.th.jpg

The pipe cutter option is definitely the cleanest way, and less chance for slipping...But I love dobber's idea of using the hose clamp as a cutting guide...probably cheaper than buying a pipe cutter.

Have fun cutting!

I'm wondering - would a shallow pan of water be useful to make sure that the cuts were exactly the same on both sides?

i used a grinder with a cutting blade and eyed one longer than the other, i was going to fix it but now im used to it. dont listen to me

Thank you. I'll go buy a new hacksaw tomorrow.

Once the first side is cut you can simply hold the severed portion up against the remaining section to get good matching cut. Remember to account for the miniscule amount of blade kerf.

i just eyeballed the bars and put electrical tape on the bars so it looked even and so i had a straight line to guide my cutting and i hacked at it..

How do you plug them once they are cut?

I'm going to second the hose clamp saw guide suggestion. Hose clamps are only like $.79 or something, and if you cut carefully, you can still use the hose clamp after on your kitchen sink or hose or something.
Use plenty of oil when cutting; it makes things much smoother and easier. I used 3in1 oil, real cutting oil would work, as would motor oil, and maybe even chain lube! ;)

Uhh- Handlebar end plugs? ;)

My sarcasm yet again goes unappreciated

i used tape and a hacksaw. a bit rough, but very functional

I have the original bar plugs. I am running into a snag though.
I was hoping to use a time trial type brake lever, but the tubing
is just a bit too small in diameter for it to seat into the bar end. :(

i used a friend's rotary grinder. Worked great. And I got the added bonus of lots of sparks.

A couple notes regarding pipe cutters. If you get one, get a decent one. I have one that I used to cut a steerer tube and handlebars and that's about as far as it got before massive chunks came out of the blade. Also, be light-handed and careful using one to cut aluminum bars - it is a lot easier than you think to ovalise the end that you just cut. Finally, if you do ovalize the end of your bars, fix it before you jam a bar-end lever in there or you will NEVER get it out again without about 90 min of work, some spilt blood, and a lot of swearing.

I gave up. Bar-end levers weren't intended to be crammed into the curving section of chopped bars. Keep in mind that what you come up with might end up being permanent. And in my case that includes a stem as part of the permanent configuration.

wouldnt a new hacksaw cost about as much as a new set of cheap e-bay bullhorns?

For machining aluminum, the best cutting agent and lubricant is kerosene.

1. get a pipe cutter at a flea market for five bucks...
2. cut your bars...
3. throw away the pipe cutter cuz it's now toast...

no need for a vice, I just held the bar against the ground and went at it with a hack saw, then filed it a little. The saw went through the bar real easy.

I used electrical tape and a jigsaw.

I have found that a pipe cutter works superbly and is super easy (a hacksaw?!? ugh!). just adjust the tension a little at a time (as per package instructions) and you should be able to get a nice clean cut and still be able to use it again and again. I cut my steerer tube and my bars and it still works/looks fine... just make sure you get a decent/name brand one. they are only about 4 to 8 bucks.