hello everyone,

i'm considering a little something for my single speed, but i've not seen it around much so i thought i'd "run it up the flagpole and see who salutes". yes, i'm too insecure to just do it myself. you can call me names if you want. *sigh*

so i've got some old campy brakes (non aero) that i'm running, but i think i want to get a set of handlebars and chop them (i rarely ride in the drops, and simplifying the handlebar is appealing as i like the whole simple bike thing). oh, and i'm not really liking the upside-down brake setup.

what i'm considering is cutting off the bar just below the drops. it will keep the levers where they are so i will still have the hoods to ride on, essentially acting like bullhorns except it will allow the cables to run in the traditional arc.

do you guys see any potential problems with this? seen it? done it?

please be nice.
steve

Do it.

sounds...different?

Might as well do it.

I just did this as well. They look ok and has long has you like them thats all that matters. There is a few bikes in the Tokyo thread with that cut if your interstead in what it looks like.
Go for it...be original, not a hipster

Try and pull one of the brake levers, steve, I dare you

Just make sure when you do this you don't own any other bike with drop bars.

Why don't you get a bmx brake lever, and install it on the flat part of the bar near the stem... it will allow you to flip the bars and have a better area to rest your hands.

Do you run both brakes?

I don't see much to be gained by loosing a hand position, but give it a try and post pics.

Would it end up in the jackass ssfg bike thread? lol probly.

If I'm not mistaken BikeSnob has a few posts about the style I am imagining you describing

I've seen a few bikes with the chop but not flop method. However the ones I saw didn't have brake levers and weren't wrapped

ahhh here we go

From BikeSnobNYC:



This tribute bike puts the "Devo" back in "devoid of sense," largely due to the fang-tastic, intelligence-defying handlebar setup. What reason could one possibly have for cutting the drops off in this manner? It's like taking the shifter knob off your sports car, or cutting your computer mouse in half. The only explanation I can come up with is that the owner took Weird Al's Devo tribute, "Dare To Be Stupid," even more seriously than he takes Devo. Because he did, and it is.

You'll shave like ten grams and a lose a hand position. Sounds like a bad value, if you ask me.

people have done it, but i've never seen someone do it and still run brakes. i'm a little curious as to how much you are cutting off. if you still want to run brakes, that may make it a little difficult to actually use the brake. if they are cheap bars go for it, but if they are the only bars you have you may want to try something else.

Tokyo Chop... (slight shop without flop)

even more of a chop...

not a new idea but it looks cool, never seen it with brake hoods on there though. post pics if you do it.

I think the being original part is what is mostly made fun of around these parts. A lot of people do things "just to be original" when cycling is a lot of the times about practicality. "Just being original" is essentially what a hipster is. Someone who is trying so hard to impress they do things out of the necessity to "just be original" instead of having a sincere reason behind it. Flop and chops may be in fashion and used a lot by the hipster crowd but they have their purpose and were essentially thought out at one time.

That being said, even though the OP loses a hand position I do appreciate the effort to think out the why behind a certain setup. Pretty much every bike that ends up on the jackass thread seems to have forgotten to ask the why question in the build up phase.

If the hand position is worthless, whats the point? It been done before elsewhere. . .


Before switching to bullhorns, I almost never braked from the drops. Almost always from the top of the hoods.

Good point about hacking cheap bars, don't go chopping up rare crap.

Come on now. It's not like these bikes actually get ridden anyways.

wouldnt you be essentially removing the bar that sits beneath the brake lever, unless I'm misinterpreting this. Seems like it would forfeit your braking leverage and make it dangerous to brake in an emergency situation where one would normally want to brace themselfs in case of impact/hairy situations.

once i flipped bullhorns and put aero levers on top, just for kicks. the braking was okay, especially if you prefer to use them from the top anyways, but they were still a little sketchy and just looked and felt wrong.

Yeah, almost all, including emergency braking is done with your hands on the hoods and your fingers resting down on the lever. If you don't like riding in the drops, you won't be braking from them either.

Making it shorter makes it simpler eh?

I don't see the point really, other than style. its not like you are going to save much weight. As a purely stylistic move go right ahead if it's what flicks your switch.


But before you do consider that you may loose out on the function side:

You may bend your levers without a bar beneath them.
As for mentioned you will have less braking power.
And you loose a hand position on your bars, you may not in fact realize how much you ride your drops until they are gone. i didn't until i slapped Some bullhorns on my bike then road 170km. On long rides its really nice to have an extra and very different hand position.

For something where you don't save any real weight and for loss of function.
If you think the style gained is worth function lost.
Do it up and post some pictures let us know how the set up works after a few thousand Kilometers.

Cheers

go for it. if it's a set of cheap bars and you don't care, then try it out.

i considered doing it for a bit. when i had my drops, i never rode on the flat lower parts (proper term?), but kept my hands more forward, in the curve. i figured it might look decent if i lost the flat parts and would still be functional. eventually i went with the chop and flop, much to my pleasure.