mrvile

Yeah but compared to drops though? Also I guess it depends on the horns you have...your RB21's are going to have a good amount of drop compared to flat horns.

mugatu

yeah thats why in time trials to get out of the wind the bikes have drops instead of horns

elTwitcho

I don't follow. Time Trial bikes don't use drops or bullhorns, they use aero bars...

X-LinkedRider

I ride with makeshift bullhorn bars using slight forward angle bar with long extenders pointed pretty much straight and taped up. I see no disadvantage if you live in a city with a crap load of hills. If you ride next to a lot of swinging vines or vertically hanging chains you might be in trouble. Otherwise, I think it is a great setup.

X-LinkedRider

Yep, this is true. Usually anyways.

mugatu

and do they drop below the stem?
nope
do they allow extension the way bullhorns do?
yes

Aaron_F

I like my bullhorns, and they allow me to stretch out far enough to get my body down low on fast descents. If you're not racing, how aero do you really need to be?

mrvile

Well it's still pretty nice when there's a crapload of wind blowing you around... I just recently switched from flat horns to shallow track drops and I already feel more comfortable riding in the wind. I wasn't really satisfied with how low I was able to get with the horns. Bending my elbows for miles was taxing and stretching out didn't seem natural without aerobars... just lowering my position with drops felt a lot better.

I had wanted to try drop bullhorns for a while but ended up opting for actual drops. Bars like the RB019/021's do seem really nice.

elTwitcho

The positioning of time trial bars and the positioning of bullhorns are nothing alike, nor are they meant to be. Much of the aerodynamic advantage of TT bars comes from having the arms inwards and in front of you. That's not a good comparison

mrvile

Uhh there's a reason why tt bikes have two sets of handlebars, the aerobars themselves and the base bars which very closely resemble (and sometimes just are) bullhorns. Both bars are used for very different reasons.

mugatu

ugh
yeah, that's true as of about 1990, before that, time trialing was the sole purpose of bullhorns
anyway, having several bikes with both, in my experience its easier to get aero in a headwind with my bullhorns than in the drops of any bike, road or track
this is because you can stay in your extended tuck and be comfortable and breathe well stretched out on your horns
if your bike is setup properly, then the drops are the best place to sprint, but you can't maintain an extended aerobic effort there

and especially based on the way most of the bikes you see on here are set up with their drops, you don't get much aero benefit
what you do get is a hunched back and lowered head

LoRoK

Truth.

mrvile

lol I think we understand that...the 89 tt between Lemond and Fignon was an important race for a reason.

Anyway, I personally find "arms-forward" less comfortable than "arms-down," and haven't noticed any differences in breathing ability between bullhorns and drops (my bike isn't set up with the two-foot saddle to bar drop that I see a lot of around here). Of course, if I was looking for optimal aerodynamicy I'd opt for aerobars because they'd bring my arms in and give my elbows somewhere to go, but, for me, they're largely unnecessary.

I don't race and I'm not always looking for utmost efficiency...just what's more comfortable for my daily ride. I gave the bullhorns a shot and while I did enjoy them a lot, I ultimately felt better with drops. You can tell me all day that I'm "doin it wrong" but unless I'm going to injure myself, I'd rather go with personal preference.

I'm just disappointed now that I can't beast mad skidzz like I used to with the horns...

mugatu

word

RooNYC

Thanks for all you replies. I picked up a set of flat bullhorns (origin8s from my LBS for $15) and after just a few hours of riding, I like them better than my risers. Better shoulder position and I van breath well and I can get low enough.

Exit.

Aero bars attach to "TT base bars"

TT base bars = bullhorns.

Triple8Sol

I'd have to agree, other than when used as a base for aerobars.

elTwitcho

Yes but if you read the quote in context, it's responding to him discussing the aero position on a TT bike, which is unrelated to the base bar.

grymg

switched from 2" risers to 4cm drop bullhorns and I love them. Kept the same stem so my riding position had to change. But I love having the option of an upright position (on the flat section) to draft position (on the horns). With risers I was sick of bending my elbows to draft.

I never ended up trying drops because I couldn't find one that was as light as my bullhorns. I'm a bike weight weenie.

meatrat1@yahoo.

i have used a couple different types of drops, risers and flat bars. as well as 2 different types of bullhorns. the bullhorns are my favorite. i have a nice drop in them but nothing to crazy. if you get ones with a big drop it cuts out the flat area a lot and puts a bad angle for your wrists. the profile design air wings are awesome and a good price.

Aged Bike Fixer

Brilliant... I was about to reply to an earlier comment with a similar answer: "That's what elbow's are for", but I got bogged down with the whole ending a sentence with a preposition problem. By the time I'd rewritten it as "Isn't that a good use for your elbows?", my response wasn't worth the damage I'd caused to my carpal tunnels. And that still didn't stop me...

poate

I find this thread interesting because I just bought a single speed bike. The bike is a little too long from the saddle to the brake levers right now. I am going to buy a Ritchey adjustable angle stem that is shorter than the one that came on the bike, But I am also considering bullhorn bars. I am thinking I may even angle the bullhorns up a about 10 degrees to give me a shorter reach. Has anyone done that? And the brakes - if I mount the road levers underneath the bar on the flat section, won't the levers bottom out against the bar?

Mike