Can anyone recommend a quality trekking handlebar that would be available in the U.S.?

My 18 year old son is planning on a 750+ trip this summer on his Trek 7.3 bicycle. He would like to get more hand positions than his straight MTB bar. He has looked at images of the trekking (butterfly) handle bars, and how various people have configured them on their bikes. He likes what he has seen, and thinks it is more what he is looking for, as compared to “just adding” bar ends. (He also does not want to go with drop handlebars on the 7.3.)

As an FYI, while he would love a full "touring bike" like the Surley LHT, but money is limited, so he is going to have to "make do" with his current bike.

The $25 ones are coming from Taiwan sources many distributors To Bike shops have that bar available .. surely In Milwaukee, they can supply them , if not Madison.

European ones may need to be imported at Retail. Handlebars - Other products from SJS Cycles

I was surprised how cheap the general style is compared to high dollar stuff that's available. I just went for something from China, I figure that's where most easily available in the US start from anyway.....(yes I am aware of the Euro stuff).

I liked the way that the top section and the ends of these are angled to match the MTB bars that I like:

$34 Chinese "Trekking" Bars via eBarf

Most of the ones that I see have the ends and the tops that seem to run perpendicular to the centerline of the bike, light straight flat bars.

I haven't put them on yet......no problems at all with quality and they are lighter than I thought they would be.'

Hard to beat the pricing on the Nashbar Trekking bars. And, they work well! Nashbar Trekking Mountain Bike Handlebar

+ 1.

+1 on the Nasbar bars. Using them for several years on 2 bikes, never a problem. Look into the long gel pads that they have to put under the bar tape.

I love my Jones H-Bars. Have one on a Surly Disc Trucker and one on a Surly Ogre. I will be touring on the Disc Trucker this summer. I'm somewhat older than your son. Well, alot older actually and I like to sit up and look around rather than bend over and the Jones H-Bar allow that for me. Attached is a pic. Check them out. A little pricey I might add.
Marlowe

I have the Jones 710 aluminum HBar ($125) on a Big Dummy that I use primarily for bike camping. Since this picture was taken, I found that I could get very 'aero' by gripping the center of the front bar with both hands, so I moved the light to the rear of the loop where I also added grip tape to rest my wrists on...my aero position is now nearly as low as when I'm on my road bike when in the drops.

There is a slightly narrower 660 available too for $120. I bought the 710 because the BD is a large bike, but the feels like its almost too wide for basic touring, so the 660 might have been the more appropriate purchase. Its probably better suited to mountain use where more leverage might be necessary.



Keith

I've had a set of those laying around for several years, just have never got around to using them. I use a layer of wrapped inner tube under the tape in the areas that I use most. Has anyone tried both to compare the two? I am especially concerned if the gel pads create a problem on a cold winter morning.

I have double wrapped my trekking bars , new Padded foam tape over the old..

On my Road bike , I retaped the bars with Fizik gel pad and tape set . It is very Nice .for the slender wrap..

Universal Cycles -- Fizik Gel Perforated Micro Handlebar Tape

They're target market is Drop bars , so for others You may have to buy a couple sets.

Universal Cycles -- Fizik Under Tape Gel Pads different density https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...0&category=840

It is a bent metal bar for Pete's sake. I doubt a "quality" bar is going to be any better than the $25 Nashbar bars which are excellent.

As far as an affordable touring bicycle, take a look at the Jamis Aurora. You should be able to get into one for around $1000 US. Less if you don't want upgrades but IMHO the Aurora is geared too high for a touring bike. I was able to get the bike shop to swap out most components one for one but one or two I had to purchase out right.

BTW I have a FX with trekking bars and I really hate it. I now ride my Aurora on tours and on local trails. He might want to ride a couple of hundred miles with the bars before setting out on his tour.

I looked at those several times several times before deciding on "butterfly" trekking bars. I thought that the idea was to provide multiple, as opposed to a different, hand positions. I dearly love my bar ends on my MTB bars and use them quite often. I was thinking that the trekking bars would take this idea of several positions to a new level.

The pictures that I have seen of the H-Bars, including the two in this thread, always seem to have grips, tape or whatever to hang on to in a single place. Not meaning to seem harsh, I don't see this as an advantage. It does look cool and provide and excellent location for lights and other accessories. Am I missing something?

That Aurora looks like one of the best deals that I've seen in an off the shelf touring bike. The chainrings seem to be a common and popular tooth count and with a lower ratio cassette and maybe chain the whole thing could roll out the door under a grand. Nice.

Maybe? I guess it depends on what kind of different grip positions you are looking for. I can sit upright and hold on to the ergo grips. I can sit upright with a close grip on the rear loop to open my chest while climbing. I can shift my grip to the front loop to take weight off my butt, or drop really low and go 'aero' (in which case the tape on the rear loop is only to provide a little extra padding for my wrists). I can do the former two with straight bars, but I could never drop low or go aero for any length of time without tiring my triceps.

Edit: From Jones website:



Keith

The nashbars has been around longer than most. The thing about it is that it has several hand positions but because of the figure of 8 configuration, some of them are to the rear of the bar clamp. For most MTB riders the top length is already too short. Of course if you want to shorten your reach, then you are ready to go.

In general while trekking bars sound like they are designed to do something serious, they mostly just offer multiple bad hand positions. Ergonomically the most comfortable positions are with the palm facing about 8-9 o'clock where a handshake with the right hand would be 9 o'clock. But personal preference is the key, so a shake out cruise would be useful.

No, you have it. Trekking bars with a single set of grips meet the needs of people who have heard they should have multiple hand positions on a touring bike, but want to avoid bending at the middle no mater what.

The earliest ones were like a race track oval, with a missing straight away. They were usually outfitted with foam all around, except at the clamp. Most trekking bars are a study in how not to make a bar, and most of the positions are un-ergo, and even higher drag. If you look at the SJS offerings, you can see that the most advanced models are trying as hard to escape as they can, with convoluted sections to address the too short; too pronated; too few positions rap. But then they bump into other problems like too many hard transitions. The best trekking bars are like a blend of two Jones', and one set of bar ends, which is pretty good.

The great thing about drops is there are positions riding all the way down the bar, and for the most part, they retain reach; avoid pronation; created real changes in aero for when you need them.

I just went with a smaller granny. Hindsight I should have probably swapped out all 3. It worked out well as far as shifting but I am rarely using the largest ring and a better combination of chain rings might be an advantage.

I swapped out the cassette too along with a mountain bike derailleur to take advantage of the longer cage.

101 .. what comes in the bike box does not have to stay as it was.

My Italian ITM 'freetime' Trekking bars are less wide than The Nashbar ROC ones , FWIW