Northwestrider

It looks like on my wifes Surly LHT, we'll be switching to butterfly bars. Have any of you tried them? If so how well have they worked for you?

NeilGunton

Butterfly (or trekking) bars seem to work best on bikes with longer top tubes (or longer for your size), because they bring the hand position closer to you. They are nice because of the large number of hand positions, and more places to put stuff like bike computer and GPS. I have used Titec MTB bar end extensions to mount Third Eye bar end mirrors, for example:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/p...?pic_id=281733

I converted my new Rocky Mountain Sherpa to trekking bars when I purchased it (originally had drop bars). I thought I would prefer this setup, but I found that when I compared this to my Co-Motion Americano, which has drops, I preferred the drop bar setup for big climbs. The two bikes are sized differently, so it's hard to pin this completely on the handlebars, but somehow I found that I felt more tired with the trekking bars. Perhaps it's because the position is closer, and thus more upright. Also, I think my Sherpa is a bit too short in the top tube for trekking bars - I felt like I wanted a longer stem, but it's hard to find stems much longer than 120mm nowadays. I tried a 150mm Softride suspension stem, but that stem introduces other limitations due to the movement of the suspension. Point being, it's not a slam dunk - for any particular bike, the fit will be different and you may need to experiment to see what bar setup works best for you. Also, be prepared to try different stems - small differences in length and angle can make a big difference to your riding comfort.

If you go with trekking bars, then I have found the SRAM 1:1 Gripshift shifters work well there. I was even able to mount these on my drop-bar Americano, by using some hacked Titec MTB bar end extensions which I had filed down on the inside of the clamps to make them fit the wider diameter road drop bars. This setup seems to work very well so far - see this thread for a description:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/forum...read_id=185783

Overall I think handlebars are a personal preference, just like saddles. There's no one right or wrong choice, it's just whatever feels best for you. So experiment and play around with it - and make sure to include some nice big long hills in your test rides, as I have found that cranking a steep hill for an hour tends to bring out the differences more starkly than just going down the road and back.

Neil

Northwestrider

Thanks Neil, My wife has very small hands and finds it difficult to reach the brakes with Surly LHT drop bars. So for the increased hand positions allowed over a flat bar, we are set to give the butterfly bar a try. Butterfly bars are not to common here in the states, so I am searching for riders that have some experience with them such as yourself. Thanks again

sonatageek

I have been riding with them for the past few years and like them enough that I am building up a new Nashbar touring bike with them. I think the trick is to get the right length stem so the reach is good. I also fiddled with the angle of the bars a bit to get them just right. You can use grip shift or rapid fire shifters.

wonderbread

My wife has them on her Trek 7300 and I had them on my Trek Hybrid. I just put some Albatross bars on my Trek Hybrid to gain a bit of rise and a conversion to bar end shifters. My wife loves hers though. I will put my Trekking bars (butterfly bars) on another bike at some time.

azesty

I just oved to butterfly handlebars for my Surly LHT. I have done a few long day trips, and just got back from an overnight trip with 1600 m of climbing and 2500 m of descent.

The butterfly handlebars are well worth it

z

fietsbob

Have a set on my trekking bike , Ideal for me , because the bike has Hydraulic brakes
[only made for 7/8" tube bars] , would have to be straight mountain bars otherwise ,
and a Grip shifter, ditto the 22.2 tube requirement.

https://www.cyclofiend.com/working/20...clark1008.html

this is a fairly short , for me, top tube, But, as I usually grip the bars towards the side/front most of the time Its fine..

aggri1

I've got trekking/butterfly bars on my Surly too. Works great for me. I have Paul's Thumbies to shift with and some direct-pull caliper brakes. I tried various positions on the bars for the levers, eventually settling on what seems to be the standard mode that most people use (with all levers on the closest, flat part of the bars). I also put on some ergo-grips, they are really nice too.

I like all the hand positions, especially when climbing for hours in first gear going very very slowly.

I tried some slightly curved flat bars at some point; that looked really cool but made my hands hurt.

Cheers, A.

Northwestrider

Thanks for all of the info, it has made the decision a little easier. We will be giving the Butterfly a try.

yeamac 

I gave them a try after hearing all the good things about them. Didn't like them one bit.

Northwestrider

yeamac, why did you not like them?

fietsbob

seen setups where the bar was fairly vertical ,
so different handgrips are up and down ,
rather like drop bars rather than fore and aft..
so many set ups are possible.