Alternative Handlebars!
#53
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i have tried the Marys and they are very comfortable and natural feeling, excellent all around. I had them on my SS mtn bike for a long time, then decided i couldn't climb well enough standing compared to straight bars+bar ends. I had them on my SS commuter also. excellent except for standing climb. if i had gears, i could sit & spin, and they are perfect for that. overall excellent.
also had some steel h-bars made up(Jones Ti H-bar is outa my price range) and love 'em for offroad and commuting.
now whenever i ride a friend's bike with straight or drop bars...it feels odd and awkward, unstable even.
also had some steel h-bars made up(Jones Ti H-bar is outa my price range) and love 'em for offroad and commuting.
now whenever i ride a friend's bike with straight or drop bars...it feels odd and awkward, unstable even.
#54
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Just noticed this on this post. These Trekking Bars are nice, now thinking of getting a set 

Damn !!! Piggy banks empty


Damn !!! Piggy banks empty

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I have straight handlebars on my mountain bike. Now that the weather is improving I will be going on longer rides and I want to be able to move to a more upright position periodically. However, I didn't want to buy new handlebars right now so I repositioned the bar ends. It's working out well, I like them in the new position. I will be ordering some cork tape from Amazon to put on them.
#56
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I love my trekking bars.
#57
Uber Goober
On another website, someone pointed out this site:
https://www.theliberator.be/militarybicycles.htm
And I asked "Where do you get handlebars like that" and the answer is: Here:
https://www.memorylane-classics.com/i...WWII%20NOS.JPG
I actually did order a set of those handlebars, I haven't put them on a bike yet, and haven't tried to confirm measurements.
https://www.theliberator.be/militarybicycles.htm
And I asked "Where do you get handlebars like that" and the answer is: Here:
https://www.memorylane-classics.com/i...WWII%20NOS.JPG
I actually did order a set of those handlebars, I haven't put them on a bike yet, and haven't tried to confirm measurements.
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"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."
"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."
#58
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Any bar that can take bar end levers is a huge plus to me . Here's a Nitto Alabatross.

#60
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One thing to check for when choosing a bar is the type of stem you have. Some of the current bars require a open face stem as the bends in many modern bars are too sharp to allow installation in some old style quill stems w/o the removable faceplate. On older bikes this could require stem replacement to fit the new handlebar. Just something to keep in mind and check for.
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#61
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I'd like a wider North Road bar, mostly because I am wider than most people, and it would be more comfortable. I've even thought about the Pyramid mustache bars, sold on Amazon, and mounted to rise, not drop. These come in steel and alloy, silver and black. I prefer black, because the fenders, bars, levers, racks on the bike are black. I suspect I'll settle for a Dimension Wide Cruiser bar.
Last edited by Fat Tire; 04-28-10 at 02:48 PM.
#62
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I have the Midge on a Dean Cross bike that I commute on. I like it a lot. I did try using a short Titec 80mm and 50 degree ride stem at first, but ended up with a Salsa 90mm 30d degrre rise stem. I use the Cane Creek road brakes and find that the angled hoods are very comfortable to ride on and use the brakes from. Also have cross-top levers, and bar-con shifters. Comfy. This is not a lightweight set-up though.
I saw some similar bar by Salsa called the Woodchipper that is worthy of a look. Maybe the Salsa's are lighter and not as stiff? The Midge bar is very stout and if a good yanking is needed on the drops in a climb, they hold tight. The woodchipper has long looking grip area on the bottom, which could be very nice to have, as long as they don't hit you in the thigh. But they might be too long for bar-con shifters? The Midge is short on this grip area, which gives good thigh clearance, and the bar-cons add the bit of room that is needed.
I saw some similar bar by Salsa called the Woodchipper that is worthy of a look. Maybe the Salsa's are lighter and not as stiff? The Midge bar is very stout and if a good yanking is needed on the drops in a climb, they hold tight. The woodchipper has long looking grip area on the bottom, which could be very nice to have, as long as they don't hit you in the thigh. But they might be too long for bar-con shifters? The Midge is short on this grip area, which gives good thigh clearance, and the bar-cons add the bit of room that is needed.
#63
Lost Again
Great thread, Thanks for resurrecting this gem.
I love nothing better than a bargain.
FWIW, I have the Wald Promenade type (steel) bars on my wife's old Schwinn ballooner. Nice bars, but not my cuppa, however she likes them.
Also just got the Pyramid (Sunlite) Alloy Northroads bar. I was shocked by the quality, and quite favorably. Very nice finish, for very little money. It's on a old Raleigh that's my wanna be Rivendell. Under $15 too. Plenty of room for grips, brakes, shifter, and a bell to boot.
I love nothing better than a bargain.
FWIW, I have the Wald Promenade type (steel) bars on my wife's old Schwinn ballooner. Nice bars, but not my cuppa, however she likes them.
Also just got the Pyramid (Sunlite) Alloy Northroads bar. I was shocked by the quality, and quite favorably. Very nice finish, for very little money. It's on a old Raleigh that's my wanna be Rivendell. Under $15 too. Plenty of room for grips, brakes, shifter, and a bell to boot.
#64
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My '06 Cannondale Road Warrior had a zero rise flat bar and Shimano rapid fire shifters. I added Ergon GP-1 grips and Cane Creek Ergo Control II bar ends to get more hand positions, but that still wasn't enough for me, I would still get some numbness in my hands on relatively longer rides (30-40 miles).
Ultimately, I switched over to Nitto Moustache bars and got several hand positions and a slightly more stretched out/areo (albeit comfortable) position. I did have to get new brake levers and bar end shifters, but I was planning on a drive train upgrade anyway so it was a win-win as far as I am concerned. It did take a while to get the brake lever position where I wanted it. Overall, I'm glad I made the bar swap.
Ultimately, I switched over to Nitto Moustache bars and got several hand positions and a slightly more stretched out/areo (albeit comfortable) position. I did have to get new brake levers and bar end shifters, but I was planning on a drive train upgrade anyway so it was a win-win as far as I am concerned. It did take a while to get the brake lever position where I wanted it. Overall, I'm glad I made the bar swap.

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Mystery Handlebars
Love looking at the pics!!
Can anyone tell me who makes these handlebars? Looks a lot like Nitto Promenade, but accepts bar end shifters which Promenade can't do. I plan to tweak my Cross Check and these bars might do nicely. I really want bar enders. I found this pic on a blog called Jewish City Chick.
Thanks.
Cross Check Bars..jpg
Can anyone tell me who makes these handlebars? Looks a lot like Nitto Promenade, but accepts bar end shifters which Promenade can't do. I plan to tweak my Cross Check and these bars might do nicely. I really want bar enders. I found this pic on a blog called Jewish City Chick.
Thanks.
Cross Check Bars..jpg
#67
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Still looking for the answer
Norman F - You're right...does look like 603.b. But the 603.b supposedly does not accept bar end shifters and that picture shows them. Anyone else have an idea on what these are?
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Looks like wald
Another thing to note is that most aluminum bars that do no accept bar end shifters can be modified to do so by drilling out some aluminum near the end of the bar for the bar-end shifter to fit in.
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The Dimension bars are the widest Aluminum bars I have seen, and I DO like wide bars. Amazon sells them as well as the source mentioned above (by itsmoot).
Last edited by Fat Tire; 04-28-10 at 03:09 PM.
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Question for users of alternative style handlebars. (donnamb has heard my question in Women's forum.) Are any of them narrow enough for a woman's shoulder width (16-17") and compatible with a Giant Suede, with SRAM MRX 7-speed twist shifters? Right now it looks like my grips, grip shifter and brake levers take up about 7" of space on the right side. Thanks.
Last edited by Fat Tire; 04-28-10 at 03:20 PM. Reason: Added more words, to explain better.
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Thanks to this thread I finally figured out what bars are on my girlfriends Mixte. I knew they didn't look like the Sparrows. They are the Soma 3 speeds.


I want to convince her to put this on her bike, but she doesn't want a front basket... Then again she didn't want different bars either and now she's in love with them...
https://www.amazon.com/Wald-139-Bicyc...2673913&sr=8-2


I want to convince her to put this on her bike, but she doesn't want a front basket... Then again she didn't want different bars either and now she's in love with them...
https://www.amazon.com/Wald-139-Bicyc...2673913&sr=8-2
#73
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lovin' the sparrows!!!!!!


I finally found these after trying several differ mustache bars and old cruiser bars. I hate mustcahe bars, they bend where I want to hold and the wide position is too far out. On the sparrows, i just "slide" right into the cockpit. I an just as comfortable in the bends as I am on the ends. Great bar! Great "cafe racer" look/feel. I use them for commuting.
....wonder if they can be used offroad?


I finally found these after trying several differ mustache bars and old cruiser bars. I hate mustcahe bars, they bend where I want to hold and the wide position is too far out. On the sparrows, i just "slide" right into the cockpit. I an just as comfortable in the bends as I am on the ends. Great bar! Great "cafe racer" look/feel. I use them for commuting.
....wonder if they can be used offroad?
#74
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I just got myself a VO Porteur bar, very narrow but I find it quite comfortable and versatile. I got my other half the Nitto Dove Bar from Rivendell and love that too! Want to try out the albatross and moustache next =)
#75
Senior Member
The Albatross will accept bar-end whatever-you-like, but the bars in question to not appear to be Albatross bars. I have a set of Albatross bars and love them, but they do not come all the way parallel to the top tube, the way the pictured bars seem to. They also have much less rise, and they bend slightly forward of the clamp before swooping back. I don't know what the bars pictured are, but I'm fairly certain they're not Albatross bars.