Hunqa/Sam Handlebars

[Tim]

Opinion time, everyone. I need advice. I have a 58cm Hunqa ordered and am trying to figure out the bars to use. I will ride it mostly on single track here in Kansas City (some paved path riding and some road, maybe eventually touring, although I have my Homer too.) Believe it or not, we actually have some pretty challenging and technical (at least for me, a 51 year old road rider) trails here. I rode one last night that was super rocky and went down a time or two on the old Specialized Rockhopper I'm on now. So, I built a Sam with M'stache bars for my girlfriend and they aren't working out for her so I'm switching to Alba's or Bosco's for her, thus have the M'stache just hanging around. I'll probably switch her 8cm Dirt Drop stem too, so it's available. So I'm thinking of using those on the Hunqa. the other option is the Bullmoose, which I think look absolutely fantastic on the Hunqa, but I'm worried about a lack of hand positions (to which Brian suggested Bosco Bullmoose, although I'm leery about them, both looks and functionality on  the hard riding trails.) The Specialized has flat bars and they get my hands really, really numb (admittedly the bike is too small and the bars too low.) I guess my worry about the M'stache is the distance from the bar end shifters to the brakes on really challenging sections of trail where I want access to shifters and brakes a lot (maybe that's just me worrying too much.) So, basically, the question is M'stache, Bullmoose or BoscoMoose. So, what say y'all?

[fulf]

I vote for the bullmoose. I ride a 54 cm Hunqapillar with bullmoose bars and absolutely love them. They make the bike easy to control and provide a comfortable ride. There are times when I'd like more hand positions but they are few. Riding into a headwind I've been able to find a hand position at the bend of the bar. Not for long riding, but it does make me more aerodynamic. Can't go wrong with the bullmoose on a Hunqapillar!

[René Sterental]

I second either Bullmoose bars or Bosco Bullmoose for the technical riding. The first will five you a more traditional MTB-like handling and the second for more general versatility.

 I've ridden my 58 Hunqapillar with both and actually prefer the Bosco Bullmoose for general riding but haven't tackled really technical stuff with them. For regular singletrack the Bosco Bullmoose are awesome. 

René 

--
Sent from Gmail Mobile

[Joe Bernard]

Moustache Bars are notoriously hard to recommend/warn-away because everyone has a different reaction to them..usually an extreme one. It's been many years ago now, but I rode technical singletrack with those bars on an XO-3 and liked it. You have the braking position, then the spot further back for climbing. I don't recall struggling to get to the shifters, but I had many miles of use with this setup before I took it off road. I imagine learning Moustache Bars on singletrack would be a challenge.

 

Joe Bernard

Vallejo, CA.

[charlie]

I have mustache bars on my Sam and like them fine. I use older Suntour bar end levers because they stick out less.They might be an option for you or you could put the shift levers by the brakes using Paul thumbies or those inexpensive friction MTB levers. I prefer the mustache bars because of the option to use the strong braking position and the handshake grip at the end of the bar. I don't like Alba's for off road due to the weaker hand position when braking. For real rough stuff you need a Bullmoose , mustache or similar bar that puts your braking position in that stable position behind the bar.
When the trail gets bumpy its difficult to hang on and brake at the same time which you do quite often in those conditions. For smooth trails and fire roads any bar is fine.

[Thomas Lynn Skean]

I love the wrist orientation of the Albatross/Bosco/Moustache for my riding. I occasionally hit unexpectedly rough patches of trail and can deal with that just fine.

But if I were regularly encountering terrain at least as tricky as that to here's no question what kind of bar I'd prefer: Bullmoose.

An important question is: can you get comfortable with the limited range of

[Thomas Lynn Skean]

...oops... continuing....

...limited range of positioning imposed by having a short (i.e. not tall) stem and only two extensions to choose from in the realm of the Nitto RBW Bullmoose.

(I confess I'm confused as to the intent of the Boscomoose bar. I love my Bosco (58cm HT Al, not -moose). It is flexier than other bars, though. So maybe it's a way of appealing to people who don't want the flex. Personally, I'm fine with it; it's well within my comfort zone. I've come to like it because it provides a different feel. I'd imagine the 55cm CrMo variety addresses anyone's flex concerns. But is the Boscomoose intended to be a "rough stuff" bar like the Bullmoose? That just strikes me as odd given the bar''s general shape.)

Yours,
Thomas Lynn Skean

[Earl Grey]

If you would consider a non-Nitto, I have found the Jones H-bar (I
have the Titec version) to be the bee's knees for technical single-
track.

Jones website showing hand positions towards the bottom:
http://www.jonesbikes.com/h-bar.html;
Titec licensed copy on my Fisher Sphinx:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gernothuber/6874833392/

I have never liked standard mtn bike bars, and thus rode single-track
for years with road drop bars, because that is what I like on the
road. The Jones H-bar, however, has greatly improved my ability to
ride technical single track. Standard hand position is even more
angled than the bullmoose, but with a couple of extra hand positions
thrown in. If you want to limit it to the three bars you mentioned,
I'd give the moustache a try (have wanted to try them off-road myself,
but can't get them high enough on my off-road bike), but my guess is
that the bullmoose gives you the most control, if the hand position is
angled enough for you.

Cheers,

Gernot
Thailand

On Jun 30, 7:36 pm, Thomas Lynn Skean <thomaslynnsk...@comcast.net>
wrote:

[Marc Irwin]

If you are going to use the Hunq for anything besides single tracking, I would recommend the Bosco Bullmoose.  You will get more variety in your positions for long days on the road, and there is plenty of room to set up the shifters and levers anyway you would need.

Marc