Switching to Moustachios from drops?!?!

[Michael]

Anyone made the switch?

 

Seems like on every drop bar bike I dun rid, I just always feel too stretched out. Even with my 7cm shorty stem and flat ramps. Even knowing I have the correct frame sizes and have the bar above saddle height now.

On the tops, its always perfect. Hoods - feel too stretched out. Hooks/drops - fuggettabowdit .5 mile at a time at best, and that takes discipline.

 

I sit up at about 50 degrees when on the hoods.

 

So I was thinking of slapping a used moustache I have on the bike and trying that.

Maybe my 44 year old bones just don't like drops anymore.

Maybe i am being too persnicketty and am looking for absolute comfort, when there is no such thang on a bike?

 

 

Thoughts? Anyone made the switch?

 

The good part is it'll cost me exactly 0$ and 0 cents to try it. I can use the tape/levers/shifters from my current setup on the staches.

 

 

[Michael]

PS - will the staches help me sit more upright, or not?

[cyclotourist]

You'll be slightly more upright, but not hugely so. You may like them more with a shorter (1-2cm) stem. I point the ends down a bit, so the inner bends are close to horizontal.

For zero outlay, give 'em a try!

On Wed, Dec 5, 2012 at 9:58 PM, Michael <john1...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[dougP]

Michael:

The price is right.  Give it a try. 

I tried M'stache a while back but didn't care for them.  The front curve where the brake levers are typically mounted was too far away, and the back straight section made me turn my wrists at an awkward angle.  Others swear by them.  It's hard to predict about handlebars. 

As to persnicketiness, you should be reasonably comfortable, not feeling stretched or awkward.  As to "absolute comfort", well, it is a bike, not a barcalounger. 

dougP

[charlie]

I'll be offering my mustache bar,dirt drop stem & brake lever combo for sale soon since I'm going the other way toward drop bars. Haven't figured on a price yet but the bar and stem are Nitto with old school Dia Compe levers black hoods plus taped and twined so.......oh yea and cables.

On Wednesday, December 5, 2012 9:56:06 PM UTC-8, Michael wrote:

[Joe Bernard]

In my experience Moustache Bars take a shorter stem when switching from drops. At 7cm, you don't have much more shortening you can do. Also, with the same stem you won't be more upright than you were on the tops of dropbars. The Moustache has a drop from the stem. In your case it's free to try, so have at it, but you might want to consider something like an Albatross or North Road bar.

 

Joe Bernard

Vallejo, CA.

[Forrest]

Give it a go, Michael. I have the moustaches on my 58cm Atlantis and really like them. (Not more than the Noodles on my Roadeo, though.) If you're worried about too much "stretch-out" though, I would recommend trying a Dirt Drop stem. Here's a pic of my set-up (I hope):

[Ray Shine]

Not in my opinion. I did not care for 'stache bars at all. I use either alba's, or noodles with the interrupter brakes. I ride a lot in downtown traffic, and those bars provide the best positioning. I have one bike with the Jitensha flat bar that is good in traffic, too, but it has very limited hand placement options.

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From: Michael <john1...@gmail.com>
To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Wed, December 5, 2012 9:58:18 PM
Subject: [RBW] Re: Switching to Moustachios from drops?!?!

PS - will the staches help me sit more upright, or not?

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[Ron Mc]

with a long quill (Technomic), my moustache bars are an inch higher than my saddle.  With my prior drop bars, the top position was 2 inches below the saddle.  My old guy cervical strain problem is long gone now.  You will need a shorter stem (horizontal position) because the bars reach forward.  I went from a 120mm down to a 70mm stem.  Also moved my saddle forward about 25mm.   Note that you may be able to achieve the same height with just the tall quill and your drop bars.  But I do like the hand positions on the moustache bars better.  

On Wednesday, December 5, 2012 11:56:06 PM UTC-6, Michael wrote:

[Jeremy Till]

I doubt that moustache bars will help your reach problem, as they are fairly long reach bars themselves.  Most people (including grant?) say that if you're comfy with a certain stem length on drops, you'll need a ~2cm shorter stem to feel good on Moustaches.  Since you're already on a 7cm stem with drops, that might be a problem--not sure how easy it is to find 50cm technomics (did they even make them?). 

Part of the Rivendell Geometry is that their top tubes are on the long side.  Grant's justification is that a higher overall bar position allows you to reach further, and I think that works for some, but I've always found I prefer shorter top tubes even though I'm a big guy. 

My advice would be to try a short reach drop bar, something like the Soma Hwy One, which you can get in silver and 26.0mm, so you could drop it right into your existing technomic.  The Noodle, while having lots of real estate to rest your hands on, has on the flipside a relatively long reach and drop.

On Wednesday, December 5, 2012 9:56:06 PM UTC-8, Michael wrote:

[Peter Morgano]

Why not the Bosco bars, they have a good reach in the front and let you sit up nice and tall on the grips. I "borrowed" the setup of a fellow list member and did mine with interruptor levers and dia-compe nubs, lots o hand positions.

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[Ron Mc]

yes, they make 50 cm Technomic.  

[Steve Palincsar]

On Thu, 2012-12-06 at 05:30 -0800, Peter F wrote:
> At close to 44 in age, I too have grown less enamored of drop bars. I
> still have them on one old Motobecane, but I hardly ride it. When I
> tried mustaches, I was never terribly comfortable. Short distances and
> around town were fine, but anything longer and my wrists started
> getting numb.

I'd say your setup was all wrong.

[Forrest]

Maybe don't give up on drop bars totally. I have just started using Salsa's Cowbell 3 drop bar (on my Salsa Vaya Ti)  -- it is "short and shallow" and will take barcon shifters. I have the tops about 1.5" above my saddle height, and then riding in the drops has been become a good alternative position -- can go quite a ways in the drops. Of course on the hoods is a very comfy default position (for me).  -- FM (Iowa City)

On Wednesday, December 5, 2012 11:56:06 PM UTC-6, Michael wrote: