Albastache more comfortable than the original road Moustache?

[Patrick Moore]

For the Dahon Hon Solo, which is a folder, on which a drop bar would make folding awkward, I think. (If anyone knows otherwise, please advise.) It presently has the original road model Moustache bar, which is better than a flat bar, but it still hurts my left hand very quickly.

How is the Albastache shape different from that of the original Moustache, and in y'all's experience, is it more comfortable than the original M?

And: what is the width at the middle of the curves? The Moustache measures about 40 cm here, and 52 at the ends. I know that the A measures 55 at the ends. 

Thanks.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nouvelle Mexique,  Vereinigte Staaten

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The point which is the pivot of the norm is the motionless center of a circumference on the contours of which all conditions, distinctions, and individualities revolve. Chuang Tzu

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It is we who change; He remains the same. Eckhart

Kinei hos eromenon. (It moves [all things] as the beloved.) Aristotle

[Deacon Patrick]

For me the Mustache is an hour bar , the New Moustache (aka Albastache) an all day, day in day out bar. Why? Wider and less aggressive. 

With abandon,

Patrick

[Joe Bernard]

Neither worked for me, so Deacon Patrick's experience is probably more valuable for you. The end-grip position is fine - it works much like an Alba or Choco - but that forward curve lands right in a soft spot in my palm that turns to tingle and pain after a half hour on either Moustache Bar. Me no likey.

[Ryan Fleming]

Hi Patrick

Pretty decent visual highlighting the difference here:

https://www.rivbike.com/collections/handlebars-stems/products/nitto-albastache-new-moustache-bar-26-0-16244 

Gives you some idea, hopefully

[drew]

i had og mustache on one bike, sold that bike and then put albastache on my hunq. cant say i noticed much difference, but there are so many other factors at play in my experience. i love the bars and resist putting them on all my bikes.  i will offer that i think position and stem length are important with either bar, similarly to drops. i had gotten used to upright sweepy back bars feeling fine on just about any stem/height/angle, and learned that stached ones need more a more refined fit. 

[Patrick Moore]

Thanks, all. I missed the comparo photo on the Riv site.

Well, since such comfort as I find on the original M bar is riding the hoods just inside of the curves, the A would give me a slightly wider stance, which is a plus, but the curves and the drop look pretty much the same, which is a minus. I guess what I'll do is scavenge a cheap drop bar and try it first, to see how well the H Solo folds with it. If that works, all well; if not, back to the search.

At least the M bar is more comfortable than the aggressive Ritchey bullhorns it replaced.

The Deacon's experience would weigh heavily on the "yes, try it!" side, but still, those curves ...

[Christopher Murray]

How about inverting the mustache hbars? Might be worth a try.

I have a pair of the no-longer-carried-by-Riv Nitto Dove bars that seem like they'd be great for the H' Solo (I had one just like it).

Cheers!
Chris

[Patrick Moore]

Thanks, Christopher. I (very briefly) tried M bars upside down, and they just didn't work; notably, the brake (road style) levers just didn't fit properly.

I haven't had much luck with any "North Road"-type bar, either upright or inverted. Upright I can never get my body comfortable; inverted, that is, rather low and extended, they hurt my left palm. The M bar is the best "sweep-back" bar I've used, and it is marginally acceptable.

How did you like your Solo?

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[Christopher Murray]

I loved the look of the Solo and bought it on a whim for a good price. Never really rode it, moved it around the country with me before finally finding it a good home in NM ;).

Cheers!
Chris

[Patrick Moore]

.... umm: was it you from whom I bought mine?

(Squirm, squirm, blush.)

Patrick "short term memory shot" Moore

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[Garth]

I would only add that an Albatross type bar with a long top tube and long stem is different than bike with shorter TT . Plus mtb brake levers inhibit hand position variety, inverted ones do not. Also the curve on the 55 Alba is different than the original 56, I have both and on top of each other you can tell.  Most people choose it for upright riding but that depends on the frame, you can ride long and low with them but it takes a certain frame to do so.  Anyways, I take it the Solo is a short TT bike so of course such a bar would not be ideal for the extension you prefer.  The Albastache may work "better" but how much who knows. 

   What about road TT bars ?  Or those touring butterfly type bars , you could chop off any unwanted parts ?  The kind that extend out , look at all the types at SJS for example ...https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/handlebars-other/?geoc=US

On Friday, January 13, 2017 at 6:16:24 PM UTC-5, Patrick Moore wrote:

Thanks, Christopher. I (very briefly) tried M bars upside down, and they just didn't work; notably, the brake (road style) levers just didn't fit properly.

I haven't had much luck with any "North Road"-type bar, either upright or inverted. Upright I can never get my body comfortable; inverted, that is, rather low and extended, they hurt my left palm. The M bar is the best "sweep-back" bar I've used, and it is marginally acceptable.

How did you like your Solo?

On Fri, Jan 13, 2017 at 4:11 PM, Christopher Murray <chrispm...@gmail.com> wrote:

How about inverting the mustache hbars? Might be worth a try.

I have a pair of the no-longer-carried-by-Riv Nitto Dove bars that seem like they'd be great for the H' Solo (I had one just like it).

Cheers!
Chris

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[Patrick Moore]

Good points. I think that the effective or "virtual" top tube is not too much shorter than the 56-57 that I like, but of course there is no stem extension (tho' I've yet to install a new to me device that sits between steerer mast clamp and bar, and provides another 7-8 cm of extension). 

I've thought, if not of a trekking bar, of a narrow AT 2/3/4, but even with these, and certainly with trekking bars, as far as I can tell, the extension comes at the wide part of the bar; I like bars that are narrow in the hoods or equivalent position.

I suppose I should just stop nattering about this and either try some drops or just ride as is.

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[Christopher Murray]

No worries. I only remember bc you are in Albu and a friend is a doctor at UNM.

The trekking style bars could be an option (as suggested). I've always found them a little awkward with the higher part further away from you and the lower part closer. I always felt like I was steering a car more than riding a bike. That said, I used them on several 500+ multi-day, unsupported tours. I have a pair in the bin if you are interested-- I believe they are Nashbar.

Cheers!
Chris

[Christopher Murray]

One last bit...

How about some good ole fashioned straight mountain bars and maybe bar ends? I have straight bars on my Brompton and love it.

Chris

[Patrick Moore]

Thanks for the offer and for the suggestion. Bar ends and trekking bars all share the same feature: the forward position is also the wide position, and these bars are always too wide for my comfort.

Back 20 years ago, when I had real mountain bikes, I'd cut 50 mm off each end of my bar before installing the bar ends. Then I switched to drop bars.

I think that I'll scare up a drop bar and try that, both with and without this extension thingie I recently got from JB on this list. If they don't complicate folding too much, then voila. If they do, then too bad. Of all the many, many alternatives to the drop bar that I've ridden, the M bar is one of the least bad -- for my idiosyncracies, of course.

Isn't it interesting how the drop bar is one of the oldest styles continually available throughout its history? There's gotta be a reason.

Chris

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[Joe Bernard]

Patrick, assuming your steering mast folds to the outside of the frame (I'm pretty sure yours does) you'll have the same fold, but the dropbar will create a wider folded package at the base. It'll be an issue with stuffing it into really cramped spaces, but if you mainly use the fold as a space saver in the house, it won't be a major difference. In that situation I sometimes leave the mast up anyway, and just fold the frame in half.

[Max S]

Jitensha bar?.. not many positions but they're somehow more natural. Or a Jones Loop Bar?..

[Patrick Moore]

Thanks, Max. Before fiddling with this any further, I'm just going to borrow a drop bar and see how that affects folding. If it works, fine. If not, more nattering. With my new to me stem clamp extension, the Jitensha may be alright; I'll just have to accept the reality that this will be a short distance bike.

On Sat, Jan 14, 2017 at 10:07 AM, Max S <msh...@gmail.com> wrote:

Jitensha bar?.. not many positions but they're somehow more natural. Or a Jones Loop Bar?..

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[Bill in Roswell GA]

Patrick, FWIW, I just put Jitensha bars on an old Trek Elance 400 to make it a short run bike. Like you, I like that it's flat, no rise. I like the sweep, puts wrist in a natural position. Grip area has just enough room for city levers, not for Paul bar shifters.

Really like the position, same level as top of drops, just a bit of forward lean to get weight on sit bones. There are bars w longer grip area but this was experimental, not ready to drop a lot of cash on it.

Cheers
Bill

[Bill in Roswell GA]

[Patrick Moore]

Thanks, Bill. I'd be interested in seeing a photo of your stem/bar/brake setup, if you care to post one.

The shape looks "natural" but I fear that, on the Dahon with its extensionless bar mast, the Jitensha would sit too close to the bar and thus hurt my hand more than less. I find that I need a certain reach to be comfortable.

In fact, plan soon to install the extender made for Dahon masts to put the M bar a bit further out. We'll see how that works.

Bill

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[Ron Mc]

I have the wider version of the Jitensha bars, Ahearne Map bars - they're only longer in the grip section - otherwise, the shape is identical.  

After about 100mi, I had the bar rotation perfect for completely relaxed hands, no matter long the ride.  Really like them.  

[Ron Mc]

ps - on my other bike I have moustache bars, and I'm a total fan, but they have to be set up right and you have to put your hands in the right places.  

[Jeremy Tavan]

I have the Ahearne MAP bars on my Kogswell, combined with a long (120mm) stem. I find that it works beautifully with my shoulder/arm shape for a somewhat aggressive but very comfortable position on the grips, plus a nice second position on the forward curves that still allows access to the brake levers. I'm using comically-long 4-finger brake levers and it's super.

/Jeremy

[masmojo]

Rode my XO-1 with Moustache bars for 20+ years and as much as I loved them, they were never perfect. I always wished they were a little wider & the curve a little less dramatic (especially close to the stem). The Albastache solves both of these issirs, so to me it's about a close to perfect as possible. My main challenge now is to not put them on every bike I own. Personally, I no longer have a use for the original moustache, so complete is the refinement that it renders the original obsolete.
Not sure how that helps you on you application though.

[Matt B.]

I like OG mustaches because they are narrower.  I'm also most comfortable on 42cm Noodles for drop bars, the 44s feel just slightly too wide.  With original mustaches it's key to position the levers so the tips of the hoods are about ~12-12.5cm apart.

[masmojo]

As far as lever position goes, that would vary somewhat on the levers being used I guess. To me I position them so that when my hands are just back on the forward portion of the "flats" that my forefinger can just hook over the curve at the bottom of the brake lever. This insures that the brakes are accessible from most hand positions on the bar & works good regardless of lever model.