All arounder Handlebar recommendations GO!

[drew]

I have a sam and a hunqapillar. sam had mustache bars, hunq had albatross. Then the hunq got albastache and the sam got the old albatross bars because I figured it was silly to have 2 bikes with similar bars. Long story short, the albatross bars on the sam feel way too upright for my liking (and sam is my "roadyish" bike). I'm aware of all the nitto/riv models, but what do people like for an all around bar?

Looking for a couple hand positions, not fully upright, faster feeling bar, mostly road riding with a little dirt. Solo, all purpose/no purpose rides.
I haven't ridden drops since a fixed gear bike got me into bikes (and away from fixed gears). I'm not super excited about drops but am somewhat curious about the low rise dirt drop style bars. What's out there that I should be considering?

[dstein]

Oooh, this is gonna get a lot of responses I bet. 

Honestly, the albastache's for me have been the overall best so far, for multipurpose riding as they give an upright position and aggressive aero position (with the big drawback being that the brake levers are not in your hands for the upright bar end position). But like drop bars, albastaches are pretty dependent on stem length and height (whereas abatross, bosco's, and other upright bars are less so).  That being said, I no longer have the albastache's on any of my bikes. 

I still like drop bars for fast road riding and run them on my main road bike: nothing beats the flat parts and brake hoods for cruising. I'm currently running Jones Loop bars on my mountain bike and like them a lot more than albastache and bullmoose for trail riding, and am really getting into them for road riding too, but they are 31.8 so if you have a threaded steerer you need an adapter which isn't ideal. 

I hear the Ahearne Map bars are a really good all rounder. I may end up replacing my jones with map bars next. 

Handlebars are the cheaper and more fun way to change your bike without having to pay for a new bike. I like experimenting with different setups.

[Joe Bernard]

Have you tried Albatross flipped over? I have them that way on my Bike Friday and like it.

[ant ritchey]

my shoulders/anatomy feel a little pinched on the jitensha's, but I see where they'd work for folks.  i'm a six foot four broad shouldered bloke.

i just swapped albatross for ahearne maps on my "all rounder" (atlantis), the bike on which i'm about to do this oregon outback thing i've heard so much about, so we'll see.

i've been comfy and pleased with the albatross for many years, many miles, many types of roads and riding.  and i'd never sell them.  get noodles high enough and they're pretty all-roundish, especially if yer sam is roady-ish.

On Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at 7:45:35 PM UTC-7, drew wrote:

[Ron Mc]

Since it came up, I'll throw in here.  The Jitensa (Nitto B2522), Ahearne MAP bar, and One One Mary are all the shape bar (based on the Jones H-bar), listed from narrowest to widest.  My Ahearne MAP bars are 615 mm.  Jitensa, 575mm; MAP available in 615mm and also 575mm; and Mary bar 645mm.  

http://oldglorymtb.com/round-up-alternative-or-alt-mountain-bike-handlebars/  

    

I built a very upright bike, though I can certainly lean into it.  Even though I used grips with no wrap, I do have two grip positions, hooking just inside the cork with knuckles against the shifter (my normal), and a rest position by reaching out wider on the grips.  

I don't need more - I regularly ride up to 50 mi, and have been over 65.  

While we have a tendency to lean on the bars, we're really not supposed to - that's what creates cervical strain/injury and at least part of hand numbness.  

Should be supporting our torso with our core muscles.  

That said, the shape of these bars makes for very natural hand position, though it did take me about 200 mi to dial in the tilt just right.  But after that, no hand numbness on any ride of any length.  

[Matthew J]

I'm with Ron.  That bike is as all round as it gets for me.

[Ron Mc]

Thanks Matthew - I built this bike for a 10-20 mi city greenway ride, but I can't leave it alone and my other bikes are getting lonely.  

[Rod Holland]

Just to be contrary, I'll through Noodles into the mix. I find they give me a very comfortable range of upright positions, as well as some very useful more aggressive ones.

rod

[Patrick Moore]

Maes Parallel. The Compass ones are the best but VO ones are half the price. I have them on both Rivs and on the Fargo. Long reach, low rise, excellent for firm dirt, beautiful ramps.

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[Ron Mc]

the (former?) Riveldell Mark's bar,  Nitto 177,  is a shorter-reach noodle.  My daughter has noodles with cross brakes (interruptors) on her road bike, and the downward slope, opposite of a rando bar, makes for a perfect cross grip position.  

[drew]

thanks all. 

im not entirely opposed to drops. if it wasnt a whole other can of worms and didnt require a different sized stem and brake levers, i'd probably try noodles before anything else.. and may still be convinced that that is the way to go.  the jitensa shape makes sense in my mind, and would be a cheaper swap. 

[David Banzer]

The Jitensha bar is 26.0mm clamp, so unless you have a 26.0mm stem with a shim to 25.4mm for the Albatross bars, you'll need a different stem.
David
Chicago

[Hudson Doerge]

I have jones bend bars on my mtb and really like them. Would definitely consider them for an all rounder setup. And the bend bars are cheaper than loop or cut jones bars. The map/ahearne bar looks awesome for a more road oriented, narrower alternative to the jones and it comes in a quill stem friendly clamp diameter.

Hudson in ATX

[Ron Mc]

Ahearne MAP bar is 25.4 mm clamp, and available in same width as Jitensa (575), and wider (615).  http://www.ahearnecycles.com/shop/ahearnemap-handlebar

[RJM]

Well, I personally think drops are where it's at for an all around bar, especially on a bike that has canti posts and allows some serious braking. Nitto Noodles work well as an all around bar with really comfortable hand positions.

 

Now, I will say I really liked the Nitto mustache bars I used on a Jamis Aurora. They gave a few hand positions and you could get yourself down into a more aggressive position with holding the bends too. I've had Albatross bars and those are good for a bike that I'm not going to try to "perform" on.

 

For mountain biking I still like a flat bar (my mountain bike is a newer Trek fuel ex, so it's not rivy at all). The flat bars seem to give enough leverage where I can move that front wheel around obstacles with authority. I'm not a great, graceful mountain biker, so the extra "authority" is often needed.

 

So...All around I would go with Noodles...my go fast Roadeo has Mark's bars which I like a lot....getting more into the dirt and trail riding I would opt for something like a mustache bar.

[Jim Bronson]

On Wed, Oct 14, 2015 at 9:14 AM, Ron Mc <bulld...@gmail.com> wrote:

Riveldell Mark's bar,  Nitto 177

177 is the Noodle model number.  Mark's Bar is Nitto 178, and from the description on Rivendell's page, sounds like it was developed from the 185.

http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/hb6.htm

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[Ron Mc]

thanks Jim, I knew there was a difference with the Mark's bar having shorter reach.  I tried to find it on Alex and picked the wrong one.  

[hangtownmatt]

Drew,

Take a look at the Surly Open Bar:

http://surlybikes.com/parts/handlebars/open_bar

I choose the "zero rise" version for my Sam.  It has three solid hand positions which allow me to ride both upright and stretched out.  I installed this bar as a temporary solution and haven't looked back.  It's been over two years and the Noodles are just hanging up in the garage.  If  black doesn't float your boat than just wrap them with the tape and color of your choice.

Matt

On Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at 7:45:35 PM UTC-7, drew wrote:

[Michael Rivers]

https://flic.kr/p/pCbcz8

VO Tourist on the left, Nitto Noodle on the right. Both very comfortable. Silver goes a bit faster than the blue so I picked handlebars to match.

[Matthew J]

No experience with the bar, but while looking over the JonesBike site for what's new, I noticed there is now a swept flat bar offering among the H-bars.  (about half way down)

[doc]

Take a look at the VO Casey's Crazy Bar: 

On Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at 10:45:35 PM UTC-4, drew wrote:

[David Banzer]

+1 to trying the Albatross flipped over, since you have it at least. I'd been wanting to do this with the Soma Oxford (pretty close copy of Albatross) bar I have on a lock-up commuter. I shortened the Oxfords by about 1-1/2" on each side. Tried it out on my ride home yesterday, definitely more aggressive, making the grip are below saddle - mine were slightly above in the 'correct' orientation. Not sure if I'll keep them this way or not. I have a threadless quill adapter and appropriate length stem, might buy some hinged brake levers so I can flip them back/forth easily.
David
Chicago

[David Banzer]

Having trouble loading attachments. Here's some links to the flipped Oxfords.
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz136/dabanzer/bicycles/5D370652-C6A8-4893-B808-96F77916208F_zpsryrm0sxg.jpg
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz136/dabanzer/bicycles/771B0881-5C93-4850-9A3C-96DF67323596_zpsqgkelblg.jpg
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz136/dabanzer/bicycles/10902CDF-30A6-4478-9B12-FC8FC02502D9_zps9ot9jp5h.jpg
David
Chicago

[Matthew J]

Take a look at the VO Casey's Crazy Bar: 

That would be a challenge for a Riv.  There are open face quill stems on the market, but not so many decent ones.

I don't recall Riv ever selling an open face quill stem.

[drew]

Great info!

flipped albatross didnt work so well for me when i tried it a couple of years ago. i kind of like the look, but the positioning never felt good for me. the vo crazy bar is too crazy, too wild. 

so i think im down to the map/ahearne/jones/pope style bars or noodleish drop bars. 

leaning slightly to jones/ahearne. so questions about that style of bar: how many hand positions will i realistically get? how are they for climbing?  one main complaint i have about the albatross bars is that i never really feel comfortable on long, sit down climbs. the position doesnt really allow a satisfactory lean/weight distribution in that setting, and my arms end up changing position every couple of minutes. 

[Ron Mc]

drew, I've set my Map bar up with just 2 hand positions, but there's a mid hook position (I have it blocked with a bell). Great for climbing - best standing bike I've ever ridden. I was on a greenway path today and a band of roadies were spinning past then slowing down on their wind, several times (forcing me to pass them several times).  When they created a dicey traffic situation, I stood up and blew them away, tossing the bike left and right. It's a much more secure feeling than leaning on the hoods of my drop-bar bike. .  

[Surlyprof]

After selling dedicated road bike and mtb, I only own a Hillborne now. I also tried flipping my albatross bars to save some money. Found the drop was too far among other problems. Sucked it up on the cost of a whole new cockpit and bought the albastache. I've never been happier with any other set up. They give a nice amount of reach for going fast-ish and enough upright position to relax the neck and back while meandering. The albastache on my Hillborne feels about as all arounder as I can get. Seems to handle both roads and trails equally well.

John

[Will]

+1 for the Albastache. I recently installed one on my Atlantis. It replaced an older 25.4 Moustache. I like both, but the Albastashe is a more "generalist" bar: wider, slightly more sweep, more relaxed. It's not a cruiser bar, it is a comfortable bar. I wouldn't hesitate to take it in the woods. And I definitely like it for running errands and commuting. There are two considerations:

1) it will take your Albatross/Moustache bar-ends, and brake levers (good). Cockpit feel is very intuitive, organized, and logical.
2) you will likely need a new stem (25.4 to 26) (bad) and if your transitioning from an Albatross, that stem should be shorter. Call Riv for the adjustment info.

[Surlyprof]

When I went from albatross to albastache, I dropped down from a 110 stem to an 80 based on Sean's recommendation at Riv. The 30mm reduction was perfect. My only regret was not spending a little more on the brake levers. The Tiagras tend to rattle a little.

John

[Joe Broach]

Surlyprof,

Re: lever rattle, Have you removed the plastic cable installation guide from lever body? Apparently it's only use is speeding factory assemblies. Mine have been gone for 10k happy, buzz and rattle free miles! Here's an old i-bob thread about it: 

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/internet-bob/THW_gw6tLf4

My Ultegra levers had the same design, and it drive me crazy until I learned this--quiet ever since.

Best,

joe in pdx or

On Fri, Oct 16, 2015 at 2:19 PM, Surlyprof <jmcc...@gmail.com> wrote:

When I went from albatross to albastache, I dropped down from a 110 stem to an 80 based on Sean's recommendation at Riv.  The 30mm reduction was perfect.  My only regret was not spending a little more on the brake levers.  The Tiagras tend to rattle a little.

John

[Joe Broach]

On Fri, Oct 16, 2015 at 3:37 PM, I wrote:

Surlyprof,

Re: lever rattle, Have you removed the plastic cable installation guide from lever body? Apparently it's only use is speeding factory assemblies. Mine have been gone for 10k happy, buzz and rattle free miles! Here's an old i-bob thread about it: 

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/internet-bob/THW_gw6tLf4

My Ultegra levers had the same design, and it drive me crazy until I learned this--quiet ever since.

​And, here's a photo of the offending bit. Thanks, Internet!  -joe in pdx​

 

[hsmitham]

Hey Drew,

I think I'm close to pulling the trigger on some Soma Portola drops for my Hilsen. Seems like a bar I'd like for all round mixed terrain. The Hilsen is in flux now that I have a go faster bike. Change is inevitable. 

Tail Winds,

~Hugh

[Surlyprof]

Thanks for the heads up on that part, Joe.  I had read in a couple of product reviews that there might be a rattle.  Didn't know that there might be a fix.  I'll check it out.

John