No love for the Albastache?

[masmojo]

I reading somewhere that the Albastache is the least popular handlebar!?
Having run a Moustache bar for 20+ years & now the Albastache since shortly after they appeared I am somewhat perplexed??? The original moustache was fairly popular & the new bar has all the originals charms, but none of the things that I didn't love. (Which were few).
Now granted, I admit moustache bars in general are slightly odd looking, but they are so great for so many things. Indeed, aside from my Ogre I don't think I've built a bike in the last 4 years without Albastache or Albatross bars! And as much as I like Albatross bars they are not always the answer.
I think a lot of people here would love them if they gave them a try!
Who do I think would benefit the most? People who ride drop bars, but mostly ride on the hoods or bar tops are ideal candidates for Albastache bars.
Who else? People who like Albatross bars and can't quite cotton to drop bars.
I find them to be the single most versatile handlebar, fine for spirited paved road jaunts or all but the most technical offroad stuff.
The main thing I love about them is how I can activate the brakes from almost any hand position! Grap the end of the lever with my forefinger when I am back on the flats; several fingers when I am forward in the curved sections OR use my pinkie & ring fingers when I am riding "on the hoods"! Indeed only when riding with my hands close to the stem, (which I rarely do with these bars) do I not have instant braking available.
So, I am interested to hear why people don't go for these latest & greatest moustache bars?

[Doug H.]

I put Albastache bars on a Trek 520 that I was stretched out on and they transformed the bike. I’m a fan of Albastache bars.

[Deacon Patrick]

Here, about a fith.3 of the way down: https://www.rivbike.com/blogs/peeking-through-the-knothole/ultra-variety-pack-anagramers-theft-hhh-rosco-bebe-bike-other

“Our worst-selling handlebar is the Albastache. Drop-bar people don't take it seriously, and non-drop bar people think it's too much like a drop bar. I think it's the bar to ride for anybody who's not ready to go full-Albatross or Billie or Bosco; who has a drop-bar road bike but isn't thrilled with it...but it all depends on the shifters. Albastache bars aren't designed for brifters. The're perfect for bar-end shifters. There is little chance that you won't like them 10x more than your drop bars, as long as you ride bar-end shifters, which are always a good idea with any bar.”

The new Moustache aka Albastache is indeed the best of all possible worlds. I love the way it climbs, whether I’m sitting or stomping. And of course, riding fixed, I interact with the bar a lot more than with gears.

With abandon,
Patrick

[Erik Wright]

Funny timing... I've been tossing around the idea of buying an Albastache for the past two days and decided this morning that I'm going to pick one up! Just waiting for Riv to open so I can call and find out how to redeem my hail mary...

I'm picking up a pair because I feel like I lie directly in that sweet spot, of Albatross bars being a smidge too upright (for my intended purpose) and drops just not being my thing.

[masmojo]

I will caution that stem length & height are more important with a moustache style bar then any other bar! Too long of a stem or incorrect bar height; even as little as 5mm can totally have a negative effect on your moustache bar experience.
Too long of a stem & the steering gets funny. Too low and it puts undue pressure on the wrists. But, when you get it right? Bliss!

[Joe Bernard]

The Moustache Handlebar - Grant told me he says the whole name 'cause it's a riff on handlebar moustache - on the Bstone XO-1 is what drew me into bikes around 1992, I thought it was the coolest thing! But alas I've tried every variation of them since and my hands/wrists just can't do it. Oh well!

[WETH]

I love my Albastache bars.  Of course, I flipped them upside down to get some more rise.  They are quite comfortable, and the brake levers are easily accessible.

Erl 

Kensington, MD

[Forrest Harvey]

I have albastache bars on my BMC

> On Nov 6, 2018, at 8:45 AM, Doug H. <dhansf...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I put Albastache bars on a Trek 520 that I was stretched out on and they transformed the bike. I’m a fan of Albastache bars.
>

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[Richard Rios]

Love my albastache. But 100% agree on setup, gotta get it right or they dont jive. High and tight is the best way either dirt drop or one of the really cool Wright stems from analog...I got it about 99% of the way there with a short tech delux, but a bit to much quill exposed for my taste. Just been to lazy to do the stem swap. Any way they are great bars and the look 🔥🔥🔥🔥!

[Coal Bee Rye Anne]

I picked up an original moustache from Riv when they were clearing out remaining stock in anticipation of the Albastache. It did not work on a few initial builds (too low or too far) but I eventually found a sweet spot on two different frames. I had a similar experience with trekking butterfly bars which I’ve used interchangeably with the Moustache H’bar (with same brake lever placement.) I’ve considered trying an Albastache but some other projects had taken priority and I already have the moustache ready whenever the mood strikes to swap it in.

[sean]

Another Albastache lover here! I've got them mounted on a Dirt Drop stem on my Crust Romanceur. Excellent bar for those of us who get no comfort from drops. I find them much more functional than a drop bar anyway as they provide better leverage when climbing. As others have mentioned, proper setup is key.

Sean

ATX

[Mat Grewe]

Any folks who were comfortable with drop bars move to the Albastache?  If so, what changes to stem length and height did you make?

I greatly enjoy my Maes Parallel bars, but it gets less comfortable when wearing mittens.  Gloves wouldn't be an issue, but poor circulation in my fingers always forces me to mittens!  So I've pondered having a winter set up, and the Albastache seem to fit the bill, which is mostly good grip and control with mittens and can use non-aero levers (that way the handle bar swap is quick and easy).

[Deacon Patrick]

Hey Mat! Mittens and Albastache play really well together for me. I don’t even mess with gloves anymore. I ride single track in the just fine, though I don’t push the downhill speed with mittens on. Downhill jouncy is the tricky bit, and so long as I’m slow enough works great!

With abandon,
Patrick

[Bill Lindsay]

I just did a 200k on my Leo Roadini.  An upcoming addition to the stable has afforded me the opportunity to reconfigure the Leo Roadini in a couple different ways.  Towards that, I just purchased an Albastache bar and I'm considering putting it on the Leo Roadini immediately and doing the December SFR 200k on an Albastache bike.  I love drop bars, but I realize what closed-minded traditionalists a lot of us are.  Nobody, and I mean NOBODY does SFR events on anything but drop bars.  There are maybe two guys who use flat bars.  I admit it, if I saw somebody doing a brevet on a non-tradtional handlebar, I'd think they were a hipster or some other kind of weirdo. Realizing that bias in myself, I'm committed to giving it a go.  Now that I'm in solid 8-9 hour 200k condition, what penalty (if any) will I experience from an Albastache?  What benefit (if any) will I experience.  Let's find out!

Bill Lindsay

#6551

El Cerrito, CA

[Patrick Moore]

(Sorry, I forget your name.) I'm interested in hearing of the "things you didn't love" about the original Moustache bar, and how the Albastache solves these problems. I personally find all bars -- and I've used a huge selection -- except standard, road-type drop bars, uncomfortable for more than a few miles. But of all alternatives, I've preferred the original M-bar, which I've tried very, very hard to like, and which I've used on at least 8 different bikes over the years. I presently have an original-type M-bar on my Hon Solo folder, as the best (if very imperfect) compromise between hand comfort and folding. 

So, how does the Albastache improve on the Moustache? One reason I've hesitated to just buy one and try it out is that it's so damned wide -- I've found few non-drop bars that don't feel better after cutting 2" -- at least! -- off each end, and with drop bars I like 38s for pavement, wide 42s for dirt, for my Maes Parallels (and my ideal frame size is 60 X 56 c-c). I'd be interested to hear your opinion about the Albastache versus the Moustache.

On Tue, Nov 6, 2018 at 9:41 AM masmojo <mas...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

...

[Patrick Moore]

FWIW, I've found that M-bars are most comfortable, for me, when there is adequate reach from saddle: either low enough, or at least far-out enough to more or less mimic my drop bars. When I tried "high and close" I hated them.

--

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Alburquerque, New Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique

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[Ash]

Very much looking forward to reading that ride report!

[Lum Gim Fong]

I agree. I tried the original Moustache and hand pain would start in first 1/2 mile of rides. Pain pain pain. No matter where on the bar I'd grip, pressure point on the exact same spot, no variation, at least for me. Gave it a month. Never tried any 'stache iteration since. But for some people they are fantastic I hear. So I guess it is like saddles, very personal. They look very cool though and I had the best braking finger reach with road levers on them. So there are pluses.

[masmojo]

Patrick, the original moustaches always felt too narrow for me & the way they jutted forward was awkward. On the second year XO's they addressed this with dummy lever bodies on the bar; I imagine that helped a lot, but I never got round to retrofitting mine.
The Albastache doesn't seem to bend so much near the stem, more of a sweep that I actually use more frequently. The additional width also increases the diameter of the arc as it extends outward which makes it more comfortable for my hands.
In my Experience building 3 bikes with Albastaches, the bars should be more or less level with the seat (or I prefer slightly higher). Also resist the urge to angle the ends of the bar down more than a degree or two, it puts more pressure on the wrists. Almost level works best for me.

[Toshi Takeuchi]

I love my Albastache on my Cheviot.  It is the only non-drop bar single bike that I own.  My brakes are on the curves up at the front of the bar.  The stem I use is 2 cm shorter than my drop bar stems.  With my hands at the curves up at the front of the bar, it feels much like my drop bar road bike--probably around the tops of the road bar.  With my hands at the end of the Albastache, it feels quite upright and comfortable.  

It's hard to imagine me going "fast" on the Cheviot (because it's not built up to go fast), but I can easily imagine going very fast on Rich's Roadeo (which I've taken for a little spin).  I'm not sure what flavor of Alba* bars he has, but they felt nice! 

I can't wait for Bill's ride report!

Toshi

[Zed Martinez]

I don't really do any rides longer than 50 miles, so, I guess I don't know if I'd love them on all day rides. But for what I do, Albastaches are my favorite for 'high energy' riding. I built myself out of a bike for them a couple year ago when I got the Clem and found I didn't actually like them on there (far too long a top-tube, even if you can get them way up), and last month sorta impulse bought myself an old Centurion someone was selling locally just so I had something appropriate to put them back on and get them back in my line-up. I agree with masmojo, right about level with saddle and just slightly angled downward in the wings (I generally likes the forward extension/clamp,close bends area to look more or less parallel to the ground and then let the outer bends angle down naturally after the brake levers) is really nice. They let me get upright enough for poking my head up around trail traffic, and then I get to stretch out into the bends for the rest and sometimes that's just exactly the kind of ride I want, especially on lighter more-for-play bikes. I've had recurring wrist issues trying the full upright bars from Riv, and I've had some bars make my fingers go numb after a few miles, but other than probably ill-advised attempt at using them on the bigger Clem I've never had a spot of trouble with my Albastaches and hand problems. Although doing a few extra tricep dips a week does seem to make it easier to hold my weight off of them better ;)

[Bill Schairer]

I tried them for close to 1,000 miles so I think I gave them a fair shake. At first I liked them but the more I rode them the less I liked them. No matter how I angled them or raised or lowered them, it just wasn’t right. What didn’t I like? Well there were indeed many hand positions but none was as comfortable as riding the hoods. I ride bar end shifters and I just could not get used to the reach for the bar ends, it wasn’t a natural swing of the arm. They were too wide for tight spots. I prefer drops for tucking on long downhills. Then the irrational - the first time my daughter saw my bike she said “Oh, you are a hipster now.” That was just too much! So, my wife didn’t like the drops on the tandem so I swapped bars - she likes the Albastache and I got the drops I wanted at no cost. If we rode the tandem more than we do, I would have to find something else for her as the backs of my thighs hit her bars with every pedal stroke.

Bill S

[Patrick Moore]

Thanks. If there is less reach and the curves are closer in, they might actually work better with the Hon Solo, which can be set up with M bars either with too little reach or too much -- have to use a 2" extender if you don't want to perch the bar directly on the steerer mast. Will have to check the dimensions on the Riv site.

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[The Snag]

The higher the better when running stache bars, the pain happens when they're too low. I've tried most of Riv's bars (Alba, Choco, Bosco) thinking I'll like them but apparently upright isn't for me, the noodle was the only thing that worked for me until I got the the moustache up high enough (above saddle height in my case). At the right height they are a nice middle ground between drops and upright. 

[Kainalu V.]

I like my Albastaches, and I love my Soma Mustaches (3 speed bars). The Albastaches are great, they've some great Dura Ace non aero brake levers mounted with a 8mm dirt drop stem on my Clem H. Very fun stuff.

And the Some version, which I have on my step through Rosco Bubbe, are the bees knees. They take mountain sized brake levers along with all the other cool stuff made to clamp to the 22.2's. And and and... maybe this is my best secret for comfort on the Albastaches, but I hammock/suspend rope off of the sides to ergonimify the bars before I wrap them. On the Soma bars I can start with some Ergon grips, but I still use some rope to bump out the platform up front. I've got big hands with little to no natural padding along with no love of gloves, so the spreading of the load works best for me. Here's a shot of the Soma bars with some rope revealed on the right side.

-Kai

BKNY

On Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at 11:41:34 AM UTC-5, masmojo wrote:

[Dave Small]

Thanks for WETH for the pic of his Cheviot and to Bill Lindsey for his recent review of Albastache bars on his Roadini in another post.  I've followed this thread with interest because I've had an Albastache bar sitting in the garage since last spring and didn't know what to do with it.  I've always liked the idea and quirkiness of the Mustache and the Albastache is kind of a Mustache but New and Improved (so I've read), so I bought an Albastache thinking I'd try it but then couldn't figure out what bike to swap it onto because I'm happy with all my current set-ups so why fix what ain't broke---right?  

Except I'm not happy with them all, which hit me when I saw WETH's Cheviot!  I've tried various uprights on my Cheviot, eventually going with Albatross bars that are set up relatively aggressively and are okay but not totally enamoring to me.  Because (I think) of those bars I'm kinda apathetic about the Cheviot---I don't dislike it, but I don't like it much---and seeing the Cheviot/Albastache combo and reading Bill's review made me realize that that may be my ticket to Cheviot bliss!  I really really really wanna like the Cheviot, and I've remained optimistic that somehow I'll find a way to achieve that....and could this be it?  I'll give it a shot.  

Dave

Boston/Indy

[Forrest]

I’ve had three bikes with Albastache bars (only one now, though), and two with Moustache (none at the moment, though). I really like the Albastache a lot. Multiple hand positions, easy access to shifters and to the brakes. Great leverage for climbing and nice aero position when you need it. An underrated bar, in my opinion.

[Ray Varella]

I had the original mustache bars on a commuter with barend shifters.
I really liked that combo for riding in traffic. Braking was super strong and quickly accessible and shifting required almost no loss of attentiveness.
Great attributes for riding in traffic.
I have a pair of Albastache bars I’ll be trying soon.
The new shape addresses the issues I had with the originals that prevented me from liking them on rides of 50 miles or more.

Ray

[Patrick Moore]

Please report on the Albastaches. (And what problems did the original moustache bar cause you?)

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[Ron Mc]

I put Long distance on my moustache bars and love them - 

- I think most people use too great reach on their stem, don't angle their break levers downward correctly, and try to grab the bend of the bars rather than resting their palms on the straight sweep and only hooking their thumbs in the bend.  

[Lum Gim Fong]

I set mine up scrupulously according to RBW and Abele instructions to no avail.

Everyone’s hands are different.

[Ron Mc]

more likely, everyone's habits are different, and then there's use of core muscles - the only time we should be leaning on our hands is when we're braking.  

If you grab the bars in the wrong place, they're not going to work.  If you set them up in the wrong place to begin with, it's hopeless.  

[Lum Gim Fong]

I do great/no probs on drops.
Feel just as good at all heights/extensions tried. Any drop bar I have used good.
Albas/Boscos good too.

Its only the ‘staches I have trouble with. So that tells me its just my hands dont like it for whatever reason.

[Clayton]

My hand surgeon told me no. The albastache puts pressure on the ulnar nerve directly in almost all hand positions. Also no matter how I set them up, brake access sucks. I couldn’t get the levers low enough. Three unsuccessful carpal tunnel surgeries later, I actually listen now.

Clayton DDD

[Bill Lindsay]

Clayton said:  "My hand surgeon told me no"

I'm not sure what 'no' means without any context.  Do you mean

a. Your hand surgeon personally evaluated the Albastache handlebar and determined that it is a bad handlebar for all human hands

b. Your hand surgeon evaluated the Albastache handlebar and determined that it is a bad handlebar for you

c. Your hand surgeon evaluated you on your bike with Albastache handlebars and determined that you shouldn't use it

d. Your hand surgeon used sensors on your hands to measure pressure on your ulnar nerve and used that data to determine that you can't use Albastache bars

e. Your hand surgeon showed you where your ulnar nerve is and told you don't put pressure here.  You used that knowledge to rule out the Albastache yourself

f.  Something completely different

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Joe Bernard]

I suspect it was a variation on the old doctor joke.

"Doctor, it hurts when I ride like this."

'Don't ride like that!'

[Joey Robinson]

Is there a good rule of thumb for how to change your stem when switching to Albastache handlebars?

Right now I run a 100 mm stem with 44 cm Nitto Noodles. Any suggestions for which length would be the best based off this info?

[Surlyprof]

The advice I was given when I shifted from albatross to albastache was to drop the stem length 30mm. I went from a 110 to an 80 and that felt right. Not sure about shifting from drops but Riv probably has a suggestion.

John (happy albastache rider for 3+ years)

[Clayton]

E. I chose “E”.

The surgeon drew little “x’s“ on my hand and the surgeon said ‘No pressure here.’ I came home and went to work on a bar swap project and tried: Nitto 13’s off road drop, Salsa woodchipper, Albastache, Ahearn, Sycip singles bar, Carver Ti bar and original WTB drops from the eighties. The flat bars were the best for not hitting the ‘x’. Out of the rest, I chose the original WTBs with tons of padding to put the pressure on the fat thumb muscle, rather than the heal of my hand. The Albastache was the worst.

I’m an ex firefighter paramedic with knowledge of anatomy and physiology.... I’ve had three carpal tunnel surgeries and have received lots of advice from MD’s on this... “I’m an armchair expert”. 😏

Most everyone’s nerve is in the same area. At the base of your palm, on the pinkie side, there is a bony lump. Just in front of it is where the ulnar nerve is, and is exactly where the Albastache’s outer curve hits, no matter where I put my hand. When evaluating bars, the first thing I check is nerve ‘clearance ‘. Buried somewhere in my Instagram feed is a picture of the ‘x’s’ she drew. #dirtdancedesigns .....I can’t post photos or I would.

Hand numbness sucks. Protect your nerves.

Clayton DDD

[Ron Mc]

you're funny, Joe

[Ron Mc]

about 2" (40-50mm) shorter reach than what you normally ride with drop bars.  

[Bill Lindsay]

Thanks Clayton.  That context makes sense. In your 'armchair expert' opinion, is the Albastache a fundamentally bad handlebar for everyone, given that everyone has roughly the same hand anatomy? Or is it mainly bad for those people whose hands are already wrecked from the sum of their previous hand-activities? 

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Clayton]

The nerve location is the same on most everyone. There are variations, but the general location is the same. The neurologist said to not put pressure there to avoid nerve damage, so I assume it would be the same for all cyclists or anyone who might suffer from repetitive impacts in that area.

I just posted the photo, first up on #Dirtdancedesigns on instagram, showing where she drew the “X’s”, so people don’t have to dig. I can’t post photos here on my IPad yet. Haven’t figured it out.

I love the looks of the Albastache, but the brake lever rotation problem (quick brake lever access is a big safety issue) and the nerve impingement issue killed it for me.

Clayton
#DirtDanceDesigns (I sell nothing, so it’s not a sales push 🙂)...

[Deacon Patrick]

Clayton,

To post photos, switch to Desktop (bottom of the page), attache file.

With abandon,
Patrick, who has never experienced numbness with Albastache bars except when he should have worn mittens.

[clayton bailey]

Ok, thanks Patrick!\

Clay


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[Bill Lindsay]

It's interesting.  The only two bikes in my fleet that give me occasional numbness both have flat bars.  On my mountain bike I'll get numbness on my two smallest fingertips (pinky and ring finger) on both hands if I'm mountain biking for more than ~2 hours.  On my Rosco Road I'm running Jitensha bars and I get similar numbness at the tips of my pinky and ring finger on my left hand, doing my typical 18 mile (each way) commute several days in a row.  I'm experimenting with a different model of grips this season on my mountain bike.  I'm considering switching the Rosco Road back to drop bars

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Clayton]

Radial nerve location, center, and ulnar nerve at base of pinkie side of palm, just in front of bony knob. The Albastache hits my ulnar, no matter how I grab the bars. Riding the hoods on drops puts pressure on the radial nerve if you rest your weight on the center of the palm on the ramps out to the hoods.

Just a heads up to consider nerve damage when setting up handlebars. A little rotation, a little shift in your brake lever location or an adjustment in height or reach, can all change where the bars hit your hands. I am surprised by the lack of information regarding nerve location and nerve damage in the cycling world. It is not something I have seen in any magazine or online, and I am a serious bike nerd. 🤓

“Bless these hands”

Clayton DDD

[Steve Palincsar]

It's happened to me with every flat-style (i.e., non-drop) bar I've ever used.

--

Steve Palincsar
Alexandria, Virginia 
USA

[Clayton]

Vibration is now my enemy. I have two carbon bikes, both with carbon handlebars which are very absorbent but air pressure is the thing that affects my hands the most.
The higher the air pressure in my tires, the quicker my hand(s) go. I was kinda amazed at the difference in speed that my hands went numb at different pressures. Riding around with fifteen lbs. pressure is the sweet spot.
I have to run drops so I can move my hands around, or they go numb. Flat bars don’t work for me either, as my weight goes on the outside edge of my palm. A wide, extremely flared drop bar lets me put my weight on the thumb web, or muscle area rather than the no-no spot.
Carbon bars help me the most, but I can’t find a 26.0 dia. in an extremely flared drop carbon bar. Anyone know of one?
One of the reasons I’m excited over the Boots is all the carbon bars I can chose from (the new Thompson gravel bar looks sweet). I firmly believe that the long one inch steerers and quill stems is one of the secret to the comfort of my Atlantis, so I think it would be a tie (with a stiff clamp on stem and larger diameter carbon bars on the Boots), if they were to get in a fight.
The Boots fork looks comfy and not overbuilt, and with the bigger tires I’m making a guess that it would be as comfortable as my Atlantis, just slower around town, with 2.8s at fifteen psi to prevent vibration.

Crap. Did I just talk myself out of a Boots? 😂 Sorry for the topic wander...😔

Clayton DDD

[Justin, Oakland]

You can use carbon 31.8 bars on your Atlantis with one of the VO 31.8 quill stems.

-J

[clayton bailey]

Thanks J, but I have had three back surgeries too, and their stem isn’t tall enough, due to the fact I bought a smaller frame than 

Grant would recommend, so I can run a suspension seat post. I have a 100 mm Nitto dirt drop, all the way up, to get the right fit. Rather funny looking but it works. I am stiff and can’t get low. 

If I have a custom frame made, which I probably should, it will have a sloping top tube and a tall head tube, so I can run a normal stem without six inches of spacers...and a suspension seat post (which I swear by, everyone should have one, they save energy as well as the back) and be able to use a short travel Hite Rite at the same time, for when I go bikepacking. Moving my saddle height around really helps with the back pain and stability in rough terrain. 

Dream bike would be a lugged Riv Gus Boots, with light steel, and a straight, but highly sloped top tube, with fancy paint and lugs, and geometry that works with drops, wide tires and moderate front load.  Roadish, with a burly seat cluster optimized for the hite rite, with a grease pin hole. It should come with a woman I can date for free. And coffee. It should come with coffee too.

Clayton

DDD

Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad

On Thursday, November 15, 2018, 8:54 PM, Justin, Oakland <justin...@gmail.com> wrote:

You can use carbon 31.8 bars on your Atlantis with one of the VO 31.8 quill stems.

-J

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[Surlyprof]

Clayton,

The center is actually the Median nerve. The Radial runs closer to the ball of the thumb. Although there are several repetitive stress injuries that effect the hand, carpal tunnel issues effect the median nerve and can be brought on by trauma and repetitive stress (grocery clerks used to often get it until they redesigned the scanners). When the synovial sheath is swollen it puts pressure on the median nerve causing pain numbness usually in the index and middle fingers. Unfortunately, once the synovial sheath is swollen, it generates friction on the tendons which aggrevates it more. That swelling is why carpal tunnel is so hard to fix even with surgery. Many of the glove manufacturers learned to put pads on both sides of the median nerve but that tends to put pressure on the radial and ulner nerves. I’ve found that riding the front curves of the albastache tends to put the most pressure on the ulnar nerve. This diagram does a pretty decent job of showing what effects what:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/00/d2/63/00d263b0aef6950308611260909af357.jpg

John
An avid albastache fan who moves his hands around a lot to redistribute pressure as often as possible.

[clayton bailey]

John, you are correct. I misspoke. The middle ‘X’ on my photo is the median nerve. There goes my ‘my armchair expert’ status.....

My damage is mostly to both ulnar nerves, which is why I don’t like the Albastache, but my other nerves are affected too. On a hard ride, the wrong handlebar, tire pressure etc. can cause me to lose my grip on the handlebar, and unable to squeeze the brake lever. It scared me big time, the first time it happened, as it was my front brake and I had to stop quickly. Nothing there. It’s a very freaky feeling to lose something that has always worked unconsciously. After an hour at the side of the trail, I trusted my hand to finish the rest of the ride, after I lowered my air pressure, and slowed to a crawl. 

I don’t use padded gloves, because of the ulnar pressure. 

The search goes on for a time machine... I need to go back and make some changes. 

Thanks for the correction and the diagram. 

Clayton

Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad

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[Adam M.]

I have the Albastache handlebar and due to my broad shoulders I find it to be the perfect solution to the narrower moustache handlebars.  They are so ergonomic that I cannot imagine my Rivendell without them as they offer multiple riding positions and help to make my Rosco Bubbe a great ride!  

On Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at 9:41:34 AM UTC-7, masmojo wrote:

I reading somewhere that the Albastache is the least popular handlebar!?
Having run a Moustache bar for 20+ years & now the Albastache since shortly after they appeared I am somewhat perplexed??? The original moustache was fairly popular & the new bar has all the originals charms, but none of the things that I didn't love. (Which were few).
Now granted, I admit moustache bars in general are slightly odd looking, but they are so great for so many things. Indeed, aside from my Ogre I don't think I've built a bike in the last 4 years without Albastache or Albatross bars! And as much as I like Albatross bars they are not always the answer.
I think a lot of people here would love them if they gave them a try!
Who do I think would benefit the most? People who ride drop bars, but mostly ride on the hoods or bar tops are ideal candidates for Albastache bars.
Who else? People who like Albatross bars and can't quite cotton to drop bars.
I find them to be the single most versatile handlebar, fine for spirited paved road jaunts or all but the most technical offroad stuff.
The main thing I love about them is how I can activate the brakes from almost any hand position! Grap the end of the lever with my forefinger when I  am back on the flats; several fingers when I am forward in the curved sections OR use my pinkie & ring fingers when I am riding "on the hoods"! Indeed only when riding with my hands close to the stem, (which I rarely do with these bars) do I not have instant braking available.
So, I am interested to hear why people don't go for these latest & greatest moustache bars?

[Berkeleyan]

I'm building up a new bike, custom Riv-inspired frame with RBW fork, and have assembled it enough to both pedal and brake. More to do, I need to get it shifting and the rear brake cabled, and wiring for lights... but right now it's been my first weekend riding it around the neighborhood and fiddling with the Albastache bars. It's a tall frame, 66cm, on big tires (700x44). I have a relatively short Nitto stem, and am playing with the stem height, bars angle, and brake angle and position. I rode for over a decade on original M-bars, on my 65 cm LongLow, before swapping to wide Noodles. The Albastache bars are better than the M-bars, no question. The extra width and the shallower drop are feeling good, I'm liking them a lot, everything fits. More to say soon.

- Andrew, Berkeley

[Berkeleyan]

One more... prompted by Will's email comment today of "properly set up Albastache bars" for long road rides. I keep wondering about best brake placement on these bars. In your opinion, does that mean brake levers are approximately tangent to the same plane, as in Will's picture of the bike they're sending to Philly bike expo? Or do your brakes fall further inside (closer to stem) or outside?

- Andrew, Berkeley