Bullhorn Handlebars



fireman7875

New Member
Mar 27, 2009
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Does anybody use these? Why do you use them instead of drop bars? What are the advantages and disadvantages? Do standard road shifters work on them or do they require a special shifter?

Thanks,
Brian
 
they are generally for tri/tt bikes. they dont have a drop bc your aerobars replace the need for them
 
For me I felt a quite a loss of bike control while riding with Bullhorn bars, but I can see the benefits on short races. Best to go for the aerobar attatchment on your standard drop bar so you can alternate between them.
 
I agree with the above post. for technical tri's or TTs ill usually opt for my road bike with clip-ons over my TT bike. Ive been on a road bike for probably close to 10 years, but only have about a year on a TT bike. I dont know if its the different geometry, different hadlebars, or just lack of saddle time, but i definately feel more stable on the road bike
 
Feltski said:
I agree with the above post. for technical tri's or TTs ill usually opt for my road bike with clip-ons over my TT bike. Ive been on a road bike for probably close to 10 years, but only have about a year on a TT bike. I dont know if its the different geometry, different hadlebars, or just lack of saddle time, but i definately feel more stable on the road bike

Is "TT" a time trial bike? Not familiar with the abreviation. Thanks for all the help so far!
 
Feltski said:
I agree with the above post. for technical tri's or TTs ill usually opt for my road bike with clip-ons over my TT bike. Ive been on a road bike for probably close to 10 years, but only have about a year on a TT bike. I dont know if its the different geometry, different hadlebars, or just lack of saddle time, but i definately feel more stable on the road bike

No question about it - a good TT bike will feel "squirrely" compared to a road bike. In engineering, the qualities that conduce to speed are generally antagonistic to those that conduce to stability. The world is perverse that way. You just cannot get too many good things in one package.
 
fireman7875 said:
Does anybody use these? Why do you use them instead of drop bars? What are the advantages and disadvantages? Do standard road shifters work on them or do they require a special shifter?
FWIW. I don't know if Bullhorn handlebars have any advantages over drop bars other than a small weight savings ...

Nonetheless, I think Bullhorn handlebars are a good alternative to Flat bars for urban riders who do not intend to use the drops on their handlebars or for whom Moustache handlebars are neither aesthetically pleasing nor economically realistic.

You CAN use integrated road shifters with Bullhorn handlebars ... some work (i.e., "fit") better than others -- Shimano STI will work & (dare I say it?) SRAM shifters are probably "okay" ... whereas, Campagnolo's thumb shifters will be awkward ...

Brake cable routing is the biggest hassle ... depending on where, precisely, you mount the levers will affect the bend in the cable housing by varying amounts.

With Shimano STI shifters, the derailleur cable is (obviously) not impacted by the type of handlebar used.

BTW. I did try mounting a pair of Campagnolo levers with the left lever on the right side & the right lever on the left side so that the brake handles were facing forward ... that more-or-less works.
 
On my fixie i ride with bullhorns. It's just a cruise around town bike. Being able to move forward on the bars are nice for when pushing up a hill. Here though, It's more of just a fashion on fixie's then anything else
 
I like bullhorns. You do lose a lot of stability but your reactions adjust for that after a couple of hours. As you can guess from the name most of my riding is commuting (100km a week) I switched from drop bars to bullhorns because I still want to get forward for gunning it on the flat. Because I am quite tall but have limited flexibility in my neck and need glasses I found the drop bars had me too low, it was an uncomfortable position and I was peering over my glasses and thus not able to see where I was going.
 
purplecommuter has hit the nail on the head. There's no right or wrong type of handlebars. If they suit your riding style then thy are good for you. Purplrcomutter said he had trouble with his bars low so he changed them. This is the policy you should adopt. Find what you're confortable with and go with that. There's lots of great advice about cycling but at the end of the day it's you and your bike, customise it to your tastes, not to popular convention.
 
Bullhorns are either a fashion statement (ala fixie culture) or they are designed to be used for TTs where you can mount bar end shifters to your aerobars. Anything else would seem just silly. Just sayin'