Dan Daniel <
[email protected]> wrote in
news:
[email protected]:
> On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 20:29:21 -0500, foldedpath
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>>Another option that doesn't get mentioned much is the "trekker" bar
>>design:
>>
>>http://tinyurl.com/yq6eq
>>
>>That page is confusing because they show the bar upside-down (from the
>>rider position).
>
> So the open ends are nearest to the toptube while the loops project
> forward? If I flip the image on the Nashbar site upside down, That's
> what I would see when riding?
Right, the open end towards you. Here's what it looks like on my bike:
http://www.nightviewer.com/mb/bike/kmonkey_1.jpg
Eventually I'll saw the bars off closer to the shifters. I'm still
making sure I like this hand spacing. And this was before I added the
end caps. I used the Ritchie grips that were on the original flat bar,
and I covered the rest of the bar with Specialized "Bar Phat" gel pads
and wrap. Here's a photo of the rest of the bike; a Surley Karate Monkey
with 29" (700c) wheels:
http://www.nightviewer.com/mb/bike/kmonkey_2.jpg
> Are you using this specific model?
Yes, the Nashbar trekker bar, $13.00... such a deal.
> I'm curious about mounting a
> handlebar bag.
The one you see in the photo is a Jandd Mountain Handle Pack I:
http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FMBHP
I use it on the front of the bar like a normal handlebar bag, instead of
the graphic shown on that page. There may be other bags that would fit,
this is just the first one I tried. It's big enough for spare tube,
patch kit, mini-toolkit, banana, wallet, cellphone, and camera. I use
Jannd folding grocery panniers on the rear rack for shopping trips.
> Any chance that you could measure the opening between
> the two loops- the fat area where the clamp attaches? I have a bag
> that uses a klickfix and is almost 11 inches/ 27cm wide.
It's about 7" on the straight part of the forward bar, so I don't think
that bag will fit, if you want it snug to the bar.
> And while you have the tape measure out, how far back from the stem
> mounting area- the flat- are the two bars that will be facing towards
> the back? Thanks for any info you can give.
It's about 3 1/4" from the forward bar at the stem clamp to the rear
bar/grips (measured center to center). You may not need that much actual
stem extension though, since you'll probaby want to tilt the bars a
little, which effectively brings the rear bar/grips closer to the stem
clamp. And if you do tilt the bar, you'll need a higher stem angle
(maybe even a headset extender). It's not easy finding a stem long
enough to use with this trekker bar. The one I'm using is a Salsa 130
degree, 135mm stem, which could be a little longer for a perfect fit.
I'm still fine-tuning this. It might be smarter to start with a cheap
adjustable stem to figure out what extension/tilt you need, to make this
work.
There is another trekker bar out there made by ITM, which doesn't have
the stem extension problem:
http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/synergic.html?id=4420
It looks a bit complicated though, and a half pound heavier than the
Nashbar trekker bar (if that matters to you). I'm not sure the
adjustable angle feature would be useful. Maybe you'd get a sort of drop
bar effect on the side bars by tilting them down (instead of up, as in
the photos). But I'd be worried about my hands sliding off the brake
levers on rough terrain, with the forward bars tilted down. Has anyone
out there tried this version?
--
Mike Barrs
