History of the flat mountain bike handlebar

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Geir Anders Ryb

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I'm researching the history of the mountain bike handlebar, and wonder when the first flat handlebar
turned up on mountain bikes. It seems like the first mountain bikes all had wide riser bars.
Somewhere around the end of the '80s the flat bars arrived in mountain bike competitions, as far as
I understand.

Today, more mountain bikers - not only the freeriding kind - seem to avoid the flat-out racing
position, returning to the more comfortable rise, sweep and width of the riser bars. One of the few
«returns to the roots» in the history of mountain bike equipment?

Anyway: Who introduced the flat handlebar concept to the mountain bike? Why? And when?

Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien, Norway terrengsykkel.no

- - - http://terrengsykkel.no - the leading Norwegian mountain bike magazine Check out our travel
reports and photos here: http://terrengsykkel.no/section.php?n=Utflukt

* Text in norwegian only, sorry about that ;-) *
 
[email protected] (Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> I'm researching the history of the mountain bike handlebar, and wonder when the first flat
> handlebar turned up on mountain bikes. It seems like the first mountain bikes all had wide riser
> bars. Somewhere around the end of the '80s the flat bars arrived in mountain bike competitions, as
> far as I understand.
>
> Today, more mountain bikers - not only the freeriding kind - seem to avoid the flat-out racing
> position, returning to the more comfortable rise, sweep and width of the riser bars. One of the
> few «returns to the roots» in the history of mountain bike equipment?
>
> Anyway: Who introduced the flat handlebar concept to the mountain bike? Why? And when?
>
>
>
> Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien, Norway terrengsykkel.no
>
> - - - http://terrengsykkel.no - the leading Norwegian mountain bike magazine Check out our travel
> reports and photos here: http://terrengsykkel.no/section.php?n=Utflukt
>
> * Text in norwegian only, sorry about that ;-) *

Hello Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien. Or is that Geir Anders Rybakken, Geir Anders Rybakken from
Ørslien, Norway? Anyhoo... who introduced it? Jesus, who knows. I'd say maybe Bontrager based on an
old rant against risers. I tried to find the rant's URL but it seems that now that he's been putting
his label on risers for 5 or 6 years, he's softened up his stance enough to pull the article. Maybe
it was Gary Fisher, since he was the first one to ever ride a bicycle off road. More importantly, do
you have to write Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien every time you sign something? Do you feel like
you've lost an inordinately large amount of your lifetime and potential opportunites because your
name is 25 letters long? /s
 
"supabonbon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [email protected]
(Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > I'm researching the history of the mountain bike handlebar, and wonder when the first flat
> > handlebar turned up on mountain bikes. It seems like the first mountain bikes all had wide riser
> > bars. Somewhere around the end of the '80s the flat bars arrived in mountain bike competitions,
> > as far as I understand.
> >
> > Today, more mountain bikers - not only the freeriding kind - seem to avoid the flat-out racing
> > position, returning to the more comfortable rise, sweep and width of the riser bars. One of the
> > few «returns to the roots» in the history of mountain bike equipment?
> >
> > Anyway: Who introduced the flat handlebar concept to the mountain bike? Why? And when?
> >
> >
> >
> > Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien, Norway terrengsykkel.no
> >
> > - - - http://terrengsykkel.no - the leading Norwegian mountain bike magazine Check out our
> > travel reports and photos here: http://terrengsykkel.no/section.php?n=Utflukt
> >
> > * Text in norwegian only, sorry about that ;-) *
>
> Hello Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien. Or is that Geir Anders Rybakken, Geir Anders Rybakken from
> Ørslien, Norway? Anyhoo... who introduced it? Jesus, who knows. I'd say maybe Bontrager based on
> an old rant against risers. I tried to find the rant's URL but it seems that now that he's been
> putting his label on risers for 5 or 6 years, he's softened up his stance enough to pull the
> article. Maybe it was Gary Fisher, since he was the first one to ever ride a bicycle off road.
> More importantly, do you have to write Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien every time you sign something?
> Do you feel like you've lost an inordinately large amount of your lifetime and potential
> opportunites because your name is 25 letters long? /s

Tryin' to get a RISE out of him, /s?!?

Bill "think it fell (of course) flat" S.

(PS: Get a grip, go to a bar, from what does this stem, yada yada yada...)
 
"Sorni" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "supabonbon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > [email protected]
> (Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien) wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
> > > I'm researching the history of the mountain bike handlebar, and wonder when the first flat
> > > handlebar turned up on mountain bikes. It seems like the first mountain bikes all had wide
> > > riser bars. Somewhere around the end of the '80s the flat bars arrived in mountain bike
> > > competitions, as far as I understand.
> > >
> > > Today, more mountain bikers - not only the freeriding kind - seem to avoid the flat-out racing
> > > position, returning to the more comfortable rise, sweep and width of the riser bars. One of
> > > the few «returns to the roots» in the history of mountain bike equipment?
> > >
> > > Anyway: Who introduced the flat handlebar concept to the mountain bike? Why? And when?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien, Norway terrengsykkel.no
> > >
> > > - - - http://terrengsykkel.no - the leading Norwegian mountain bike magazine Check out our
> > > travel reports and photos here: http://terrengsykkel.no/section.php?n=Utflukt
> > >
> > > * Text in norwegian only, sorry about that ;-) *
> >
> > Hello Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien. Or is that Geir Anders Rybakken, Geir Anders Rybakken from
> > Ørslien, Norway? Anyhoo... who introduced it? Jesus, who knows. I'd say maybe Bontrager based on
> > an old rant against risers. I tried to find the rant's URL but it seems that now that he's been
> > putting his label on risers for 5 or 6 years, he's softened up his stance enough to pull the
> > article. Maybe it was Gary Fisher, since he was the first one to ever ride a bicycle off road.
> > More importantly, do you have to write Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien every time you sign
> > something? Do you feel like you've lost an inordinately large amount of your lifetime and
> > potential opportunites because your name is 25 letters long? /s
>
> Tryin' to get a RISE out of him, /s?!?
>
> Bill "think it fell (of course) flat" S.
>
> (PS: Get a grip, go to a bar, from what does this stem, yada yada
yada...)
>
>

Awright!!! I'm callin' the pun police!

Mike - handle it.
 
"Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
| I'm researching the history of the mountain bike handlebar, and wonder when the first flat
| handlebar turned up on mountain bikes. It seems like the first mountain bikes all had wide riser
| bars. Somewhere around the end of the '80s the flat bars arrived in mountain bike competitions, as
| far as I understand.
|
| Today, more mountain bikers - not only the freeriding kind - seem to avoid the flat-out racing
| position, returning to the more comfortable rise, sweep and width of the riser bars. One of the
| few «returns to the roots» in the history of mountain bike equipment?
|
| Anyway: Who introduced the flat handlebar concept to the mountain bike? Why? And when?
|
|
|
| Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien, Norway terrengsykkel.no
|
| - - - http://terrengsykkel.no - the leading Norwegian mountain bike magazine Check out our travel
| reports and photos here: http://terrengsykkel.no/section.php?n=Utflukt
|
| * Text in norwegian only, sorry about that ;-) *

I guess I am the garden variety "Exception-to-the-Rule" since I'm a get in the woods cruising along
type and not into XC racing or anything but I still prefer a flat handlebar with modest sweep (5º or
so) and bar-ends. Heck, my main MTB is set up purely like an XC Racing bike.

---
__o _`\(,_ Cycling is life, (_)/ (_) all the rest, just details. Nelson Binch =^o.o^=
http://intergalax.com

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Release Date: 1/27/2003
 
Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien wrote:
> I'm researching the history of the mountain bike handlebar, and wonder when the first flat
> handlebar turned up on mountain bikes. It seems like the first mountain bikes all had wide riser
> bars. Somewhere around the end of the '80s the flat bars arrived in mountain bike competitions, as
> far as I understand.
>
> Today, more mountain bikers - not only the freeriding kind - seem to avoid the flat-out racing
> position, returning to the more comfortable rise, sweep and width of the riser bars. One of the
> few «returns to the roots» in the history of mountain bike equipment?
>

I can get rise with a stem, and sweep and width with a flat bar, why should I have to return to the
roots to achieve comfort?

> Anyway: Who introduced the flat handlebar concept to the mountain bike? Why? And when?
>

I don't know, but Salsa and IRD were among the first.

Greg

--
"Destroy your safe and happy lives before it is too late, the battles we fought were long and hard,
just not to be consumed by rock n' roll..." - The Mekons
 
Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien wrote:

> I'm researching the history of the mountain bike handlebar, and wonder when the first flat
> handlebar turned up on mountain bikes. It seems like the first mountain bikes all had wide riser
> bars. Somewhere around the end of the '80s the flat bars arrived in mountain bike competitions, as
> far as I understand.
>
> Today, more mountain bikers - not only the freeriding kind - seem to avoid the flat-out racing
> position, returning to the more comfortable rise, sweep and width of the riser bars. One of the
> few «returns to the roots» in the history of mountain bike equipment?
>
> Anyway: Who introduced the flat handlebar concept to the mountain bike? Why? And when?
>
> Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien, Norway terrengsykkel.no
>
> - - - http://terrengsykkel.no - the leading Norwegian mountain bike magazine Check out our travel
> reports and photos here: http://terrengsykkel.no/section.php?n=Utflukt
>
> * Text in norwegian only, sorry about that ;-) *

I would guess Tom Ritchey was the first to use flat bars on mountain bikes in the very early '80s
(maybe 1981?). That's a guess though. I know that Tom invented the Bull Moose handlebars which were
not risers (although they had quite a bit of sweep). According to
http://www.firstflightbikes.com/ritchey.htm the Bull Moose bar was on a bike in 1981. Seeing as how
Ritchey was just about the only person making MTBs at that time it's a safe bet he was the first. I
have a '84 or '85 Ritchey with Bull Moose bars and they are definitely flat.

On the other hand there may have been (you'd have to do some research, or ask old guys) flat bars
available on Cruisers long before that. If you count cruisers used off road prior to the invention
of the MTB, as all-terrain bikes then maybe Ritchey was not the first. But that brings up the whole
issue, of what was really invented when the mountain bike was "invented."

Spending some time looking at http://www.firstflightbikes.com/ There are a lot of pics of older
bikes in the "museum" section.
 
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