narrow straight handlebars

[tom]

Morning all..

Here's a question for you. One of the reasons I like drops is for their
narrowness, it freaks me out to have my hands far apart like on usual
straight handlebars.

I'm just designing myself a new city/commuter bike (which is either
going to be fixed, or maybe hub geared.. I haven't decided yet) and I'd
like to put straights on it.

A long time ago I saw a reference on this group to a source of narrow
straight handlebars, but I can't seem to find it (or them!) anywhere.
Does anybody know where I might find some straights that are relatively
narrow?

Thanks,



Tom

 

[Pete Biggs]

tom wrote:
> Morning all..
>
> Here's a question for you. One of the reasons I like drops is for
> their narrowness, it freaks me out to have my hands far apart like on
> usual straight handlebars.
>
> I'm just designing myself a new city/commuter bike (which is either
> going to be fixed, or maybe hub geared.. I haven't decided yet) and
> I'd like to put straights on it.
>
> A long time ago I saw a reference on this group to a source of narrow
> straight handlebars, but I can't seem to find it (or them!) anywhere.
> Does anybody know where I might find some straights that are
> relatively narrow?

Get whatever bar you think is the best deal generally, then cut to taste
with a hacksaw or junior hacksaw.

~PB

 

[Steve Hodgson]

On 2006-12-03 10:09:28 +0000, "tom" <[email protected]> said:

> I'm just designing myself a new city/commuter bike (which is either
> going to be fixed, or maybe hub geared.. I haven't decided yet) and I'd
> like to put straights on it.

Out of curiosity, what frame?
--
Cheers,

Steve

The reply-to email address is a spam trap.
Email steve 'at' shodgson 'dot' org 'dot' uk

 

[Chris Eilbeck]

"tom" <[email protected]> writes:

> Morning all..
>
> Here's a question for you. One of the reasons I like drops is for
> their narrowness, it freaks me out to have my hands far apart like
> on usual straight handlebars.

I have bar-ends on the straight bars of my MTB and after a while of
riding the road bike and going back to the MTB, it feels like I'm
flying in Superman position.

> I'm just designing myself a new city/commuter bike (which is either
> going to be fixed, or maybe hub geared.. I haven't decided yet) and
> I'd like to put straights on it.
>
> A long time ago I saw a reference on this group to a source of
> narrow straight handlebars, but I can't seem to find it (or them!)
> anywhere. Does anybody know where I might find some straights that
> are relatively narrow?

Unless you go down the route of carbon bars, you can probably just cut
the excess off with a pipe cutter.

Chris
--
Chris Eilbeck

 

[Tosspot]

tom wrote:
> Morning all..
>
> Here's a question for you. One of the reasons I like drops is for their
> narrowness, it freaks me out to have my hands far apart like on usual
> straight handlebars.
>
> I'm just designing myself a new city/commuter bike (which is either
> going to be fixed, or maybe hub geared.. I haven't decided yet) and I'd
> like to put straights on it.
>
> A long time ago I saw a reference on this group to a source of narrow
> straight handlebars, but I can't seem to find it (or them!) anywhere.
> Does anybody know where I might find some straights that are relatively
> narrow?

http://www.plumbworld.co.uk/616-2613

Its a simple job, and you might even find someone with a spare handlebar
with mangled ends they don't want which might be suitable.

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, tom
('[email protected]') wrote:

> Morning all..
>
> Here's a question for you. One of the reasons I like drops is for their
> narrowness, it freaks me out to have my hands far apart like on usual
> straight handlebars.
>
> I'm just designing myself a new city/commuter bike (which is either
> going to be fixed, or maybe hub geared.. I haven't decided yet) and I'd
> like to put straights on it.
>
> A long time ago I saw a reference on this group to a source of narrow
> straight handlebars, but I can't seem to find it (or them!) anywhere.
> Does anybody know where I might find some straights that are relatively
> narrow?

Straight handlebars are sold in the expectation that you will cut them down
to length; the handlebars on my Cannondale are now 120mm shorter than as
supplied. A tube cutter will make a neat job of aluminium bars; you really
need a hacksaw for carbon fibre bars and steel bars are a lot easier to
cut with a hacksaw.

Remember to cut exactly the same amount off both ends!

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
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GP/CS s++: a++ C+++ ULBVCS*++++$ L+++ P--- E+>++ W+++ N++ K w--(---)
M- !d- PS++ PE-- Y+ PGP !t 5? X+ !R b++ !DI D G- e++ h*(-) r++ y+++
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

 

[DavidR]

"tom" <[email protected]> wrote
>
> A long time ago I saw a reference on this group to a source of narrow
> straight handlebars, but I can't seem to find it (or them!) anywhere.
> Does anybody know where I might find some straights that are relatively
> narrow?

A hacksaw?

A long time ago you may have seen this
http://bikesite.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/page8.html

I have changed it since then. I decided the bars were too narrow and the
brakes were ineffective.

The reason for the ineffective brakes was that I had put the bodies
slightly too far back so the levers were getting too close to the bar. In
order to correct this it was necessary to move the bodies forward slightly
which made it necessary to rebind the bar. However, I wasn't happy with the
feel either so I thought I would try
conventional levers (for the bar type). This does require a longer bar. So
the bar in the picture is 41cm against 47cm needed to accomodate the new
levers. My riding hand separation hasn't changed.

I now realise why brakes on drop bars are so spongy. I
originally thought that is was down to flexing of the arms of the dual
pivot sidepulls. In fact it is the brake levers that have different
ratios of stroke to cable pull - flat bar levers are lower [*]. I had not
realised this before and, although this gives the flat bar levers a lower
mechanical advantage, the reduced lever movement gives a much tighter and
responsive action.

Unfortunately there is a downside - the bar mounted levers are not so well
placed because a slight hand movement is needed from the main riding
position (though nowhere near as much as needed on drop bars) and hill
climbing is now not so good because the bar mounted brake bodies give less
space to hook the fingers under the bar ends.

[*] Not to be confused with V brake levers with an even lower ratio.

 

[Peter]

"Simon Brooke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> in message <[email protected]>, tom
> ('[email protected]') wrote:

<snip>
>
> Straight handlebars are sold in the expectation that you will cut them
> down
> to length; the handlebars on my Cannondale are now 120mm shorter than as
> supplied. A tube cutter will make a neat job of aluminium bars; you really
> need a hacksaw for carbon fibre bars and steel bars are a lot easier to
> cut with a hacksaw.
>
> Remember to cut exactly the same amount off both ends!
>

Alternatively, if you want to keep the ends looking neat, cut a bit out of
the middle.
Peter

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, DavidR
('[email protected]') wrote:

> I now realise why brakes on drop bars are so spongy. I
> originally thought that is was down to flexing of the arms of the dual
> pivot sidepulls. In fact it is the brake levers that have different
> ratios of stroke to cable pull - flat bar levers are lower [*]. I had not
> realised this before and, although this gives the flat bar levers a lower
> mechanical advantage, the reduced lever movement gives a much tighter and
> responsive action.

You've never ridden a Campagnolo equipped bike, have you?

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; If you're doing this for fun, do what seems fun. If you're
;; doing it for money, stop now.
;; Rainer Deyke

 

[tom]

> A long time ago you may have seen this
> http://bikesite.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/page8.html

Magic - I'm pretty sure that's the photo I recognise. Thanks!

And thanks all for the tips, I thought about chopping them down as an
alternative, but I'm always a bit uncertain about solutions like
that..but given that so many of you recommended it, that is what I'll
do.

It's going to be a while before I get motivated into actually building
the bike (I'm intending to use an old frame resprayed, and haven't
decided on the geometry just yet..). I'm just at the dreaming stage at
the moment, but as the summer draws closer, I'll get more info the idea
- I'm sure



Tom

 

[DavidR]

"Simon Brooke" <[email protected]> wrote
> DavidR ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
>> I now realise why brakes on drop bars are so spongy. I
>> originally thought that is was down to flexing of the arms of the dual
>> pivot sidepulls. In fact it is the brake levers that have different
>> ratios of stroke to cable pull - flat bar levers are lower [*]. I had
>> not
>> realised this before and, although this gives the flat bar levers a
>> lower
>> mechanical advantage, the reduced lever movement gives a much tighter
>> and
>> responsive action.
>
> You've never ridden a Campagnolo equipped bike, have you?

So you're trying to say that they work better than other popular types? OK.
Explain.

 

[Phil Cook]

Pete Biggs wrote:

>tom wrote:
>> Morning all..
>>
>> Here's a question for you. One of the reasons I like drops is for
>> their narrowness, it freaks me out to have my hands far apart like on
>> usual straight handlebars.

>> Does anybody know where I might find some straights that are
>> relatively narrow?
>
>Get whatever bar you think is the best deal generally, then cut to taste
>with a hacksaw or junior hacksaw.

A much better bet is a pipe cutter. Straight cuts and no jags.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"