Switching handlebars
 

I want to swap out drop bars for a Suly Moloko or Jones H bar on a Trek 520. What can I expect from the ride performance? Will I lose power on long climbs because of the body's geometry change?

Expectations?
 

Find out, for yourself, and report back..

Hi
I have a Thorn Nomad. The bike came with straight bars and I replaced those about three years ago with the Jones H-Bar - and I have no regrets. In fact I wish I had done it sooner. A couple of things to be aware of:: 1) The H Bars are swept back so you will likely ride in a more up right position. As such you may have to change your seat fore-aft position. 2) Your existing cables and clamps (e.g., brakes) may or may not have to be replaced. I didn't have to replace any of my cables - including the ones for shifting my Rohloff hub. Again no regrets - the H bar is great.

Drop bars put your hands farther forward, and both the Moloko and Jones bars are swept back. The reach of your bike is going to change dramatically. You could try putting a longer stem on to shrink that difference if you want, but it's still going to be noticeable.

Of course, if you thought the reach was too long in the first place, maybe you'll consider the change a good thing.

Hmm. I hated the "comfort bars " on my Thorn and tried Jones bars. I didn't like them and traded them for Crazy bars, which I like a lot better. As Blarney noted, switching to a Jones from a drop bar position, which will change your geometry quite a bit.

Jones bars are way too wide and clumsy. Get a moustache bar or similar. Mine is a nice old comfort swept bar.
I can sit up or lean as far as I feel like it. Almost the whole 2 trips, I had grocery bags hanging there too. LOL
I have a mirror off an e-bike, works awesome. And 2 bells to hang the bags. LOL

Trek 520 with Moloko bars
 

I have swapped my drop bars for Surly Moloko handle bars and am very happy with the result. It cost about 100.00 CAD to replace the shifters and brake levers and 150.00 CAD for the bars . The ride is more upright and very comfortable . No regrets. Another option would be to use Denham Koga bars that I have on my Salsa Mukluk 29er. I considered the Velo Orange Crazy bars but I thought the bullhorns were too long and are not angled in like the Molokos or the Denham bars.

I'm moving my Crazy Bar cockpit to a Cannondale T700 from more of a hybrid frame. the Hybrid had a longer top tube and maybe a steeper seat angle. I used a pretty short riser stem. It was pretty comfortable, but I feel like the very upright primary position was a factor in last years saddle sore suffer fest. The Cannondale I'm hoping to get a little more weight forward and lower. I have Jones bars on a one size to big Surly Big Dummy and didn't like them up high above the seat on a short stem. I've got them about level with the seat right now and would like to get them 10 cm farther forward. The Surly also has a longer effective top tube than my Cannondale. So what I guess my observations are that I dont like the sit up and beg position for long rides, but I do like haveing all of the real estate to shift my hands around on.
Here's a couple pictures just cause I actual took some the other day:
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...734bd0d2d4.png
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...18ef91b0ac.jpg

The seat that chewed me up was a Brooks C19 which has been fine on other bikes. This is just a place holder

Trekking bars & Magura rim brakes...

http://www.cyclofiend.com/working/im...-1P1010007.jpg

If you are asking about the side-to-side movement and power generated by your upper body imparted onto the bars ....I would say yes, you will lose some power when standing on the pedals. The grip on my Jones Bar is not as wide as the drop bars, therefore, some loss of power.
I use the Jones Bar - loop style. I am not a powerful rider that swings my bike from side-to-side when going up hill. I just need a place to grip onto. For that, it is fine.

Not drops but I'm about to change my flat bars to Jones loop type bars this week. The one thing I'm probably going to have to change with it is my bar bag. Currently I have an Arkle bag I've had for years but that's going to be way out front on the Jones bar so considering going to some sort of bike packing style bag instead, though that's likely to be less convenient to access than the arkle.

I will also chime in!
I converted to Crazy Bars before our ride across Canada. I absolutely love them!!

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...63c06efeb6.jpg
I really like my Jones bars

elec, I'm in Canada also. It's been a while since I looked, but had no luck finding anywhere with the Denham bars, other than in Holland. Where did you source them?
thanks

Kogas
 

I got them from the Netherlands. There was a bit of a wait but they arrived in two months and was $180.00 CAD all in . As always comfort is a subjective issue but for me they are worth the extra cash.

Thanks a lot. I was wondering if I had missed something.

I like my Jones bars more than my Crazy bars. I found the bullhorns to be a bit useless. The horizontal section is too long and horizontal and the angled up bit is too short. I added extensions to the angled bit but they were still a long way away so weren't able to be used as an equivalent of the hoods on drop bars
Those Koga Denham bars look like a better design than the Crazy Bars. The bullhorns are shorter and angled nicely. I may have got them instead of the Jones if I had seen them first.
One issue with the Jones is handlebar bags. I use an Ortlieb, with the mounting cable around a large headed rivet spaced out with washers on the back of the front bar. But it's a long way away, hard to reach when riding. All of the bar bags I found designed for Jones bars didn't have a quick release mechanism, So a PITA when going in to shops and the like. Looks like the Kogas would work good with an Ortlieb Bag.

Molokos, Denhams and Road Togs
 

I have also put road togs on the end of the bullhorns on my Denham Koga bars. They give a locked in feeling when using the bullhorns. No need for these with the Moloko Bars as the cross piece on them is a great place to lock your thumbs in. I use a Surly bar bag on my Molokos . It is small but sufficient but not readily removeable.

I'm currently considering this bar pack to replace my Arkel bar bag. What I like about the restrap system is the magnetically removable extra bag, which I'd put wallet/phone/passport etc in and which detaches in seconds. The stuff sack detaches quickly as well due to the holder design. Watch the video to see it all in action.

https://restrap.com/collections/bar-.../bar-bag-large

I've been a big fan of the Jones Loop Bars on my ECR.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...785903614d.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9cc50f8725.jpg

I think drop-bar is a bit more efficient for hard pedaling. One can adapt to flat bars but I think with steeper climbs there's more chance of needing to ride off-saddle.

I've thought long and hard about drops vs whatever, and the main reason I stick with drops is that for me drops are more comfortable over all, specifically the different hand positions that I use all the time.
I'd really like to try those Denham bars but a bit pricey for me to get them for an experiment, for now anyway, and especially for the predominantly road trips I do.
Way more rough and slow roads could change that view.

as for climbing, I've done tons of climbing trips in mountains, and still find dropbars to be very efficient--- but again, slow rough roads would be different where wider bars would be a plus.

I never get out of the saddle loaded, that's what gears are for!

indeed
loaded ill do it once in a blue moon for a few seconds but that's it.
lightly loaded maybe sometimes, nice muscle changeup

From My experience, swapping drop bar to flat bar dramatically changed geometry of my Cross Check so things to consider. I needed to swap my stem from 90mm to 110mm and raised them about 20mm. your will be other way around. it was almost like "I should've bought frame one size bigger" but again I ride mostly rode bike.