CyclingBK

I am enjoying my first couple of months on my new bike after not riding for literally decades!

I have a flat bar hybrid and am very happy with it. As I start to approach 15+ mile rides, I am considering options for more comfort and hand positions to avoid stiff wrists. Not looking for drop bar conversion.

Done a bit of research on old threads but figured a “bump” on the topic couldn’t hurt in case anyone has suggestions or experience with options that worked/not worked for them.

Any help appreciated, it you can include the brand/name that would be great.

Here is the bike, CTY 1.1

hokiefyd 

You can do bar ends, and you can also try butterfly bars. I have this bar on one of my bikes, and really enjoy all the different ways you can use them and set them up. One advantage I think they have is you have more fore/aft difference in them. You can hold the bottom flats and sit way up, or you can hold anywhere along the sides for both a different wrist position and a different back position (similar to drops), and you can even lean way forward and hold the fronts.

With drop bars, the brake levers and shifting are available only if you're on the hoods or holding in the drops. If you're holding the top, you have to move your hands to get there. Butterfly bars are similar, except opposite. The way most people set them up, the brake levers and shifters are on the bottom flats (similar to riding the tops on a drop bar), and your more racy positions (the sides or the fronts) are without brakes or shifters. This is not unlike dedicated bar ends, where you may be riding on the bar ends and would have to move your hands over to the brakes to use them.

Fortunately, there is a ton of variety, and something out there to suit us all!

TakingMyTime

You bike appears to have the current handlebars set high enough in order to accommodate a more upright and relaxed posture. This would usually reduce hand fatigue for most people. You mentioned that you have just returned to cycling but you mention nothing about your mileage or time on the bike. You may still be in sort of a "break-in" period and your body is still trying to become accustomed to riding and the challenges is produces.

If not, try some bar ends or maybe even a new stem that would increase the angle so you're not too bent over when you ride. Check our Ergon. They have a huge line of grips in various configurations.

subgrade

Inboard mounted bar ends wrapped in bar tape have been working great for me.

AU Tiger

I had good luck with these bar ends when I had a flat-bar hybrid.

HerrKaLeun

Look at the Jones bar... has many hand and body positions.

I had the same problem as you, but now I have Jones bars on both my bikes. Hand fatigue never is an issue anymore.

CyclingBK

Thanks!

Im just getting to the 15 mile rides, takes me a little over an hour. I’d like to get to 20 or so.

Mostly, I feel like my posture and position are very comfortable but my fingers seem to get a little numb later in the ride. I’m trying to stay conscious of not bending my wrists and lessening my grip pressure . But it would still be nice to have my palms face each other a bit a times.

Trav1s

These are the bar ends I installed about a month ago on my Quick 1. I installed them with the stock grips in place and am very happy with them. They don't look as nice as the grip/bar ends that are available but the price was right at my LBS.

hokiefyd 

I just re-wrapped my 750's butterfly bar this weekend. I'm not 100% happy with the color, but it'll do for now. But you can see how versatile it is with the various hand positions available. The "bottoms" are where the shifter and brake levers are, and they're about even with the steer tube, so it really gets you upright and it's very comfortable. I do most of my riding on the "sides", where your palms face each other, similar to riding the "tops" on drop bars. But rather than being only 40-44cm apart (typical for drop bars), my butterfly bar is about 58cm wide, so it's very comfortable and does not feel cramped. I can also work my hands all the way forward to the "tops", where they begin to curve back towards each other. You can also keep your palms completely open and stretch your hands out in the lower "corners".

The great thing about this type of bar is its 22.2mm diameter, so it takes all the standard flat bar cockpit stuff (levers, shifters, mirrors, etc). I'm using mine with a pair of short-pull brake levers (for my cantilever brakes) and a pair of Microshift thumb shifters (9-speed index, but I'm using these in friction mode on a 7-speed cassette). I also do one layer of wrap with a rubber inner tube first, then do a second layer of with proper handlebar tape. The overall diameter is very nice (about 40mm).

You also get some compliance with this bar design, as it naturally flexes with weight on it. Flat bars, especially 31.8mm clamp ones like you have, are pretty rigid, and that's another contributing factor for hand fatigue.


IMG_20190916_124136269 by jnjadcock, on Flickr

rodgeman

I use the following bars - Velo Orange Crazy Bars . They are compatible with flat bar setup. I had them on my hybrid and now on my mountain bike.

Here is they are on my bike:



My battleship

TakingMyTime

So do mine. I think a little numbness is almost universal for all of us at one time or another.

bikehoco

I added Ergon GP4 grips-bar ends to my flatbar hybrid. They definitely make for a more comfortable ride

Trav1s

Here are the bar ends and pics of the install. I got them at the LBS for around $20. I might add tape in the future.

CyclingBK

Wanderer

I like Specialized Overendz bar ends. The most comfortable ones I have ever used, and converted both my bikes to them.

rumrunn6

I "roadified" a hybrid for commuting & just swapped drop bars onto it. I have a MTB now that came with small bar ends



I like them way far forward



they were useful for this purpose but I took them off last winter to add bar mitts. when the bar mitts came off in the spring, I realized I had some older ends so thought I would try them & I like them a little more I think








sometimes I do like to ride w/ just my palms on the top of them so those Specialized Overendz that @Wanderer mentioned, look useful!