SurlyLaika

Now that the tour is over, I am looking to reinvent my bike a little. I suspect the top tube is a little too long for me because I almost never ride the hoods for extended periods of time. It just isn't comfortable. My hands naturally slip behind the hoods or onto the tops. Enter moustache handlebar. If you have them, what do you think of them? Can you recommend any specific models? Links would be great. And would I have to change anything else about my set up aside from the handlebars and handlebar tape? I have bar end shifters and cantilever brakes. I'm trying to figure out how expensive of a conversion it would be.

Chris_in_Miami

I had a set of these bars on a hybrid with a top tube that was a bit too long and they didn't work for me. Unless you mount the brake levers on the rear-facing section (where road bike levers won't quite work,) you're going to be too stretched out when you reach for them. Thus, you won't ride where the brakes are at your fingertips most of the time.

The problem is that most of the comfortable positions on moustache bars are forward of the stem clamp. The only positions that will be in your "comfort zone" are the rear-facing bits, and the very narrow section near the stem where your hands will be too close together for comfort.

The bars themselves are not the problem, putting them on a frame that fits is the key. Having said that, I felt that they weren't a good substitute for drop bars for me, I'm building a little collection of my preferred randonneur bars.

Here's the Soma moustache bar on my Specialized Crossroads, note how most of the bar is forward of the stem's clamp area:

SurlyLaika

okay, thanks for the insight. hope someone else can pitch in. I was afraid you were going to say that. The effective top tube length on the 56cm CC is 570mm whereas the 54cm has an eTT length of 560mm. That's only a 10mm difference. I've already gone down 10mm from 100mm stem to a 90mm stem. Is the only solution to get a smaller frame? I could sell my current at a loss to get the smaller frame but that doesn't seem very cost effective.

fuzz2050

Chris is exactly right; moustache bars are great for making a small bike bigger. IIRC the reach to the 'hoods' on your bog standard moustache setup is something like 4 or 5 cm longer than to the hoods on a pair of drop bars.

You can find stems down to 70mm, and supplement them with a pair of short reach, 'compact' handlebars

bluenote157

I think if you want a more relaxed feel with the M bars, you are also going to have to raise your stem height. It doesn't look as "fast" but it sure is comfortable.

https://www.rivbike.com/article/components/bars_and_tape

RT

I have a Felt Albert bar collecting dust in my garage. I disliked the look of the mustache bar, but I like the look of yours, Chris. I may have to put this thing to use - got me two of those GT frames form Nashbar to play with over the winter

Terry66

Origin8 bars on my Masi. Need to get a different stem, but this was a shot when I first got them mounted.

Chris_in_Miami

You can also gain a few forward cm by changing to a zero-setback seatpost.

Chris_in_Miami

Thanks, let me know if you want to trade

Rob_E

I have a set of Albatross bars that I grab primarily at the ends. It seems most people who replace drop bars with a-bars also lengthen their stem, so presumably not doing that would bring the bars in closer. But then that's not as aggressive of a a position and might not be what you're looking for. You can still grab them at the bend, but again that puts you ahead of your stem, but possibly not as far ahead as mustache bars.

spinachface

I put moustache bar's on my old panasonic road bike, and I love them for short rides. I haven't taken them on a long ride yet, so I'm unable to comment on how comfortable they are after more than an hour of riding. They are extremely comfortable in the amount of time that I have used them and they give you a variety of positions. One of the main aspects that I enjoy is the fact that I can ride in a "classic" hand position, where my hands are turned so my palms face the stem. Not only do I like the positions and the feel of them, but I also love the way they look. They look simple and aerodynamic. I would highly recommend them. One company that makes them and is less expensive than the Nitto bars is Tiki. I purchased Tiki bars for my bike, and I love them. Hopefully this helps.

SurlyLaika

There seem to be plenty of small adjustments to fix what simply getting the smaller frame would do. The moustache bars, as someone said, would elongate the reach so they just would not be ideal with the current 56cm frame. Maybe I'm thinking that a 54cm frame would make more of a difference but I feel like I've always had fit issues with the current frame.

SurlyLaika

I just realized I could slide the seat forward. Maybe I can slide it forward for that extra cm or two. Although, I had a fitting and they slid it forward 1cm. (I was pretty close, going off online instructions.) Would sliding it forward any further than the LBS approved setting have any unforeseen effects? I think I've heard something about the angles of the saddle, the crank, and the handlebars....maybe a few cm's wouldn't make much of a difference, though...

BTW, for whatever reason, I thought the saddle was already as forward as possible. I accidentally scratched it trying to push it back, let the LBS fix it and then never touched it again. I called the LBS and asked how much it would cost to take it apart so I could sell the frame and buy a smaller frame, they said $140. First they said $95, then $140. Seems kinda high, maybe some comparative shopping would be smart.


bottom line, what can I do to be able to ride the hoods in comfort?

himespau 

I wonder if a trekking bar would help out some.

SurlyLaika

Sorry, I was mistaken. I CAN get closer to the handlebars. I just don't know if that would affect the ride in a negative way.

SurlyLaika

thanks. and welcome to BF!

tromper

Heck I guess if you're just bopping around town you may want to consider a basic riser bar like you find on most 101 hybrids (Trek 7xx or 7xxx series), or if you want a milder rise & a decent looking comfortable bar for knocking around the VO Tourist bar comes to mind as well. You loose multi hand positions, but they will bring it back into your comfort zone.
Beyond that the Trekking bars folks in Europe have been using look a bit interesting, but I haven't tried one so can't say much 'bout save that they exist & have several obvious hand positions.

RickB.

Man, I tried to love my moustache bars, but it was only good on shorter rides. I think I'm just a drop bar kinda guy, to me, many more hand positions on the drop bar = more comfort on longer rides. I have to admit though, I am trekking bar curious.....

Oil_LOL

You could try out Scott AT-4s, if you can find a set, with a shorter and higher stem, maybe.

mack_turtle

the way most people fit a bike, the saddle height determines how far your legs reach for the bottom of the pedal stroke, and the saddle fore/aft position determines where your knees are mid-stroke. ideally, the spot right under your kneecap will be plumb with your pedal axle. if your bike is already set up like this, sliding the saddle forward will mess up your pedal stroke.

saddle position= adjustment for legs.
handlebar/stem position= adjustment for arms/torso.

i suggest you consider a taller and/or shorter stem instead. I am trying to acquire some moustache bars for my current project too and I don't know if it will be comfortable with the bike as-is. when I get to that point, I am going to fit the bike in that regard by choosing the stem, not messing around with the saddle position.

fietsbob

I have a Nitto, mustache bar and dirt drop 8 stem.
close and a bit higher than the saddle.
bar end shifters and some older, pre Aero, Campag road brake levers..

+1 the hand position is typically on the forward curve,
within easy reach of the brake lever.

If a mountain bike conversion, Trekking bars, are an easy swap ,

It is possible to set those up with road brake levers on the forward bend,
somewhat like mustache bars.
tubing is 22.2 , though.. road is 23.8 [7/8", vs 15/16"]

SurlyLaika

so, I found out that the saddle could go forward accidentally and I'm not precisely certain where the LBS set it. I think I left it more forward than it had been. Anyways, the hoods are now much more comfortable. If I could do 100 miles more with the current set up, no complaints, I'm going to leave it where it is.

RT

I had a set of the Trekking bars, and while they were pretty cool, they did not add any real benefit to my ride. The difference between the front and back bars is so significant, that you're either too stretched or too cramped unless you ride on the sides. This turns out to be more of a cowhorn setup with lots of extra bar you don't use. If they made a mustache bar that dropped the sides a little, to make it more of a flared drop setup, I'd go for that like Hall and Oates.

Rob_E

That sounds like my experience. With my preferred position being on the sides, which didn't have room for breaks or shifters, I switched to a swept back bar, but I did use the other parts of the trekking bar, just not enough to justify a set up where my shifters and brakes were not where my hands usually were.

As for mustache bars with a drop, that's how I use my Albatross bars. They're flipped, so that grabbing the ends is a little lower then grabbing the bends.