bmthom.gis

Ran across this via a popular biking blog. One of hte few kickstarters for bike stuff I have seen that looks pretty good, especially for those of us who commute year round
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ref=nav_search

rhm

Brooks used to offer something similar in the 1930



https://www.veterancycleclublibrary.o...20Library).pdf

bmthom.gis

^Cool! I have a handlebar bag this year that will act like a nice wind block when it gets cold, though I think it is pretty cool.

fietsbob

Cycle rain cape drapes over the bars and arms form an awning to keep the tops of my legs drier too ..

Leebo

No roadie would be caught dead with them. I use pogies n the winter, they work well.

alan s 

I like the Brooks ones better than the plastic junk that will crack the first time your bike falls over.

G1nko

I use BreezeBlockers.

Toss the (useless) rubber bands that come with them and use nylon wire ties to hold them in place. I put them on at the beginning of the cold season and take them off when I don't need them anymore.

wphamilton

The DriBarz on kickstarter look surprisingly attractive. I had built some hand-fairings the winter before last, but it was so ugly that I couldn't wait to get it off my bars. I wouldn't mind riding with those though.

There is one problem that you probably wouldn't realize from looking at it. Those won't keep your hands dry for very long, or in a hard rain. They actually need to extend farther on top and the sides, or else have some kind of waterproof sleeve added. I think it would work briefly though and for light rains, and also block most of the wind for when it gets really cold.

fietsbob

Zziper fairings have been made for Decades ..

wphamilton

The big advantage these have over Zzipper is the much smaller area exposed to the wind.

fietsbob

you gain The aerodynamic advantage by having the smoother airflow around it vs the chest of the meatbag on the saddle.

I used their much larger "Thriller" for my Commute of an Hour each way ..

wphamilton

I don't think so - the air becomes turbulent already between the zzipper and your chest, so you get the drag from the fairing in addition to, not instead of. Consequently the large area represents additional drag.

There is also a second drawback to the large area exposed to wind: the effect of crosswinds. This adds even more drag, and when mounted on the handlebar introduces unwanted steering input. The DriBarz won't have this issue IMHO.

I can see the plus side of your Thriller however, probably outstanding in blocking the wind and rain which is the one point that the DriBars is focusing on.

fietsbob

So, have you owned one? the other thing is still vapor you are defending..

wphamilton

No, but I have built and tested my own versions. No doubt, Zzipper does it better than I but I am confident in the observations I made. I wouldn't say something like that lightly.

I am not defending the DriBars product, just pointing out an advantage they have over the large fairings. I can't tell you whether the hand-fairings will have an aero advantage or penalty, but it's pretty clear that cross-winds won't be much of an issue with them.

fietsbob

My fairing made winter commuting more comfortable as my clothing did not have to block the headwind ..

as I said Now, The Cycle Rain cape is excellent at keeping my hands dry.. in gloves under the cape draped over the *bars

*trekking bars, R'off grip shifter so I have all gears in sequence .


You are welcome to sent in Money to support funding their introduction, for the DarBars

rmfnla

So much for the claim:

"But except for extremely cold weather applications, which don't work well in temperatures warm enough for rain, non-glove bike products for hands just didn't exist"

in the Kickstarter article...

bmthom.gis

Looking at BreezeBlockers, they don't go over the brifters, so if you want to get the benefit from them, you have to be riding on the tops.

Anyway, more appropriate than pogies would be in the southeast where it gets cold enough to need some protection, but not so cold you need to go overboard.

alan s 

If I wanted a fairing, I'd get one with metal sides and top and four wheels, aka a car.

noglider 

DriBarz looks like it might prove to be a decent idea. They might also help on dry cold windy days.

fietsbob

Dirt Motor bikes have sold a knuckle guard for Bushwhacking , for a long time.

SpikedLemon

With and without plastic shields. I'm considering them for my Triumph S3 for cold weather riding.

And snowmobiles have had the hand-muffs for a very long time as well. Not a fan: I'd rather have better gloves.

Darth Lefty 

My first thought with these was not whether they would work, but that I could paint them from the inside with cool airbrush masking effects like an R/C car body.

surlymonk

I bought a pair of Bar Mitts Bar Mitts - Ride in Comfort and tried them for a few weeks, but they didn't keep my hands any warmer and locked me into a single hand position. That's my biggest problem with fairings. I commute here in Vermont and what works for me is thin wool gloves with heavy wool mittens over top inside leather mittens. I also have a pair of snow machine mittens that work as well as the wool and leather with just the thin gloves underneath. Wearing gloves I can utilize my 2-3 hand positions and also sit up and tuck my hands under my pits to warm them up on straight stretches. This also allows me to straighten my back up for a few minutes.

snow_echo_NY

after crashing in the rain last week, i would like something like this to keep the bars dry for handling in wet conditions...! unclear whether this will ever get off the ground tho :/

Darth Lefty 

The funding level does seem pretty ambitious. He needs to sell ~600 sets to get his funding goal. That's peanuts for a mass-market dingus but seems like a lot for a drop-bar thingie that roadies can't use.