Trekking bars vs bar ends
#1
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Trekking bars vs bar ends
I'm looking to outfit my trek multitrack 750 with new handlebars as the current are to narrow for comfort, and unsure between trekking bars, or simply buying a wider bar and fitting bar ends. I live in Scotland so have ideas of doing a little touring among highlands and islands. Any thoughts/help would be really appreciated.
#2
Senior Member
I hope the general recommendations come back to be trekking bars. Mine just arrived.
But then, general recommendations sometimes lead to trekking bars which is why I ordered them in the first place!! Like chain lube saddles and tires......you get nothing but opinions of others and there's really no way to know what works for YOU without a trial.
But then, general recommendations sometimes lead to trekking bars which is why I ordered them in the first place!! Like chain lube saddles and tires......you get nothing but opinions of others and there's really no way to know what works for YOU without a trial.
#3
Banned
SJS Cycles in the British south has a range .. I've done the island hopper package ticket from Ardrossan to Oban Via the Southern Hebrides
https://www.calmac.co.uk
https://www.calmac.co.uk
Last edited by fietsbob; 03-17-15 at 12:01 PM.
#4
aka Phil Jungels
Trekking bars are relatively cheap - and offer so many different options..
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Try the trekking bars. I love mine... for "trekking". I'd hate to mountain bike with them. Also, wouldn't want to race with them. But I love them for distance touring.
I will say that it takes a while to get them dialed in, and adjusted to your fit. Since they are not widely used, there doesn't seem to be as much info on how to set them up and do bike fit with them. At least, it took me some time. But I really like them for their intended purpose.
I will say that it takes a while to get them dialed in, and adjusted to your fit. Since they are not widely used, there doesn't seem to be as much info on how to set them up and do bike fit with them. At least, it took me some time. But I really like them for their intended purpose.
#6
Miles to Go
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Between the two choices, grab some trekking/butterfly bars. I have a set on an early 90s Schwinn hybrid and they are excellent. Lots of hand positions and angles allow for plenty of adjusting to get comfortable during long rides.
To throw another option into the mix- Scott AT-2 and AT-3 bars. They are on ebay from time to time on both sides of the pond. One of my wife’s bikes has AT-2 bars and they are excellent. They curve on the sides and effectively have built in barends. The AT-3 actually wraps a little more and you can reach forward to extend and effective drop under the wind pretty well. Sorta best of all worlds- flat bars, multiple hand positions, aero position for wind.
To throw another option into the mix- Scott AT-2 and AT-3 bars. They are on ebay from time to time on both sides of the pond. One of my wife’s bikes has AT-2 bars and they are excellent. They curve on the sides and effectively have built in barends. The AT-3 actually wraps a little more and you can reach forward to extend and effective drop under the wind pretty well. Sorta best of all worlds- flat bars, multiple hand positions, aero position for wind.
#9
Junior Member
I have not tried trekking bars but, I am very happy with riser (MTB XC Marathon type) with some sweep & rise and bar ends added, ergonomic grips..........many hand positions
#10
Full Member
I'm so old-school I didn't even know what the term meant. So I went and looked it up. They look nice, but how would I ever get my Rivendell bar-end friction shifters to work with those things?
#11
Senior Member
I tried trekking bars on a trip across the US and did not care for them. They offered me LOTS of hand positions but not ONE really great position. I now use drops and spend about 90% of my time on the hoods without an issue. That being said, they might have a good position for different riders.
#12
Banned
Have a Bike Friday , and It takes mere minutes to swap from trekking bars to their 3 piece straight bars with Ergon GR5 grips.
On wet days the trekking bars have nothing snagging the wrist loops of my cycle Rain cape. If I dont have my hands through them..
whether they fit you well depends on the Stem also .. reach length and height.
a conversion to Thumb shifters with Pauls Thumbies https://www.paulcomp.com/thumbies.html using the shifter lever Mechanism..
On wet days the trekking bars have nothing snagging the wrist loops of my cycle Rain cape. If I dont have my hands through them..
whether they fit you well depends on the Stem also .. reach length and height.
I'm so old-school I didn't even know what the term meant. So I went and looked it up.
They look nice, but how would I ever get my Rivendell bar-end friction shifters to work with those things?
They look nice, but how would I ever get my Rivendell bar-end friction shifters to work with those things?
Last edited by fietsbob; 03-30-15 at 08:50 AM.
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I have not tried trekking bars, but I can tell you that I'm very happy with Ergon bar ends on a bar with just a bit of rise and a couple degrees of sweep.
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The Nashbar Trekking bars (when they have them in stock) are a good buy. Got them on both of my bikes. They wrk well for me. Nashbar has long gel pads to mount under bar tape.
#16
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I have trekking bars on my Univega MTB Convert and MTB bar with bar ends on my LeMond Nevada City. I have to say that the trekking bars are my preferred choice. More positions for hands and accessories.
They do take awhile to dial in, and I just decided to put them back on the LeMond this weekend.
Would love to do some riding in Scotland!!
They do take awhile to dial in, and I just decided to put them back on the LeMond this weekend.
Would love to do some riding in Scotland!!
#17
Banned
On regular metal bar ends you have a clamp , its not a comfortable Grip, if instead it's a Tube Bend then that may be a comfortable place to hold the bars
Ergon integrated the end and grip to be relatively seamless .. adjustable independently but fixed to the end of the bar with the same Bolt.
GP5 is the longest bar end, it uses a bigger bolt.
Ergon integrated the end and grip to be relatively seamless .. adjustable independently but fixed to the end of the bar with the same Bolt.
GP5 is the longest bar end, it uses a bigger bolt.
Last edited by fietsbob; 04-15-15 at 10:39 AM.
#18
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I have trekking bars on my '92 Schwinn High Plains and they are a big improvement over flat bars with bar ends. However, I'll be switching over to these for this summer's riding:
Casey's Chromoly Crazy Bar, Noir
I like that there is plenty of space for accessories as well as multiple hand positions and if I ever decide to switch to bar-end shifters, these will accommodate that as well.
Casey's Chromoly Crazy Bar, Noir
I like that there is plenty of space for accessories as well as multiple hand positions and if I ever decide to switch to bar-end shifters, these will accommodate that as well.
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Been a drop bar fan for as long as I've been riding. I decided to go with trekking bars with a vintage mtb I was fixing up and immediately fell in love with them.
#21
Junior Member
Bicycle Touring with Straight (aka MTB) Handlebars - Pedal Power Touring
I tend to agree with the link above but, use a riser "XCM" bar. Also I like the Specialized Body Geometry grips, they are a little softer,more squish than Ergon ~ but either or. I had a Scott Bull Bar on an early 90's MTB Tour bike that was nice also......forget the exact name or number of the bar.....we just called them "bull Bars" back then........because of the horns
I tend to agree with the link above but, use a riser "XCM" bar. Also I like the Specialized Body Geometry grips, they are a little softer,more squish than Ergon ~ but either or. I had a Scott Bull Bar on an early 90's MTB Tour bike that was nice also......forget the exact name or number of the bar.....we just called them "bull Bars" back then........because of the horns