Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Touring
Reload this Page >

Trekking bars vs bar ends

Notices
Touring Have a dream to ride a bike across your state, across the country, or around the world? Self-contained or fully supported? Trade ideas, adventures, and more in our bicycle touring forum.

Trekking bars vs bar ends

Old 03-16-15, 01:52 PM
  #1  
mountainfun
Newbie
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 3

Bikes: Trek Multitrack 750

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
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.
mountainfun is offline  
Old 03-16-15, 03:02 PM
  #2  
gregjones
Senior Member
 
gregjones's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: West Georgia
Posts: 2,828

Bikes: K2 Mod 5.0 Roadie, Fuji Commuter

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 23 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
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.
gregjones is offline  
Old 03-16-15, 03:02 PM
  #3  
fietsbob
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
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

Last edited by fietsbob; 03-17-15 at 12:01 PM.
fietsbob is offline  
Old 03-16-15, 03:05 PM
  #4  
Wanderer
aka Phil Jungels
 
Wanderer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: North Aurora, IL
Posts: 8,234

Bikes: 08 Specialized Crosstrail Sport, 05 Sirrus Comp

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 202 Post(s)
Liked 86 Times in 60 Posts
Trekking bars are relatively cheap - and offer so many different options..
Wanderer is offline  
Old 03-16-15, 06:53 PM
  #5  
bgraham111
Senior Member
 
bgraham111's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Farmington Hills, Mi
Posts: 297

Bikes: 1996 Specialized Hardrock Sport FS, 2011 Fuji Newest 1.0, 2015 GRC-Single Gecko, 2016 Waterford RS-22

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 24 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
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.
bgraham111 is offline  
Old 03-17-15, 07:55 AM
  #6  
timdow
Miles to Go
 
timdow's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: San Diego
Posts: 711

Bikes: 2022 Juiced Crosscurrent X, 2022 Fuji Touring, 1998 Schwinn Moab (drop bar conversion), 2010 LHT (Stolen)

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 151 Post(s)
Liked 145 Times in 95 Posts
Originally Posted by Wanderer
Trekking bars are relatively cheap - and offer so many different options..
+1
Bar extensions are better than nothing, but trekking bars are inexpensive, and you won't know if they work for you until you try them.
timdow is offline  
Old 03-17-15, 08:59 AM
  #7  
mstateglfr 
Sunshine
 
mstateglfr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,538

Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo

Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10902 Post(s)
Liked 7,393 Times in 4,148 Posts
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.
mstateglfr is offline  
Old 03-17-15, 09:36 AM
  #8  
DVC45
Senior Member
 
DVC45's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,897
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 20 Post(s)
Liked 12 Times in 7 Posts
Trekking bars. No need to buy new parts. I like mine a lot.
DVC45 is offline  
Old 03-22-15, 02:51 PM
  #9  
Bill1227
Junior Member
 
Bill1227's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 126
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Liked 18 Times in 8 Posts
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
Bill1227 is offline  
Old 03-22-15, 03:11 PM
  #10  
Galoot
Full Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 238

Bikes: 1975 Coppi Campionissimo, 1980 Raleigh Grand Sport, 1983 Trek 520, 1983 Ciocc, 1995 Trek 520

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 17 Post(s)
Liked 7 Times in 7 Posts
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?
Galoot is offline  
Old 03-23-15, 08:36 AM
  #11  
zeppinger
Senior Member
 
zeppinger's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 2,016

Bikes: Giant FCR3, Surly LHT

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 23 Post(s)
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
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.
zeppinger is offline  
Old 03-23-15, 09:01 AM
  #12  
fietsbob
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
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.


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?
a conversion to Thumb shifters with Pauls Thumbies https://www.paulcomp.com/thumbies.html using the shifter lever Mechanism..

Last edited by fietsbob; 03-30-15 at 08:50 AM.
fietsbob is offline  
Old 03-23-15, 09:42 AM
  #13  
GravelMN
Senior Member
 
GravelMN's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Rural Minnesota
Posts: 1,604
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 75 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
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.

GravelMN is offline  
Old 03-23-15, 12:12 PM
  #14  
fietsbob
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
Have those on my M3L Brompton . the GP3 wont interfere with the handlebar fold.
fietsbob is offline  
Old 03-30-15, 08:38 AM
  #15  
bktourer1
Senior Member
 
bktourer1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Western Ma.
Posts: 958

Bikes: Diamondback "parkway" Spec. "expedition

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 47 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 42 Times in 33 Posts
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.
bktourer1 is offline  
Old 04-15-15, 10:22 AM
  #16  
BadKarma62
But I don't like SPAM...
 
BadKarma62's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: SW Missouri
Posts: 147

Bikes: 1994 Univega Alpina 5.2 MTB

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
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!!
BadKarma62 is offline  
Old 04-15-15, 10:28 AM
  #17  
fietsbob
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
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.

Last edited by fietsbob; 04-15-15 at 10:39 AM.
fietsbob is offline  
Old 04-16-15, 06:57 AM
  #18  
PolarBear007
Touring Enthusiast
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: USA
Posts: 278

Bikes: 23" Schwinn High Plains, 20" Trek 830 Antelope

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 22 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
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.
PolarBear007 is offline  
Old 04-16-15, 07:56 AM
  #19  
mm718
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 626
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Of the two I'd go with Trekking bars but I definitely prefer drops. The hoods save my wrists...
mm718 is offline  
Old 04-16-15, 07:58 AM
  #20  
bikemig 
Senior Member
 
bikemig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,505

Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones

Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5877 Post(s)
Liked 3,445 Times in 2,066 Posts
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.
bikemig is offline  
Old 04-16-15, 10:07 PM
  #21  
Bill1227
Junior Member
 
Bill1227's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 126
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Liked 18 Times in 8 Posts
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
Bill1227 is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
mountainfun
Fitting Your Bike
3
03-29-15 05:07 PM
Andrew_Henry
Mountain Biking
6
06-12-14 09:20 AM
Agentbolt
Touring
25
09-21-13 05:42 PM
MadProphet
Hybrid Bicycles
1
01-10-13 01:39 PM
bleedingapple
Singlespeed & Fixed Gear
2
02-07-11 10:50 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.