chelvel

Hi! First post here. And my favorite bike:



All started when I flipped the handlebar on another bike and test rided. (3 years ago.) That bike was single-speed coaster brake so it was the easiest thing to do. After the ride I bought 3 such bars to have a spare. Cheapest btw.

Since then I am trying to find better bar as it is strange that flipped bar can work better than production models. Have not yet succeeded. What do you think about all that? How was it even possible to happen??

PS. 53 at the moment. 5 bikes. Single-speed and fixed gear.

BobbyG

People are put together differently. If it works for you go for it!

chelvel

We are. Sure.

Nobody gets at the first sight what is flipped here btw. The bars were of that type - "traditional Dutch style parallel handlebars, of chromed steel":



And were supposed to be used that way:

(Pics taken from Dutch style parallel handlebars including stem
and Raleigh DL-1 Fan Blog: John Lennon on a rod brake Raleigh

Rowan

Nothing new.

The proper ones are better known as bullhorn or cowhorn bars. If you look closely at time trial bikes, you will see the most modern iteration of them.

The main difference betwen the way your bars look and bullhorns is that they would be flipped left to right, which might actually make them even more comfortable for you.

chelvel

Exactly. It is not new to me for "my" handlebars to be called "bullhorn". But they are not bullhorn. They are different. Don't you see that??

FBOATSB

They're not flipped, they are turned around backwards

Rowan

Frankly? No.

John E

That sounds like an improvement, particularly if you tilt the bars to maintain a good neutral wrist orientation. Your solution is not a lot different from the straight extensions I adde to my straight mountain bike bars.

chelvel

Great! Now I know how to describe them. Traditional Dutch style parallel handlebars turned around backwards.

OK. Longer part on "mine" is very short on bullhorn. It makes a big difference. While riding I handle the bar "like" a steering wheel and I like that. And there are many other hand positions as well. Brake position is exellent.

BigAura

My old 1970 frame with the old drop-bars bull-horned

chelvel

You are right - there is a great neutral wrist orientation position. But what I like about the bars is that they can not be tilted. They are soldered. Soldered real steel.

Longer part is good when road level changes. The hands go where the body balance is best.

While riding I forget about the handlebar. With fixed gear and this saddle it is like flying. A bike for pure fun. And that is a mystery to me - nobody is doing like that. There are must be a reason.

chelvel

Nice bike! And it's also different. Mine is straight till the ends and has a time trial brake lever that can be used on large portion of the bars.

Rowan

<sigh> Look at the bullhorn bars available on eBay and other sources. They are not much different to yours.

The modified drop bars as Big Aura has used certainly are shorter in the horns, and that's because you can't do much else after cutting off the drops, but the ones I have might be a half-inch shorter than yours.

By the way, I've been riding with bullhorns for a decade or more. I've used aero brake levers and bar-end levers, and set one up with a combination of aero brake levers and bar-end shifters.

Soldered? Really? Why?

And the feeling you get riding the bike likely has more to do with the geometry of the frame, head tube and forks than anything else. The Shogun 400 fixed gear with bullbars I have is very much like that.

BigAura

I use a straight lever mounted close to the stem for a clean look. Here's the same bike in an earlier incarnation (same frame, bars, & brake system), in which you can see the bars from a higher angle.

BigAura

Whoa, I just noticed your brake is on the rear? If your bike is fixed and you're only using one brake, it's best on the front to give you two braking wheels.

chelvel

The picture will help here.
Really
For strength? There is a big leverage. They often do such bars solded.
And fit and interface.
I know. But this bike is special in that too. It stops! Not that fast, but stops. Not for busy traffic for sure. Big part of my life I was only a coaster brake guy.

Want to add: the seat plays a lot. In both meanings. With that 3 springs it floats. Like it.

John E

The reason is that too many folks prefer a more upright riding position, whereas I really like what you have done.

canklecat

Whatever works, works. I flipped and reversed the upright bars on my comfort hybrid while trying to find the sweet spot between comfort and efficiency. Once I found it I swapped for a flat straight bar 2" above saddle height. Took a year of gradual adjustments but it's perfect now. For now.

chelvel

Thanks! My efficiency is the same on all my bikes - pretty low. Though I like to play &quot;big in Japan&quot; game sometimes.

chelvel

I am interested to see it.

chelvel

Put another handlebar to Raleigh after a month of playing with drops. Drops are good, but this is better for me.

Gerryattrick

I think, and I hope so for his own safety, that by soldered he means that they are manufactured fixed to the stem, and not that he has soldered them himself.

This used to be quite a standard way of manufacturing stem/bars on Dutch style bikes, not sure if it still is.

Wildwood 

If more than 100+ years of bicycle development doesn't yield a comfortable position for you, change it.

Riding fixed, most put the rim brake on the front for braking control on both wheels.
Steel bars would seem to make the front end heavier than it need be, by a lot.

chelvel

Yes. The bars are fixed. The bars you can rely on.

BTW here is my fit on the bike. I have forgotten to make a picture out of the saddle. It is the best of any handlebars out of the saddle.

(It was cold that day).

And... As jodphoto said:

"I just don't feel the need to be aerodynamic any more."

Wildwood 

an aero position doesn't make you any more fit, but it does allow you to go farther, easier. At 53 yo, you shouldn't totally give up on aero, unless you have specific body issues. JMHO


edit: what are the other bikes in the collection?