Airburst

A friend of mine has a '90s (I think) low-end Claude Butler hybrid which he's been using to get around for a few months. I've checked it over mechanically, and everything seems fine, but he now wants to fit it with a headlight. The problem with this is that it has a large cross-brace clamped to the handlebars which gets in the way of any sensible mounting of the light. As I was offering to help fit the light, I figured I'd ask here: Can I remove the cross-brace without compromising the strength of the handlebars? They're aluminium with less than an inch of rise. Judging by the knobby tyres it came with, the bike was also designed for off-roading, so is the brace just to add strength for that, or is it necessary for road riding?

Thanks in advance.

JiveTurkey

Are you sure it's even removable from the bars?

bobotech

Do you have a picture of what you are talking about?

RB1-luvr

I've cut the cross brace off bmx bars and they were fine without, plenty strong.

Humpy

Plenty strong for what? Riding a wheelie in front of mom's house or a season of racing the national series?

HillRider

If the OP want's to mount a headlight for his friend, I think it's safe to assume it's not going to be used for any strenuous off-road application. However, as Jive Turkey asked, is the brace removable or will it need to be cut off?

RB1-luvr

hahaha! they were old school bmx bars, very tall, and I needed a pair of ape-hanger-ish bars for a alt culture bike. they did not flex after the crossover was removed.

jimc101

BITD when riser bars were starting to come out having a brace was pretty common, although probably more to do with fashion than function, as MotoX bikes used them.

Haven't seen any for sale with a brace for years. If using the bike only as a hybrid, ther should be no need for a brace.

Humpy

Just checking.

I think the OP's question of if the bars are safe for on road use gives more information than the mounting of a headlight does.

As for the OP's questions, "Can I remove the cross-brace without compromising the strength of the handlebars?" No.

"...is it necessary for road riding?" Time will tell. Un-clamp the brace and see if they break or bend while riding around on some roads.

fietsbob

the sensible mounting, then, is the brace, itself.. if its small , wrap tape around it
till its big enough..

oldskoolwrench

I wonder if they were a set of Profile DH bars? They had a clamp on cross brace for extra strength, but they could also be used without the brace. If you're having problems mounting a light because of the brace, then perhaps the light could be mounted in another location, like down near the front wheel or using a reflector bracket on the fork.

Airburst

Yes, it has two large clamps holding it on. It's made of aluminium, and has two flat sections on the ends with holes in that the bolts for the clamps also pass through.

DCB0

It is impossible to say, based o the information at hand, whether the bar 'needs' a cross brace. Back in the mid nineties, there were a lot of mtb riser bars that came with a cross brace. I would expect some bars were made very light so a cross brace is necessary, while others were fine bars without and just had the cross brace added for looks.

bobotech

Is there a reason why you can't show us a picture? I am very curious to see these bars myself.

JiveTurkey

Yes, or at least find a pic of a similar bar online and post. Hell, draw us a picture in Paint if that's what it takes.