recycledrider

I loved how the Townie felt on my bottom and legs/knees, but felt like I was reaching out too far and wide to reach the handlebars.
I also rode a Trek Verve 3 and loved how that felt, but it was not quite as comfortable in the legs. I was fitted at a quality bike shop, and the associate made several adjustments. Anybody ever swap out the Townie's straight bars for some curved ones?

SquidPuppet

Pics please, so we know what you are talking about.

SHOFINE

I have changed out the handlebars on all my bikes. You can order straight from the Electra Store. Handlebars - Parts - Electra Bike Store I've ordered bars from Modern Bike: Cruiser Bars - Modern Bike Any at 25.4mm

EdgyCoolness

That's good to know, thanks!

1FJEF

I have a chart with measurements here so you can get some perspective.

fietsbob

Going to a Bike shop you can hold various handlebar choices in your hands and over the bike to see if you like them better .

mconlonx

Townies have some pretty adjustable bars. The stem is the older quill-type so that could be raised as long as you're not already at the insertion limit, also the bars can be tilted back toward you. Last resort, you could also swap out the stem to an adjustable one, like on the Verve 2.

knjc68

My wife had the Townie bars swapped out for the Electra Cruiser Cafe bars. Much better!

Philphine

a townie isn't quite as stretched out as a limo bike or stretch cruiser, but you could search for bars for those types of bikes. only problem is if no one has them local, you'd have to order and maybe have something you still don't like (might reach back too far).

Sindy

:d

Clyde1820

There are plenty of handlebars, out there, with various amounts of rise and back sweep.

Such as ...

• Handlebars @ Electra Bikes
  
• Handlebars @ Velo Orange
  
• Handlebars @ Rivendell Bicycle Works -- perhaps one of the Nitto Bosco variants might suit you, if not wanting to reach so far out (to your left and right); or, the Nitto Albatross, if you don't want anywhere near the rise that the Bosco has.
  
• Handlebars @ Practical Cycles (in the U.K.) -- the Humpert Stuttgarter for modest rise; the Humpert Diamant for more rise; the Humpert EWG for serious amounts of rise; or perhaps the Humpert Englisher, for more rearward sweep.

The downside to selecting a new bar sight-unseen is that you're guessing (a bit) on the position of the hands. But sitting on the bike in riding position you ought to get a fair idea of where the most comfortable spot for the hands is likely to be. (Won't quite be the same as under load, pedaling hard, but still better than nothing.) Try to measure from the center of the bar where the stem clamps down to where the hands sit ... both in terms of the rearward sweep (how far back from the clamp area), and the rise from the clamp area. Typically measured in millimeters, you can then narrow down which handlebar alternatives seem to match.

In my own case, for the position I typically ride with I find that anywhere from a 3-4" (75-100mm) rise seems to work best, depending on how far back the hands end up based on the sweep of the bars. Your measurements will differ based on your specific bike and preferred riding (hands) position.

Keep in mind that you can also alter the stem. There are stems with and without rise, as well as adjustable-height stems. Used in combination with bars you can end up with a very different feel and positioning for the hands.

jimmie65

Just thought I might point out the original post was over 3 years ago and the OP has 2 posts to his name.

taz777

I realise that this is a very old thread but I have a related question. Is the Electra Townie handlebar height adjustable? I tried adjusting the height but there's a collar at the bottom that rises with the handlebar so I set it back to it's original height as it looked odd when I tried to raise the handlebar by an inch or so.

Does anyone know if that collar should slide up and down the handlebar stem? I didn't want to try to force it!

Mike43UK

The handle bars are height adjustable but be careful not to go over the safety mark for inserting the stem. The collar that taz777 is speaking about just slides on the handlebar stem, I had a look the other day, it seems to be an embellishment for the head nut.

taz777

@Mike43UK Thanks, I’ll take another look at the handlebar height adjustment this weekend.

trestlehed

I put Electra's Bullhorn cruiser bars on my Townie. Perfect.

https://store.electrabike.com/product...rtby=ourPicks#

Mike43UK

I have a Townie 21D EQ Mens and I found the handles not to my liking, they felt awkward. Our lasts bikes were dutch step thrus which had North Road handlebars on. I have fitted a set of North Road bars to my bike and they are great, really comfortable. My wife has a Cruiser 7 with really big handlebars which are very awkward for her. I have ordered a set of Electra Cafe Cruiser bars for her bike, I am not sure how different they are to North Road handlebars but they look the same. Hope this helps.

Big Dave Crowe

Nitto promenade or bosco handlebar depending on your stem and size frame.

MikeyMK

These are very comfortable, but i doubt they come back far enough (that's a 140mm stem though). Humpert Space Bugel.

Philphine

I still haven't set up a new photo set up, but I have a set of bars like these with more rearward reach. I was meaning to eventually post them and see if anyone knew where to get them. they were on a huffy I got, but since I've never seen a huffy with them before (this is a 3sp cruiser I got at a flea market), I figured they were changed out somewhere along the way. love to have a second set for another project.

Townie7D

deathcrow76

Can you post a picture please? I'd like to see how they look. thanks!

Townie7D

Hello,

I will post pictures later when I get home.

deathcrow76

I'd like to see how they look too thanks!

vmcrcr

The standard Townie bars made my hands fall asleep/go numb, so I went with a Specialized straight mountain bike handlebar.