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Moustache handlebars - ergonomically useful or just hipster fashion?

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Moustache handlebars - ergonomically useful or just hipster fashion?

Old 03-27-22, 09:14 PM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by nlerner
Rumor has it that Jack Lauterwasser was the original bike hipster.
I think he licensed the design to Grant Petersen.
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Old 03-27-22, 10:15 PM
  #27  
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Breathing problems led me to spend some time on 3 non drop bar bikes recently: 1. A flat bar with extensions was much better than just a plain flat bar, but was only used for local rides or grocery runs, no good for anything over about 10 miles. 2. A moustache bar with Technomic stem had 3 hand positions, but only 2 were comfortable for any length of time. Worked pretty well on 10-20 mile rides. 3. A Velo-Orange Porteur bar with grips was the most comfortable. It also had 2 good hand positions and was the only setup I would have attempted on a long ride had my physical condition been up to it. Now that I have full lung function back, I'll likely switch the moustache back to a drop bar and shelve the Technomic. Don
edit: adding pics of the 3 bikes, all required finding the best bar/brake lever position for my physique. Not very aero, but at least semi-aero is possible.



Last edited by ollo_ollo; 03-28-22 at 05:55 AM. Reason: add pics
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Old 03-27-22, 10:24 PM
  #28  
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I put them on my Bridgestone 400 and like them with a tall stem. I use the bike for urban trail riding and the upright position is great for that with quick braking if needed. However if I’m going to ride over 30-40 miles it’s not my bike of choice. I prefer drops for that.
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Old 03-28-22, 06:49 AM
  #29  
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They're the answer to the question that nobody asked. IMO , in addition to all of the drawbacks, they even look too stupid to be seen with in public.

But then, style has never been compromised by practicality or good taste
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Old 03-28-22, 07:59 AM
  #30  
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Thanx for all the responses. From the experiences folks have related, it seems the moustache is best kept as a facial flavor saver and sniffle catcher, and not so much as an ergonomic steering apparatus.
I tend not to use the full drop position on my drop handlebar bike, so I'm looking into compact drop handlebars as an alternative. So many choices...
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Old 03-28-22, 09:11 AM
  #31  
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I'd like to emphasize that using North Road bars requires completely different positioning and therefore frame than drop bars. I don't think it is possible to just swap bars and be anywhere near an ideal position. Find an old English 3 speed with upright bars and put on drop bars and you'll see what I mean. It won't work. At least not well. You will be wanting to move your seat forward and the handlebars back.

Since I'm a custom builder, I've made myself and my wife bicycles for trail riding using North Road handlebars. The frames have 71º angles with longish top tubes. Upright handlebars bring your hands back towards you and so you need a longer top tube and/or stem to compensate. And as you sit more upright, your saddle needs to go further back because that is where your butt naturally wants to be. When I made my wife's bike, I was able to use my stationary fitting bike with North Road handlebars so I could build her frame based on where she felt her position was the most comfortable. That frame design is nothing like her custom made bike with drop bars.

And by the way, I completely agree with squirtdad in post #21 about handlebars and hand positioning.

edit: I'll add that with mustache bars a rider will probably fit a typical road frame better. Skinny hipsters don't mind having bars below their saddles so they look good on the bike. I think the problem usually associated with swapping bars is that the change usually requires a new position that probably won't work with the present seat post and stem.


These are our trail riding bikes

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Old 03-28-22, 10:08 AM
  #32  
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I think we should change the question to address a much older issue. To ...

Handlebar moustaches - ergonomically useful or just hipster fashion? And to keep this bicycle related - you can save time by waxing it and your chain in one sitting.

A wisecrack from someone who will probably never mount either on my bike or face. Drop bars simply work too well for me. As for my face, well the beard I had for 20 years neatly hide my growing jowls. Shaved it for better mask fit. (First look in the mirror was a shock!) May well go back. But the handlebars would do nothing for my jowls.
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Old 03-28-22, 10:21 AM
  #33  
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If you don't mind the terrible aesthetics, you can get some Velo Orange Casey's Crazy Bars and set them up with flat bar brakes/shifters in the most swept back position and then put interupter levers on the very ends of the bullhorn-like position with the interupter levers pointed downward to mimic the position of brake hoods. I set up my wife's bike like that and found it to be a lot more comfortable and usable in those positions than the mustache bars. The way I wrapped it and positioned the levers, there isn't much in between those 2 positions, but they work really well for what they are.
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Old 03-28-22, 10:24 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by 79pmooney
I think we should change the question to address a much older issue. To ...

Handlebar moustaches - ergonomically useful or just hipster fashion? And to keep this bicycle related - you can save time by waxing it and your chain in one sitting.

A wisecrack from someone who will probably never mount either on my bike or face. Drop bars simply work too well for me. As for my face, well the beard I had for 20 years neatly hide my growing jowls. Shaved it for better mask fit. (First look in the mirror was a shock!) May well go back. But the handlebars would do nothing for my jowls.
I shaved my beard several years ago, for the first time in 25 years, and I was shocked to find jowls under there! Grew it right back and there it will remain. As far as handlebar moustaches and moustache handlebars, I can appreciate the aesthetic, but probably not for me.
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Old 03-28-22, 10:48 AM
  #35  
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I like them for city riding as I rarely am in the drops for this type of riding. They feel both fast and upright. Have tried for longer rides and and always went back to a nice set of drops.
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Old 03-28-22, 11:27 AM
  #36  
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A frequent riding buddy of mine only rides moustache bars due to some elbow issues. Works for him:

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Old 03-28-22, 11:48 AM
  #37  
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Moustache bars are just too narrow for me, but I like the angle my hands were in at the sweet spot of the bar.

Surly Open Bars are my favorite of the genre.
Pros:
That 53° back sweep is just perfect for me.
Ride with hands near the front of the straight section for normal riding, back at the ends for near upright, up in the curve to fight the wind.
Super long "grip area" provides a comfy platform to put your forearms on for an invisible aero bar position.
Steel is real.

Cons:
I wish the radius of the curve going from fore sweep to back sweep was a little larger. (although that would probably mean less room for bar mounted lights, or wider bars, and these are pretty wide already)
Would have to shim for most road levers, as it has an MTB outer diameter. (the bar does accept barend shifters, but I'd imagine they'd get beat to hell if I ran 'em.)

Here they are compared to Nitto moustache on the whatbars site:

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Old 03-28-22, 04:43 PM
  #38  
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The Bozeman Daily Chronicle once published the photos of the 23 most wanted criminals in the state of Montana. Something they had in common struck me, so I counted. Eighteen of the 23 had mustaches. I am not making this up.
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Old 03-28-22, 05:06 PM
  #39  
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I have a Fuji Ace frameset that has quite a mixture of components and parts. The only thing original is the material the frameset was built from. I put a mustache bar on the bike with bar end shifters, friction mode. I had the bars inverted, but was not liking it all that much. I have not been on it since, but this morning, I turned the handlebar over so it has a rise now instead of the drop. That allowed my to lower the quill stem and keep the same bar to saddle height. I like the look better and think there will not be a whole lot of difference in the feel and handling. I do like riding the bike for doing chores and errands. The bars are comfortable, it has flat pedals, and I frequently use the bike with regular athletic type shoes and street clothes.

I have been looking at Ritchie Beacon handlebars and am pretty sure I would like them, but I really do not want to spend any more money for this bike. The mustache bar is fine and I will keep the Fuji set up with them.
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