You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
My rigid bike has wavy high sweep bars on it (On One Fleegle Pro) and the bike setup is such that holding onto the forward bulge a few cm either side of the stem is a great position for hammering along - comfy and quite a bit more aero than usual. Would be useful for covering ground on road and/or during headwinds.
What I want is some bar-end type things to fit at this point. There are of course many options but they all seem to have a standard diameter clamp the same as the grips and controls. The issue is that where I want to put them at the point where the bar is curved and also starting to thicken. So I don't think a standard clamp would work.
Has anyone made a solution to this (don't say Jones bars, cos a) f off how much? and b) I want stubby sticking forward bits not the front loop, and I also don't care for the high sweep of the regular bars. and I have ridden them albeit a short distance.
I plan to change the bars for Salsa Bend Deluxe which might open up some other option maybe - I think the 31.8 dia section on those is wider, so I might be able to find a normal style clamp in 31.8 and not have to deal with a taper or a bend.
Tri bars?
Sounds like tri bars
Couple of firms do short aero bars which would be ideal but unlikely they’ll fit a regular bar. Canyon and specialised both do nice stubby ones. What’s the dimension at the stem?
Profile do a few left field options too, they also do alloy extension brackets which you could use as a bar, fit them then you could tape and foam them.
Did this years ago, think it was for one of the Salisbury Plain Challenges. Back in the days before funny bars. I had slight bend bar ends on the ends as normal, then a small set of straight stubbies in the middle almost like mini-TT extensions.
Wasn't too bad for providing additional hand positions, and a bit of use for teh aeroness in to headwinds.
Or something like this?
https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/sqlab.-innerbarends-411-762744?currency=3&delivery_country=190&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2Iyt8vvE6AIVxOFRCh0oVA1WEAQYFSABEgLebfD_BwE
I run a pair of stubby ti bar ends between my grips and my levers. Really helpful additional hand position:
Have you looked at Surly Moloko bars? I know you don't want the loop, but they sound like what you want otherwise.
Or a pair of these - https://www.cyclingabout.com/koga-denham-bars/
Bought a pair ready for a build I will one day finish!
I've done pretty much the same as Letmetalktomark
SQ Labs do something a bit more refined.
https://www.sq-lab.com/en/products/innerbarends/?pgNr=0&scrollanchor=anchor_a6e2e62312167eebe6cf27d9e02a3cf7
Those Surly Molokos ^^^ weigh the same as a small planet, don't they? (just checked - 709g!!!)
Is there anything like the SQLabs that nick linked, except with a split clamp so that you can fit them without fitting and removing grips? I'd quite like that option for longer rides
None of those are inboard enough though. I need them 5cm or so either side of the stem, on the taper. This is the problem.
I think I'm going to be out of luck.
Actual tri bars would appear to be too heavy*, too long and too far away. But then maybe I could get a cheap set and bodge them...
* I have some, they really do add a load of extra leverage to the steering and I don't like it on road never mind MTB.
full on tribars would be too much of a reach on that sort of bike - ITU legal ones? These are too spendy really but similar can be found on ebay etc. Or old skool spinaci bars!
https://shop.visiontechusa.com/en/type/aerobars/team-mini-clip-on
p.s. the hands must be close together for max aero seems have passed as a thing in tester world. Some are now claiming for particular body shapes and positions further apart is better - you might not find those Denman bars I linked to too bad for your intended purpose.
The right position is with my hands actually on the bars, but I just want to be able to turn my wrists around. If I can't get anything to fit I'll probably add a bit of tape to the bars but I'd really like some stubbies. I might have to try those SQ Labs ones if I cannot find anything else.
I've used a very similar set-up with bar ends inboard of the levers on Fleegle bars. I had them right on the bends, which I achieved by filing the inside of the clamps to flare them slightly on the sides to clear the bend. However, if I understand you correctly you're looking to go even nearer to the stem? If you're going right onto the taper then there's no way you'll get them to tighten without them moving axially outwards and loosening.
I've no photos to hand, but they're visible in this video: Clicky
(Please excuse the mincing!)
Those South African guys do something if the sort. A very short D loop to add aero to a flat bar. Ride Farr I think they are called.
Those sq labs ones I posted won’t work did some more hunting and they won’t fit in the centre of the bar- 22.2mm.
Left field suggestion - there’s a couple of guys on here doing 3D printing..
https://grabcad.com/library/short-aero-bar-extensions-1
Fwiw, on my marathon bike I find hands on top of bars by stem very useful position - personally I wouldn’t want the extra leverage there or the reach extension getting your hands further forward in order to grip.
I can do long rides on the tri bike but knowing what a rough road feels like when your in tuck I don’t think I’d be brave enough to try it on the mtb! 😂
Those Ride Farr ones look great, whilst they are $$ they are also quite light. Maybe a bit narrow, not sure. Just wonder if I could fit my Garmin on there.
Just remembered the scorn I attracted on here for my inboard bar-ends on my fat bike about 9 years ago. 🙂
Yeah but on a fat bike the aero thing is redundant 🙂
These look brilliant and also cheap but not enough sweep:
https://ridefarr.com/za/product/farr-carbon-handlebar-720-orange-green/
Molgrips, have you thought about a bit of a bodge with something like these
But put a hole in the end of the grip and put them the wrong way round, so the thick part is to the stem and theclamp part towards your brakelevers. It will give you a similar idea to those Farr bars. Might look odd having two sets of grips on, but could work.
There are also the Velo Orange Casey's Crazy bars, which are also MTB rated now?