Tag: road handlebars

Handlebars have the ability to transform the way a bike rides.

Wide handlebars increase the steering leverage to offer you better bike stability. Drop bars offer a lower and narrower body position which puts you in a more aero position. Handlebars with multiple hand locations allow you to switch it up, giving your muscles and joints a much-needed break on a long ride.

Unfortunately, there is no perfect handlebar for everybody as the shape is hugely personal – one ‘ergonomic’ bar may suit one rider but not another.

Most stock touring bikes are found with three different handlebar styles: drop bars, flat bars or butterfly/trekking bars. You can find out about these three handlebar styles including information on hand positioning, body posture, frame sizing, and the bar shapes that suit beginners HERE.

With lots of new alt handlebars becoming available, this is your guide to the different options.

KOGA Denham Bar

The KOGA Denham Bar is a unique combination of a bullhorn and a sweptback bar.

It’s over 700mm wide which provides huge amounts to steering leverage to overcome the weight of any front luggage. The 40cm wide bullhorn section offers a narrower, more aerodynamic body position and the centre portion can be wrapped with bar tape to replicate the ‘tops’ of a drop bar. Additionally, there is enough room between the bullhorns for a mid-sized Ortlieb handlebar bag.

The KOGA Denham Bar is around US $75 and you can read about its design HERE.

Similar Handlebars:
Velo Orange Crazy Bar (45d)
Surly Moloko (34d)

Jones Loop H-Bar

The Loop Bar design is great for bicycle touring because it offers near and far hand positions, as well as a long/wide 45-degree main sections for increased stability. The bar is excellent for strapping things to given its generous real estate, and without luggage, there’s ample room for mounting accessories like your lights or GPS. You won’t be able to mount a handlebar bag to this bar design; instead, check out the more specific Loop Bar bikepacking bags. That said, if you have enough spacers under your stem you can use a steerer-mounted accessory bar for mounting your handlebar bag.

The Jones Loop are priced accordingly: US $80-120 (aluminium), US $295 (carbon), US $395 (titanium).

Similar Handlebars:
Humpert Boomerang
Humpert Space Bugel
Jones Cut H-Bar
Soma Eagle
Titec J-Bar
Ti Cycles Halo

Humpert Hornbar

The Hornbar is a backwards-swept flat bar, with built-in bar extensions. It offers three different wrist angles along the extensions, allowing you to take the strain off your wrists and stretch your body out. The Hornbar is almost a butterfly bar, however, it doesn’t reduce the overall reach of your bike like a butterfly bar will. It’s available in an adjustable folding model called the ‘AHS’, and a ‘comfort’ model with even more loop to the extensions.

You can find the Humpert Hornbar as cheap as £10.

Similar Handlebars:
Modolo Mohican
Origin8 Adventure Tour

Jones Bend H-Bar

Sweptback handlebars like the Jones Bend are considered more ergonomic than a flat bar. The theory is that if you relax your arms by your side, then lean forward into a riding position and lift your arms up naturally to where a handlebar would be – you would find your wrists at 45-degrees. There are lots of different options for sweptback bars with varying angles of sweep between 20 and 60-degrees.

Jones Bend H-Bars work out at US $75.

Similar Handlebars:
Ahearne MAP (41d)
Answer Enduro (20d)
Bontrager Crivitz (25d)
Carver MyTi (29d)
Crust Jungle Runner (40d)
Fairdale Archer V2 (35d)
FSA Metropolis (47d)
Genetic Digest (21d)
Groovy Cycleworks LUV Handles (21d)
Nitto Jitensha B2522
On-One Mary (40d)
Origin8 Space Off-Road 2 (40d)
Salsa Bend 2 (23d)
Sim Works Getaround (20d)
Soma Clarence (34d)
Soma Osprey (40d)
SQlab 302 (35d)
Surly Open Bar (53d)
Ti Cycles Double S (30d)
Velo Orange Curvy One (60d)
Velo Orange Curvy Too (30d)
Velo Orange Klunker (45d)
Velo Orange Milan (35d)
Velo Orange Postino (45d)
Watson Cycles Parkarino (31d)

Salsa Woodchipper 2

The Woodchipper flared drop bars are wider than a regular road bar, as well as offering an ergonomic 25-degree sweep in the drops. That makes them fantastic for off-road use when a bit of extra leverage is handy, and the flared design seems to provide additional comfort for most users.

The Woodchipper 2 handlebars will set you back US $75.

Similar Products:
Crust Towel Rack (15d)
Funn G-Wide (6d)
Nitto Dirt Drop RM014
On-One Midge
Salsa Cowbell (12d)
Salsa Cowchipper (24d)
Soma Gator (20d)
Soma Portola

Alt Handlebar Comparison Tool

You Can Read All About Bicycle Touring Handlebars HERE

Like a saddle, your choice of touring handlebars is highly personal.

There are lots of different handlebar designs available from traditional road bike drop bars, to mountain bike flat bars, and even touring-specific designs such as butterfly and alt handlebars.

This article takes a closer look at the key characteristics of touring handlebars, and the pros and cons of each design.

Hand Positioning

Changing your wrist position regularly will relieve stress points on your hands and will change the muscles you’re using in your arms, shoulders and back. By sharing the load, your body will be less fatigued at the end of the day.

Some cyclists are affected by Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). CTS is pressure on the median nerve – the nerve in the wrist that supplies feeling and movement to parts of the hand. It can lead to numbness, tingling, weakness, or muscle damage in the hand and fingers. If you tour with a bar that has limited positions and is affected by any of the above symptoms, a handlebar change may make a big difference.

Body Posture and Handlebar Height

Your body posture on a bike is mostly due to your bike’s frame size – a handlebar alone will not set you up for all-day comfort. Your bike frame needs to be a size that isn’t too stretched out and should be high enough in the front to keep your neck and back in check.

The ‘ideal’ position depends on a lot of factors: your flexibility, your body proportions, your fitness levels, any injuries you’ve sustained, your saddle choice, and any medical conditions you may have.

I recommend the lowest position that you feel comfortable riding all-day in, for two reasons:
– Battling headwinds is easier in a lower and more aerodynamic position; and,
– You can spread your body weight more evenly between your saddle and handlebars in a lower position.

For beginner tourers, a good start is to have the top of your handlebar an inch or two (3-5cm) above your saddle height. You can then drop the height of your handlebar until you are comfortable. With time, more flexible cyclists (especially those with road biking experience) can ride all day with handlebars around the same level or a touch lower than their saddle. Less flexible cyclists or those seeking an upright position will do well with their handlebars considerably higher than their saddle.

Are you a Beginner?

People who are not confident riding bicycles (especially ones loaded with heavy panniers and in traffic) should be warned that drop bars make a bicycle more difficult to handle when compared to the same bike with trekking or flat handlebars. This is due to the fact that drop bars have less steering leverage (to overcome any front luggage) along with less accessibility to the brake levers.

If you are inexperienced, I generally recommend starting out with a flat, butterfly or alt handlebar first.

Bike Sizing and Handlebars

The frame size that you choose with a drop handlebar will be different to a bike using a trekking or flat handlebar. On a road handlebar, you are fitted most comfortably in the ‘hood’ position at the top of the brake lever. This hood position results in a longer overall reach by approximately 50mm, compared to a flat handlebar.

Bike manufacturers build the reach of their bikes to suit certain handlebars. They increase the length of the top tube by about 50mm when designed around a flat handlebar. That doesn’t mean you can’t run a road handlebar on a bike designed for a flat handlebar – it just means that you may need to go a size or two down to get the appropriate reach for you.

All About Drop Bars

The classic touring handlebar option for its multiple hand positions, both low and high, as well as near and far. It’s best suited to experienced cyclists. 

Why use a drop bar:
– They offer multiple hand positions
– They have a high and low body position
– They’re more aerodynamic in headwinds or for high-speed riding
– They’re narrow enough to squeeze through traffic
– They can be paired with ‘cross’ levers so that you have two sets of brake levers

Why to NOT use a drop bar:
– They’re not as stable-feeling for inexperienced cyclists given their narrow width
– They’re not as wide as any of the other bars for slow speed or out-of-the-saddle stability
– There’s limited access to brake levers
– There’s less handlebar space for accessories
– They’re harder to get used to
– They’re harder to mount Rohloff shifters on (click HERE to see a compilation of ways to get around it)
– Bartape must be used, which can be rather easy to tear

All About Butterfly/Trekking Bars

The most popular handlebar option for round-the-world cyclists because it offers lots of hand positions and is wider than road handlebars.

Why use a butterfly handlebar:
– They offer lots of different hand positions.
– They’re narrow, making them great for splitting traffic.
– They have great access to the brake levers.
– You can easily mount mountain bike gear shifters and brake levers.
– They’re excellent for beginner bicycle tourers.

Why to NOT use a butterfly handlebar:
– They’re not as wide as flat bars.
– Bar tape or foam must be used, which can be rather easy to tear.

All About Flat Handlebars

Flat handlebars can be great if the right handlebar is used. I generally recommend bars with over 10 degrees of sweep for a more natural hand position, as well as the use of bar ends for a secondary hand position.

Why use a flat handlebar:
– They have greater control over the bike thanks to additional steering leverage.
– Lots of space for accessories.
– Changing the grips is a 2-minute job.
– They fit mountain bike gear shifters and brake levers (much easier cable changes)
– They’re ideal for beginner bike tourers.

Why to NOT use a flat handlebar:
– They offer fewer hand positions.
– They can be harder to get between traffic due to their width.

Alt Handlebars

Alt handlebars are my favourite handlebar design – so much so, I designed my own!

With the KOGA Denham Bar, you a wide handlebar that offers excellent bike control, and you also get the equivalent ‘hoods’ and ‘tops’ positions from a drop bar for both aerodynamics and comfort. There are three distinct hand positions, but I actually use five different spots, which you can see in this video HERE. They are compatible with standard mountain bike shifters and brake levers.

You can everything there is to know about the Denham Bar design HERE.

Summary

– A bicycle touring handlebar should offer multiple hand positions to keep you comfortable and reduce the risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. It’s handy to be able to change the stress points on your hands, arms, shoulders, and back as you ride.
– If you’re a beginner or don’t feel 100% comfortable riding a bike yet, avoid narrow bars as they’re not as confidence-inspiring as wider options.
– Drop handlebars offer both low and high, as well as near and far body positioning – making them great in the wind or for faster riding.
– Trekking handlebars are still quite popular for round-the-world cyclists because they offer good leverage, MTB shifter/brake compatibility, and multiple hand positions.
– Flat handlebars are the most limiting in terms of hand placement, but with some bar-ends can be great to tour with. The advantages include control at low speeds, leverage for climbing, and space for accessories.
– Alt handlebars are my personal pick for a touring handlebar as they offer the best of all worlds. Check out my list of alt bar options HERE.