Riding home from Englandshire I noticed that I was riding quite a lot with my hands on the centre of the bars just to the side of the stem. It felt comfy and natural, so I thought I might pop a pair of stubby bar ends in the same place.

What's everyone else running / using that allows different hand positions, etc ? Lets see some pictures please

Jones Loops - plenty of hand positions :)

LOVE my aero bars! :]

Used some stubbies inboard of the brakes on an MTB for my first bike tour bitd, worked well.

Seen this also? http://normallyaspiratedhuman.com/?p=1337 mike's take on aerobars for the TDR. I like it - MTBs look a bit pants with full aerobars on, as useful as they are.
Loops are great, if I could find some old x-lite hinge-clamp stubbies I'd pop them on the front, like BRP's set up.

I find that i'm comfy enough with my Ergon GP3 grips with bar ends. On the road bike, I spend most of my time riding on the hoods and so this feels most natural to me although the bars on my Scott Scale 960 are something like 700 wide which is a touch overkill and puts a little pressure on the inside of my shoulder blades. The bar ends add a little bit to the width too which makes them just wide enough for nettle stings and catching on fences.
When I get the chance, i'll swap them for something narrower although i'm worried then that the thing will be even slower to steer (I like the short stem).

660mm bars with bar ends inboard of brake levers were really comfy for road sections, but alerted the fashion police.

Jones Loops are ace except for the huge flaw (IMO) that the 'road' position I use, where I hook my thumbs inside the loops, is too narrow.

750mm bars that I thought would be too wide are in fact excellent, partly because I have more than enough space for my hands between the brake levers and stem.

I'm now considering whether I'll die horribly if I put my old bar ends inboard of the brake levers on my *carbon* 750mm bars...and sod the fashion police :?

Dyffers wrote: I'm now considering whether I'll die horribly if I put my old bar ends inboard of the brake levers on my *carbon* 750mm bars...and sod the fashion police :?

If they really are carbon then be very careful how tight you fit them!!

Just imagine someone fitted 2 pairs of bar ends. 1 pair in the usual 'end of bars' position and the other pair inboard ... just how long could they ride for before the fashion police caught up with them ?

Are you asking an behalf of a 'friend'?

Are you asking an behalf of a 'friend'?

ScotRoutes wrote:

Dyffers wrote: I'm now considering whether I'll die horribly if I put my old bar ends inboard of the brake levers on my *carbon* 750mm bars...and sod the fashion police :?

If they really are carbon then be very careful how tight you fit them!!

These ones, so tightening too far is a worry, as is scratching them whilst putting the single-bolt bar ends on. Enough to put me off so far.

s8tannorm wrote:Just imagine someone fitted 2 pairs of bar ends. 1 pair in the usual 'end of bars' position and the other pair inboard ... just how long could they ride for before the fashion police caught up with them ?

I never did worry much about the fashion police! :D

I never did worry much about the fashion police!

I'm completely colour blind ... but even I know that's just wrong!

Mary bars with in board bar ends. Most used bit is with palms on the bar/bar end junction and thumbs hooked round the bar end. Forward bend of the bar from the stem means you can't use that bit , i'd like some Jones loops but they are beyond my pocket.

I have a set of Jones loops (the alloy ones), they are superb. I had a set of standard old school ti ones before.
I wasn't sure about the loops at first,but they are amazing. Loads of hand positions, I would love a set of the new Surly/Jones collaborations that are wider.

Both of those setups look vaguely exciting. If I hadn't just stuck some foam grips to my bars, I'd be very tempted to copy them :)

Might wait for a rainy day and have a play around

I got the Cane Creek Ergo bar ends and I really like them. As you may of guessed I have reviewed them too. http://www.composite-projects.co.uk/201 ... nd-review/

The (end) bar ends might go but the middle ones are staying.

Finally fitted my Fred set up (thanks BRP). Quite comfy it is too.


Fred by ianbarrington, on Flickr

Dear god man, think of the extra weight

Hey Ian, that looks soo comfy and generally brilliant, sod the weight. Shame Siren don't make them anymore. Is there a man in a barn, cottage whatever making them out there somewhere or is there another way of mounting tri-bars on Jones loop, does anyone know? If you get bored with them I'll have em.

Hey Ian, that looks soo comfy and generally brilliant, sod the weight. Shame Siren don't make them anymore. Is there a man in a barn, cottage whatever making them out there somewhere or is there another way of mounting tri-bars on Jones loop, does anyone know? If you get bored with them I'll have em.

I had a prototype mount last year made by a friend of Paul78. It needed a couple of tweeks but worked fine. I actually sent it to the US for someone to play with but kinda' lost track after that

Something like the Profile Jammer GT would work with no mods. The forward extensions are above the bar and can be moved relative to the clamps, and the arm rests are completely independent.



However, anyone who puts tribars on a MTB should be shot.

The definition of a Fred* bar is for those who are incorrigibly naff and don't give a flying.... I guess it makes more sense in the US with hundreds of miles of gravel roads. It makes less sense here where people throw their eco-friendly bikes onto SUVs and drive to trail centres. I've just sold beloved Berlingo so have to pedal longish distances on road before I get to wilderness so tri-bars appeal. Not sure if there would be enough height adjustment above jones bars if they were attached directly but worth playing around with the idea.
Was this a design of yours Stu that you had prototyped or should I be pming Paul 78? If you do go into production, put me down for one .... if the price is right that is.

* a person who has a mishmash of old gear, does’t care at all about technology or fashion, didn’t race or follow racing, etc. Often identified by chainring marks on white calf socks. Used by “serious” roadies to disparage utility cyclists and touring riders, especially after these totally unfashionable “freds” drop the “serious” roadies on hills because the “serious” guys were really posers. This term is from road touring and, according to popular myth, “Fred” was a well-known grumpy old touring rider, who really was named Fred. From http://www.bicyclesource.com/bicycling_glossary

Was this a design of yours Stu that you had prototyped or should I be pming Paul 78? If you do go into production, put me down for one .... if the price is right that is.

Nothing to do with me ... however after experimenting with the prototype I did sketch a few ideas down which I thought would make it work with more bikes. I recall that the proto' needed to be fitted above the stem if you wanted the extension pointing forwards (as most people would) ... but you'd also need some spacers between the top of the stem and the bottom of the clamp to stop them fouling each other. Obviously this means that you need to have quite a bit of spare steerer or be willing to lower your stem. What I had in mind was an U shaped or maybe L shaped mount that could be fitted below the stem, so your usual bar position could remain unchanged.

I now think that the easiest solution to getting the aero bars into a useful position would be to machine up a pair of 'risers' to go between the aero bar clamp on your bars and the clamp for the actual extensions.