Clamp on handlebar "horns".

Seems to be suddenly fashionable to have clamp on handlegrips that stick up
at right angles from the bars.

Do they actually serve any useful purpose - or are they just supposed to
look cool?

Thanks.

On 9/10/2016 2:27 PM, Ian Field wrote:
Seems to be suddenly fashionable to have clamp on
handlegrips that stick up at right angles from the bars.

Do they actually serve any useful purpose - or are they just
supposed to look cool?

Well, there's always that.

Some riders, as with road bars, prefer the ability to change
wrist angle while riding.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Ian Field wrote:
Seems to be suddenly fashionable to have clamp on handlegrips that stick up
at right angles from the bars.

Do they actually serve any useful purpose - or are they just supposed to
look cool?

Thanks.



They make riding with straight handlebars almost bearable.

--
Lou

On Saturday, September 10, 2016 at 5:22:10 PM UTC-4, Lou Holtman wrote:
Ian Field wrote:
Seems to be suddenly fashionable to have clamp on handlegrips that stick up
at right angles from the bars.

Do they actually serve any useful purpose - or are they just supposed to
look cool?

Thanks.



They make riding with straight handlebars almost bearable.

--
Lou

Right. They're known just about everywhere as "Bar Ends" and come in different lengths. They're extremely useful if they're mounted inboard of the brake levers and shifters. In that position they can also act as mini-aero bars and allow you to ride a lot more comfortable in a semi-aero position or into a headwind.

Cheers

On 2016-09-10, Ian Field wrote:
Seems to be suddenly fashionable to have clamp on handlegrips that stick up
at right angles from the bars.

Do they actually serve any useful purpose - or are they just supposed to
look cool?

Bar ends were fashionable on 1990s mountain bikes. They went out of
style (sorry, you're at least a decade behind the times) when mountain
bike handlebars became wider and started including a bit of rise, and
when cross-country MTBs largely yielded to "all-mountain" or "trail"
MTBs with more suspension and slacker head angles and all kinds of
other disimprovements.

I am extremely fond of bar ends on MTBs (thus showing my own
unstylishness); as others have said, they really improve ergonomics
on flat bars by offering several additional hand positions. But
more than that, they offer a way to get your body more forward for
extremely steep climbs, and also offer hand protection from tree
or wall strikes. The latter point is only with curved or bent bar
ends, rather than the straight ones. I can't recommend the straight
ones due to their tendency to hook onto the struck object instead of
deflecting it.

If you get 'em get the two-position long curved bar ends such
as these:
https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...ls.php?id=5756

Fancy version, if you can find them:
https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...s.php?id=70270

--
Gregory S. Sutter Mostly Harmless

http://zer0.org/~gsutter/

https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...?category=1678

https://www.universalcycles.com/sear...djustable+stem

goo.gl/HFIoOg

On Sat, 10 Sep 2016 20:27:04 +0100, "Ian Field"
wrote:

Seems to be suddenly fashionable to have clamp on handlegrips that stick up
at right angles from the bars.

Do they actually serve any useful purpose - or are they just supposed to
look cool?

Thanks.

I found the ability to change hand position more comfortable on rides
of, say one hour, or more.
--
cheers,

John B.

Try oval ergo tubing ...

My hands had generally tightened from holding an OEM 10 spd Raleigh bar

A $10 Nbar ergo bar eliminated the ongoing hand pain while riding ...within 10 miles.

On 2016-09-11, Sir Ridesalot wrote:

BTW, I remember back in the 1980s when Cannondale MTBs had a 26"
front wheel and a 24" rear wheel because the 24" size gave slightly
lower gearing.

Ibis Mtn Trials also had the same setup of 26" front and 24" rear.
I owned one for a couple years; it was fun and maneuverable.

--
Gregory S. Sutter Mostly Harmless

http://zer0.org/~gsutter/

On Sun, 11 Sep 2016 23:18:58 -0500, Gregory Sutter
wrote:

On 2016-09-11, Sir Ridesalot wrote:

BTW, I remember back in the 1980s when Cannondale MTBs had a 26"
front wheel and a 24" rear wheel because the 24" size gave slightly
lower gearing.

Ibis Mtn Trials also had the same setup of 26" front and 24" rear.
I owned one for a couple years; it was fun and maneuverable.

http://forums.mtbr.com/vintage-retro...ew-459484.html

I wonder whether the geometry, perhaps shorter chain stays, might have
something to do with the design?
--
cheers,

John B.