Rebuilding Handlebars

Pilgrim said:

So I thought I'd go to the co-op and hook up my bar-ends last night
because I thought it would be simple. Not so much. They have about a
hundred old junk drop handlebars that i got to rummaging through, and
now I'm being indecisive. My stock drops are about 16" end to end,
chromed steel and it really great shape, but i found some that are
ergo, about 19" (closer to my shoulder width) made of really light
weight black painted aluminum, and have indentatations for brifter
cables if ever I decide to go that route. I picked them up for $5 but
I can always get my money back. So here are my questions;

Are ergo bars worth the trouble? They are the kind with bumps where
the palms of your hands go. Pretty comfy if I say so myself.

"Ergo" bars are worthwhile if you find them comfy (I do not). As for
the grooves in the bar, you might want to tape some old housing in
there for the moment, to fill them in and leave you with a "rounder"
bar to grip (until such time, if ever, that you run brake and shift
cables under the bar tape).

Quoted message said:

Are wider bars better for touring? Seems like the the extra leverage
would be nice if I installed front bags.

Bar width is a personal preference, too. Try it and see how it feels.

"Pilgrim" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

So I thought I'd go to the co-op and hook up my bar-ends last night
because I thought it would be simple. Not so much. They have about a
hundred old junk drop handlebars that i got to rummaging through, and
now I'm being indecisive. My stock drops are about 16" end to end,
chromed steel and it really great shape, but i found some that are
ergo, about 19" (closer to my shoulder width) made of really light
weight black painted aluminum, and have indentatations for brifter
cables if ever I decide to go that route. I picked them up for $5 but
I can always get my money back. So here are my questions;

Are ergo bars worth the trouble? They are the kind with bumps where
the palms of your hands go. Pretty comfy if I say so myself.

Are wider bars better for touring? Seems like the the extra leverage
would be nice if I installed front bags.

Pilgrim

2 important things to check before you tear into changing the bars:

1. Make sure that the bar diameters are the same size where they mount
into the stem. The new bar may be bigger than your old steel HBs. If they
are not the same size you will need to get a new stem to fit the ergo
bars.

2. The newer bars may be bigger diameter where the brake levers mount. If
so, there is a tool that some bike shops have that will allow you to
stretch a brake lever clamping band a little. If they still don't fit you
will need to find larger bands or get different levers.

Chas.

Quoted message said:

"Pilgrim" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

So I thought I'd go to the co-op and hook up my bar-ends last night
because I thought it would be simple. Not so much. They have about a
hundred old junk drop handlebars that i got to rummaging through, and
now I'm being indecisive. My stock drops are about 16" end to end,
chromed steel and it really great shape, but i found some that are
ergo, about 19" (closer to my shoulder width) made of really light
weight black painted aluminum, and have indentatations for brifter
cables if ever I decide to go that route. I picked them up for $5 but
I can always get my money back. So here are my questions;

Are ergo bars worth the trouble? They are the kind with bumps where
the palms of your hands go. Pretty comfy if I say so myself.

Are wider bars better for touring? Seems like the the extra leverage
would be nice if I installed front bags.

* * Chas said:

2 important things to check before you tear into changing the bars:

1. Make sure that the bar diameters are the same size where they mount
into the stem. The new bar may be bigger than your old steel HBs. If they
are not the same size you will need to get a new stem to fit the ergo
bars.

2. The newer bars may be bigger diameter where the brake levers mount. If
so, there is a tool that some bike shops have that will allow you to
stretch a brake lever clamping band a little. If they still don't fit you
will need to find larger bands or get different levers.

That tool makes crushed bands round for smoother installation. If the
steel band is 'stretching', it's broken.

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

"A Muzi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"Pilgrim" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

So I thought I'd go to the co-op and hook up my bar-ends last night
because I thought it would be simple. Not so much. They have about a
hundred old junk drop handlebars that i got to rummaging through, and
now I'm being indecisive. My stock drops are about 16" end to end,
chromed steel and it really great shape, but i found some that are
ergo, about 19" (closer to my shoulder width) made of really light
weight black painted aluminum, and have indentatations for brifter
cables if ever I decide to go that route. I picked them up for $5 but
I can always get my money back. So here are my questions;

Are ergo bars worth the trouble? They are the kind with bumps where
the palms of your hands go. Pretty comfy if I say so myself.

Are wider bars better for touring? Seems like the the extra leverage
would be nice if I installed front bags.

* * Chas said:

2 important things to check before you tear into changing the bars:

1. Make sure that the bar diameters are the same size where they mount
into the stem. The new bar may be bigger than your old steel HBs. If

they

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

are not the same size you will need to get a new stem to fit the ergo
bars.

2. The newer bars may be bigger diameter where the brake levers mount.

If

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

so, there is a tool that some bike shops have that will allow you to
stretch a brake lever clamping band a little. If they still don't fit

you

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

will need to find larger bands or get different levers.

That tool makes crushed bands round for smoother installation. If the
steel band is 'stretching', it's broken.

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

That's sort of what I meant. I seen used levers that were installed on
small bars that just needed to have the bands rounded to fit a new bar.

Chas.

Pilgrim said:

So I thought I'd go to the co-op and hook up my bar-ends last night
because I thought it would be simple. Not so much. They have about a
hundred old junk drop handlebars that i got to rummaging through, and
now I'm being indecisive. My stock drops are about 16" end to end,
chromed steel and it really great shape, but i found some that are
ergo, about 19" (closer to my shoulder width) made of really light
weight black painted aluminum, and have indentatations for brifter
cables if ever I decide to go that route. I picked them up for $5 but
I can always get my money back. So here are my questions;

Are ergo bars worth the trouble? They are the kind with bumps where
the palms of your hands go. Pretty comfy if I say so myself.

Are wider bars better for touring? Seems like the the extra leverage
would be nice if I installed front bags.

Pilgrim

Hi there Pilgrim.

Just curious but are you in the States?

Ergo bars are okay if the transition of the bends are not where your
hands want to rest. Will your bar ends fit inside your steel
handlebars? I have seen some where the bar end was too big to go
inside thehandlebar.

The extra width, shoulder width, is far more comfortable for touring
and the extra width would make holding a steady line easier as well. I
find the wider bars makes breathing easier too.

Are your current brake levers Aero or do the cables come out the top
of the brake levers? I'm guessing it's probably the latter.

If the cable comes out the top of the brake lever you should be able
to find a pair of brake lever clamps that will fit the wider Ergo bars
at the Co-op where you got the bars. It is easy to switch brake
clamps. All you do is undo the tightening bolt until the brake clamp
falls off then put on the larger diameter brake clamp. If the original
bolt does not thread to the new clamp just remove it and use the bolt
from the new larger clamp. You may have to wiggle the bolt a bit to
get it to line up with the hole in the clamp.

The Co-op probably has a stem that will fit the Ergo bars if they are
a larger diameter where the stem holds them.

Cheers from Peter

Sir Ridesalot said:

Pilgrim said:

So I thought I'd go to the co-op and hook up my bar-ends last night
because I thought it would be simple. Not so much. They have about a
hundred old junk drop handlebars that i got to rummaging through, and
now I'm being indecisive. My stock drops are about 16" end to end,
chromed steel and it really great shape, but i found some that are
ergo, about 19" (closer to my shoulder width) made of really light
weight black painted aluminum, and have indentatations for brifter
cables if ever I decide to go that route. I picked them up for $5 but
I can always get my money back. So here are my questions;

Quoted message said:

Are ergo bars worth the trouble? They are the kind with bumps where
the palms of your hands go. Pretty comfy if I say so myself.

Quoted message said:

Are wider bars better for touring? Seems like the the extra leverage
would be nice if I installed front bags.

Quoted message said:

Pilgrim

Hi there Pilgrim.

Just curious but are you in the States?

Ergo bars are okay if the transition of the bends are not where your
hands want to rest. Will your bar ends fit inside your steel
handlebars? I have seen some where the bar end was too big to go
inside thehandlebar.

The extra width, shoulder width, is far more comfortable for touring
and the extra width would make holding a steady line easier as well. I
find the wider bars makes breathing easier too.

Are your current brake levers Aero or do the cables come out the top
of the brake levers? I'm guessing it's probably the latter.

If the cable comes out the top of the brake lever you should be able
to find a pair of brake lever clamps that will fit the wider Ergo bars
at the Co-op where you got the bars. It is easy to switch brake
clamps. All you do is undo the tightening bolt until the brake clamp
falls off then put on the larger diameter brake clamp. If the original
bolt does not thread to the new clamp just remove it and use the bolt
from the new larger clamp. You may have to wiggle the bolt a bit to
get it to line up with the hole in the clamp.

The Co-op probably has a stem that will fit the Ergo bars if they are
a larger diameter where the stem holds them.

Cheers from Peter

Yeah, I'm in San Francisco. I installed the ergo bars last night. I
have barend shifters, and yes the cables on the brakes come out of the
top. I rode it to work for the first time this morning. It was weird.
I can tell it's going to make staying in control on ruts a lot easier,
but it makes my arms sore. I think maybe I'm just supporting my weight
on new muscles that aren't used to it yet. Also, it's now almost
impossible to ride with no hands, like the bike wants to lean to one
side. Maybe that's a result of something else, unaligned seat stays or
dropouts perhaps.

Pilgrim said:

Sir Ridesalot said:

On Feb 28, 11:43 am, "Pilgrim" <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

So I thought I'd go to the co-op and hook up my bar-ends last night
because I thought it would be simple. Not so much. They have about a
hundred old junk drop handlebars that i got to rummaging through, and
now I'm being indecisive. My stock drops are about 16" end to end,
chromed steel and it really great shape, but i found some that are
ergo, about 19" (closer to my shoulder width) made of really light
weight black painted aluminum, and have indentatations for brifter
cables if ever I decide to go that route. I picked them up for $5 but
I can always get my money back. So here are my questions;

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Are ergo bars worth the trouble? They are the kind with bumps where
the palms of your hands go. Pretty comfy if I say so myself.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Are wider bars better for touring? Seems like the the extra leverage
would be nice if I installed front bags.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Pilgrim

Quoted message said:

Hi there Pilgrim.

Quoted message said:

Just curious but are you in the States?

Quoted message said:

Ergo bars are okay if the transition of the bends are not where your
hands want to rest. Will your bar ends fit inside your steel
handlebars? I have seen some where the bar end was too big to go
inside thehandlebar.

Quoted message said:

The extra width, shoulder width, is far more comfortable for touring
and the extra width would make holding a steady line easier as well. I
find the wider bars makes breathing easier too.

Quoted message said:

Are your current brake levers Aero or do the cables come out the top
of the brake levers? I'm guessing it's probably the latter.

Quoted message said:

If the cable comes out the top of the brake lever you should be able
to find a pair of brake lever clamps that will fit the wider Ergo bars
at the Co-op where you got the bars. It is easy to switch brake
clamps. All you do is undo the tightening bolt until the brake clamp
falls off then put on the larger diameter brake clamp. If the original
bolt does not thread to the new clamp just remove it and use the bolt
from the new larger clamp. You may have to wiggle the bolt a bit to
get it to line up with the hole in the clamp.

Quoted message said:

The Co-op probably has a stem that will fit the Ergo bars if they are
a larger diameter where the stem holds them.

Quoted message said:

Cheers from Peter

Yeah, I'm in San Francisco. I installed the ergo bars last night. I
have barend shifters, and yes the cables on the brakes come out of the
top. I rode it to work for the first time this morning. It was weird.
I can tell it's going to make staying in control on ruts a lot easier,
but it makes my arms sore. I think maybe I'm just supporting my weight
on new muscles that aren't used to it yet. Also, it's now almost
impossible to ride with no hands, like the bike wants to lean to one
side. Maybe that's a result of something else, unaligned seat stays or
dropouts perhaps.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hi there.

Almost impossible to ride with no hands? Were you able to ride it no
hands before? Check to see if any of your cables have too tight a bend
and are pulling the bars. If that is not causing it then it could be
an alignment issue some where on either the frame or front forks.

Good luck and cheers from Peter