I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask but it's about my mountain bike.
I'd like to set up my Karate Monkey for street use and I'd like to swap out the straight bars for something with more hand positions. Drop bars and mustache bars are intriguing but I'm considering trekking or butterfly bars (same thing?) because the pictures I've seen look like they use the same brake levers and I'm hoping to minimize the number of parts that would need to be replaced.
I really don't know much about swapping parts. With trekking bars, would I need to change the stem or should the existing one work? Would other parts need to be swapped out? I'm trying to keep it economical and simple.
AFAIK, the trekking bars may only come with smaller (as in "vintage"😉 center sections ... ditto for "mustache" handlebars. If your bike currently has an older, [B]non[/B]-OS stem with a removable face plate then you probably do not need a new stem unless you want to change the reach or if you want to opt for a hi-rise stem.
I have never had to buy another pair of handlebars in my life. I have had to buy new grips though. Are you sure you just don't need to buy new grips. I would check that first before you spend a ton of money.
I was once advised to change the handle bars of my mountain bike. That friend said it is heavy for me. He also emphasized that bikes for women is different from bikes of men. But I thought long and hard on it. Why change if it ain't broke? And what if the new handlebars would be so light that I would have difficulty? So many questions came to my mind.
In the end, I remained with the original and didn't buy a replacement. My reason - I am comfortable with my handlebars. So there.
