Re: "Auxiliary" brake levers

Lou D'Amelio said:

Are you sure these weren't cyclocross bikes? 'Cross racers use these to
give them access to the brakes while they're riding on the tops, which
is often necessary.
Lou D'Amelio

They're getting more common on things like the Specialised Sequoia and
other road bikes with a bit more of a nod towards comfort. You're
right, they originated with 'crossers, but tourers and commuters are
using them too for much the same reasons. IMO it's a good idea, they
add negligible weight and cost and open up drop bars to a much wider
audience than the traditional stiffbacked roadie.

Lou D'Amelio said:

Are you sure these weren't cyclocross bikes? 'Cross racers use these to
give them access to the brakes while they're riding on the tops, which
is often necessary.
Lou D'Amelio

This year they found their way on to 'recreational' road
bikes too.

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

A Muzi said:

Lou D'Amelio said:

Are you sure these weren't cyclocross bikes? 'Cross racers use these to
give them access to the brakes while they're riding on the tops, which
is often necessary.

This year they found their way on to 'recreational' road
bikes too.

That's a substantial clue that non-racers are figuring out that drop
bars basically suck, IMO. (Like all the motorcyclists in the world, as
well as most all the bicyclists in countries where bikes are used for
transportation and not chiefly as toys.) Too bad that drop bar tops
are annoyingly narrow if that's the only part of the bar you're
comfortable using.

Chalo Colina

Chalo said:

That's a substantial clue that non-racers are figuring out that drop
bars basically suck, IMO. (Like all the motorcyclists in the world, as
well as most all the bicyclists in countries where bikes are used for
transportation and not chiefly as toys.) Too bad that drop bar tops
are annoyingly narrow if that's the only part of the bar you're
comfortable using.

What type of bars do you use? For the new bicycle, about which I've been
agonising for weeks now, I was thinking about something similar to what's
described on the page below as a 'euro touring' or 'trekking' bar,
although I'm pretty sure that the variant I'm contemplating is somehow
equipped with mountain gear rather than road gear.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/deakins/handlebars.html

Jasper

Jasper Janssen said:

Chalo said:

That's a substantial clue that non-racers are figuring out that drop
bars basically suck, IMO. (Like all the motorcyclists in the world, as
well as most all the bicyclists in countries where bikes are used for
transportation and not chiefly as toys.) Too bad that drop bar tops
are annoyingly narrow if that's the only part of the bar you're
comfortable using.

What type of bars do you use? For the new bicycle, about which I've been
agonising for weeks now, I was thinking about something similar to what's
described on the page below as a 'euro touring' or 'trekking' bar,
although I'm pretty sure that the variant I'm contemplating is somehow
equipped with mountain gear rather than road gear.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/deakins/handlebars.html

I use BMX bars, flat bars, riser bars, motocross bars, North Road-type
bars, and "ape hangers" on my various bikes. I've tried conventional,
anatomical, vertically flared (Nitto Dirt Drops) and horizontally
flared (WTB drops) on my bikes, all without success.

The WTB drops wouldn't be all bad, if you mounted them upside down, and
if they were made in a diameter to accept real brake levers.

I've seen the "trekking" bars you mention, but I thought they looked
too fragile for my use. I considered putting some on my sweetie's road
bike, but she preferred MTB riser bars.

Chalo Colina