[darwinning]

Hi,

Total bike newbie here. I bike to and from work, currently on a road bike with standard drop handlebars.I would like to use more rounded track bars, partially for comfort and partially because they look awesome.

Is there any reason I would have issues mounting my breaks on a more curved set of handlebars? (example: http://www.probikekit.com/us/components/handlebars-stems/cinelli-pista-alu-track-handlebars.html )

Thanks!

 

[wim]

Not sure about road break/shifters, but you can certainly put road brake/shifters on that bar. But because of the downward curvature when looking at the bar from the side (not shown in the ad), you have to mount them fairly low on the bar so you still reach the brake levers when your hands are on the drops.

Also, the tops of the bars as seen from the front (shown in the ad) have no flat section. This means if your hands are on the tops, they will tend to slide down constantly towards the low-mounted brake/shift levers. You can counteract that with a tight grip or by riding on the drops all the time.

In short: while these bars may look awesome, they're awful for your intended use. I'll give you about four weeks of commuting before you put your old bars back on and ebay those "track" bars.

 

[kbiker3111]

Not sure about road break/shifters, but you can certainly put road brake/shifters on that bar. But because of the downward curvature when looking at the bar from the side (not shown in the ad), you have to mount them fairly low on the bar so you still reach the brake levers when your hands are on the drops.

Also, the tops of the bars as seen from the front (shown in the ad) have no flat section. This means if your hands are on the tops, they will tend to slide down constantly towards the low-mounted brake/shift levers. You can counteract that with a tight grip or by riding on the drops all the time.

In short: while these bars may look awesome, they're awful for your intended use. I'll give you about four weeks of commuting before you put your old bars back on and ebay those "track" bars.

I think wim is overstating things a little here. The brifters will work. They're definitely not ideal for commuting, but people have suffered through stupider compromises on their bikes.

 

[wim]

I think wim is overstating things a little here. The brifters will work. They're definitely not ideal for commuting, but people have suffered through stupider compromises on their bikes.

Yes, "brifters" will work as I said they would. My negativity was aimed at the bars.

 

[UrbanPrimitive]

As wim mentioned it is quite likely you can mount your levers on those bars. It is also true those bars are designed for one riding position - in the drops. If what you like is the big, beautiful radius of the curve to the drop there are a lot of options to consider beyond this bar. Nitto has a lot of stuff with a traditional curve. You might need to use a shim for the clamp depending on what your current stem clamp dimension is, but that isn't the end of the world. If, on the other hand, your totally sold on this bar and just want to make sure it can work with you levers, the answer is most likely they'll work. You might not have the most comfortable bar to lever transition in the world, but as kbiker3111 mentioned, stranger things have happened to make people happy with their bikes.

 

[Local Hero]

I have no idea why everyone is giving you so much grief. I've got those same bars on my race bike and it's no problem.

 

[ericTheHalf]

I had track bars on my road bike for several years. You can ride on the tops, but you'll be most comfortable with your hands right next to the stem. You can ride on the hoods fine, and the drops.

You will have to fiddle with where the shifters attach to the bar to find the right spot. If you move them higher on the bars, the brake levers point more outward and won't be where you want them when you are in the drops. The lower you place them on the bars, the less comfortable you will be on the hoods.

I have since switched back to road bars, and don't think I would go back to the track bar for road use.

 

[Mr. Versatile]

Track bars are narrower, have deeper drops, and afford fewer hand positions than road bars do. They are made specifically for racing short distances. Many, if not most, are made of steel. I don't know this for sure, but I'm wondering if the diameter is different from the more common road bars thus requiring a different stem. Again, I'm just guessing here.

I agree they look great, but personally I wouldn't put them on any of my bikes unless I had a track bike.