I'm a Billie Bar convert thanks to a kind list member and prefer them for the extra hand position in front of the brake levers. Yes they could look nicer with some extra rise, I'd prefer to look at a swooped up bar than a tall stem but that doesn't impact my ride only my gaze when looking at my bike instead of riding it.
Regarding the usability of the front hand position. I find myself there when I need one of two things, getting out of the wind while fighting a head wind or giving myself a good long stretch while still seated. With a 13cm stem and Billies I can get a really good stretch without getting off the bike. FWIW my Billies are on a 64cm Atlantis On Saturday, August 26, 2023 at 6:00:25 PM UTC+2 kirkebc...@gmail.com wrote: > I've been riding Billie bars on my 90s Novara mtb for about two years and > absolutely love them for all the reasons Eric mentioned. > I have two critiques: I wish they had a little bit more rise and they just > aren't quite as aesthetically appealing as Albatross bars, which just seem > to have a smoother overall curvature and shape. I'd love it if someone made > a handlebar that was an Albatross with essentially the same width and > extended sweep back of the Billie bars. > On Friday, August 25, 2023 at 2:34:41 PM UTC-5 eric...@gmail.com wrote: > >> Hi David — I've run Albatross, Billie and Ortho bars on different bikes >> and have enjoyed them all. I think that the Billies are the sweet spot, >> more sweep back and wider than the Albatross and not out there in mutant >> territory like the Orthos. >> >> All three bars have a similar shape but each has more sweep back than the >> next and they get wider along the scale as well. I do like having more >> sweep back to accommodate levers, thumb-mounted shifters *and *to have a >> nice long grip position in the hooks which I find good for spirited riding >> and climbing out of the saddle. >> >> I don't think I'll run *Albatross* bars again, despite their beauty and >> the classic shape. Just not enough room for levers, thumb shifters and the >> hooks grip position for me. I'd consider it with bar end shifters but don't >> see myself running swept back bars and bar-ends together anytime soon. The >> image below, from Rivendell Catalog No. 20, is how I fell in love with the >> Albatross bar. >> >> [image: Screenshot 2023-08-25 at 3.12.33 PM.png] >> >> I don't have any pictures handy but I ran mine just like this on my Surly >> LHT. >> >> I had the *Billie* bars on my Appaloosa for a while before I swapped to >> the Ortho bars. Great hooks position, nice shape, plenty of sweep back. >> >> [image: Screenshot 2023-08-25 at 3.30.59 PM.png] >> >> The *Ortho* bars are very flexy and the long sweep back requires a 12cm >> or 13cm stem to get them far enough away from you. This will depend on how >> big your frames are. They're 69cm wide, mine measure 29" outside to >> outside. I sometimes struggle to fit the bars through my shed door but it's >> only a 2-8 (32") door. I think on a smaller frame they might teeter on true >> absurdity. I've found mine to be overall pretty comfortable though not >> life-changing. I won't rant or rave about them. I think I'd be just as >> happy with the Billie bars. The Ortho is based on a set of Bosco bars that >> Ron bent and flattened out, you can sort of see it in their overall shape. >> Here's a picture of the bike with the Ortho bars. >> >> [image: Appaloosa-updates-3-scaled.jpg] >> >> Here's a quick overlay with my Billie bars strapped to my Ortho bars for >> comparison. >> >> [image: IMG_7187.JPG] >> >> The last round of Orthos were out of stock for over a year and then >> quickly sold out. I haven't heard any rumors about how soon Crust will have >> another shipment in. If they're unavailable I think the Billies would be >> worthwhile. >> >> Best of luck and let us know what you do! >> >> Eric >> >> On Friday, August 25, 2023 at 1:51:07 PM UTC-4 David Pulsipher wrote: >> >>> Hi there, >>> >>> I've been using the Nitto Albatross now for over 13 years - and love it >>> immensely. But recently I've been intrigued by the idea of going wider, >>> much wider. Was wondering if any one had made a similar transition and >>> would mind sharing their thoughts, reflections. >>> >>> Thanks hive mind! >>> >>> >>> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/85937a10-73c0-4b4c-b6dd-bcdde78529afn%40googlegroups.com.
