i"m down to a single big bike and only ride albatross but have been very tempted by the billie. this discussion always reminds me of this t-shirt from blue lug.
https://global.bluelug.com/blue-lug-nitto-handlebar-t-shirt-white.html On Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 9:44:18 AM UTC-5 Paul M wrote: > I've been riding with the Choco-Moose handlebar for years and the "narrow > 55cm" width has been fine for on road and off. Even though in the back of > my mind, the general cycling community has been pushing wider handlebars. > This moose style handlebar has a fixed rise, reach, width and downward tilt > of the bars which is perfect for me. It does need a longish top tube to > work best. > > On Monday, 4 December 2023 at 17:48:44 UTC-8 Chris Halasz wrote: > >> Thanks to all for the great input on different bars and their >> applications. >> >> When I first tried Albatross bars on my Bleriot, I could not get >> comfortable with them. Fifteen years later the Albatross bars are my >> favorite. I use them on a 58cm LHT. >> >> I recently experienced shoulder pain when I tried (much) wider upright >> bars. I swam long distances for decades and am now careful with my worn >> shoulders. Somewhere I read that it's important to keep the arms 'in the >> box' (i.e. within the width of the box established by the shoulders) during >> exercise. It seems to work very well with this scrawny six-foot-tall >> person. I'm fairly upright on the LHT, with the bars about 2.5" above the >> B68 saddle. >> >> I'm curious to try some of the narrower Toscos sometime. The way the bars >> can be tilted so that the grips tilt toward the downtube is intriguing. No >> rush, but someday. >> >> On Monday, December 4, 2023 at 1:02:28 PM UTC-8 brok...@gmail.com wrote: >> >>> If you were to overlay Toscos (the 650mm version) over top of some >>> Orthos like that, you would find them nearly the same in just about every >>> way... for anyone pining for some unobtainable Ortho bars. >>> >>> On Mon, Dec 4, 2023 at 3:46 PM Richard Rose <rmro...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> I am late to this party & I may not be much help but… I’ve been running >>>> Bosco bars on my two bikes - a Clem & a Gus. They are pretty much perfect. >>>> Except that the Gus begs to be ridden harder on singletrack than I was >>>> comfortable with. After much deliberation I took a flyer & installed a >>>> “Albacore” handlebar from Hope Cyclery. It’s wide @ 785. It has a forward >>>> sweep before coming back & a very comfortable & confidence inspiring 50-60 >>>> degrees. It necessitated ditching my 90mm stem for a 35mm one. These >>>> changes transformed the Gus. The part of this that might apply to your >>>> situation; wide bars feel great on the trails, experimentation can be fun >>>> & >>>> rewarding. >>>> [image: image0.jpeg] >>>> Sent from my iPhone >>>> >>>> On Dec 4, 2023, at 1:35 PM, Chris K <cmka...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>> >>>> J, question about your mothbars - do you find yourself ever using >>>> other hand positions? >>>> >>>> Intrigued by this bar but it looks like holding on anywhere but the >>>> ends would be awkward with such a wide bar. >>>> >>>> On Saturday, August 26, 2023 at 4:20:31 PM UTC-6 J wrote: >>>> >>>>> I've always had problems with swept back bars, tried many over the >>>>> years from Riv, Velo O, Soma and the Albatross bar lasted the longest (6 >>>>> months?) on any bike but they were never really comfortable either. >>>>> Everything always felt too narrow for my shoulder width and gave me neck >>>>> pain. I had an opportunity to try the Tumbleweed Persuader bars on my >>>>> hardtail, and even though the back sweep threw the fit off it still got >>>>> my >>>>> gears turning about wider swoopy bars. I widened some Albatross bars in a >>>>> vice and really felt like I was getting somewhere but started having >>>>> saddle >>>>> comfort issues from riding upright again, an issue I've always had. Last >>>>> year I got to try Ron's Ortho bars on his Atlantis and they felt >>>>> ridiculous >>>>> in the moment, but a day later I was still thinking about them. They'd >>>>> been >>>>> sold out for so long I gave up and sourced some Magic Components >>>>> Mothbars, >>>>> and they've been great! They turned an old aluminum mtb I wasn't riding >>>>> into a bike I'd happily take for a casual ride under 30 miles. >>>>> >>>>> [image: 2xzuKpol[1].jpg] >>>>> [image: JMRTj5Ql[1].jpg] >>>>> [image: 6ySLdfsl[1].jpg] >>>>> [image: TPvZVebl[1].jpg] >>>>> >>>>> On Saturday, August 26, 2023 at 3:01:00 PM UTC-4 exliontamer wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> The Albatross is my favorite upright bar. I'm a fairly tall guy with >>>>>> fairly big hands and it really only has 1 1/2 hand positions for me but >>>>>> I >>>>>> love the feel of it. It's stiff enough for trails, upright enough to >>>>>> commute on, etc. They live on my older Toyo Atlantis. I do think the >>>>>> newer >>>>>> revisions like the Billie work a lot better for newer Rivs with longer >>>>>> top >>>>>> tubes. The Billie in particular is incredible. It would just have too >>>>>> much >>>>>> sweepback for me on the Atlantis without using a comically long stem and >>>>>> I >>>>>> would lose that forward bend position without having to lean a lot. >>>>>> As to Ortho bars I don't know how well they work for smaller statured >>>>>> riders. I just put a pair on my Cheviot and they feel good out of the >>>>>> gate >>>>>> but for someone who doesn't have broad shoulders they could be overkill. >>>>>> On Saturday, August 26, 2023 at 11:22:34 AM UTC-5 Glen wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> 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-bun...@googlegroups.com. >>>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f3c76411-0bc1-4084-89a7-504c22746ea0n%40googlegroups.com >>>> >>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f3c76411-0bc1-4084-89a7-504c22746ea0n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>> . >>>> >>>> -- >>>> 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-bun...@googlegroups.com. >>>> >>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/B6A426D2-165A-4A89-96AF-04694B6534E0%40gmail.com >>>> >>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/B6A426D2-165A-4A89-96AF-04694B6534E0%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>> . >>>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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