The bars are trekking bars but they swoop down in the front like mustache bars. These touring bars look like a combination of trekking and moustache bars.
K On Wed, Jun 8, 2011 at 12:59 AM, Rene Sterental <orthie...@gmail.com> wrote: > I just installed the Nitto Touring Bar aka Butterfly or Trekking bar on my > Atlantis and rode it for the first time today on my Bike/Caltrain commute to > work. I'm trying to find a bar that will allow me to ride comfortably with > no neck pain and after having used the 48cm Noodles, Albatross and the > Moustache Bars with mixed success, I decided to explore the concept of the > Trekking bars. > > I mounted the bars on a Nitto Dirt Drop 25.4/10cm stem to avoid using > shims. After checking out several configuration options online, I opted to > go for a variation of the standard setup to get started. Brake levers on the > ends of the bars (section closest to the rider and to keep it clean, mounted > my bar-end shifters on Paul's Thumbies that I mounted on the vertical > section of the stem. I debated on mounting the brake levers on the front > like you do on M-bars, but since the fronts are flatter, I wasn't sure I > would like pulling on the lever on that position. I might still try it, but > for now decided to try the default brake lever position on the bars. I > haven't taped them and won't until I'm sure that is the way I want to keep > them. > > First impressions are: > - Surprisingly comfortable after fine tuning the height of the bars and > rotating them so the are almost parallel to the ground. May still tweak that > a little bit, but I've almost got it close to perfect by the time I came > home in the evening. Bar height for me is similar to the recommended M-bar > setup, front of the bar higher than the saddle and ends are basically level > with the top of the saddle. > - Extremely well handling of the bike, particularly on turns. While it > always felt as if I had to somehow "work" the turns being careful not to > over/under do it with the Noodle bars, with the Touring bars the turns were > effortless and very cool. No matter if I had my hands on the front or on the > rear, making the bike turn was incredibly smooth and felt amazing. Perhaps > it's due to their increased width over the Noodles, perhaps it's just the > overall fit that improves the handling so much, at least for me. > - Standing on the pedals to climb makes it very easy to hit the bar with > the legs, but it's easy to get around it by slightly turning the body when > "dancing" on the pedals instead of pushing the bike sideways. I only do it > for short stretches so it's not a big deal for me, but it's definitely not a > bar you would choose if you stood on your pedals often. > - There is just a hint of flexibility on the bar that makes it extremely > comfortable on rough stuff, especially when riding it upright with your > hands on the closest sections of the bars where the brakes are. > > After I had rotated the bar forward, the position was very comfortable and > much to my surprise, I realized that I didn't develop any shoulder/neck pain > at all. Later in the evening I could feel some tightness on my neck, but I > had had no discomfort at all during the ride, even though I pushed it hard > for a bit. When riding hard, the hands fall naturally on the angle between > the front and side sections and it's quite comfortable. I'm wondering if > I'll prefer the brake levers there, but so far I think I'm going to leave > them where they are. It seems you want the hands on the brakes when riding > at slow speeds in traffic when you're upright, rather than when you're > stretched in the forward position for faster riding. Still, I'm not so sure > so I'll probably try some levers on the front section at some point. The > brake levers I put are the Tektro FL750 City Brake Levers and I got them > from VO. They seem a perfect fit for these bars in the current position, as > if designed purposely for it. > > More feedback to come, but in the meantime you can check some pictures > here: http://tinyurl.com/3ur7e7m > > René > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
