Bar end Revelation :-)

[letmetalktomark]

Getting my Muddy Fox ready for Saturday's FOD ride I realized that teh stem I had fitted was, if I am honest, too short for me.

Not having another stem to hand I decided to fit a pair of X Lite stubbies for nothing more than an extra place to put my hands in lieu of the short stem.

I have not ridden with bar ends for years - certainly since the mid 90's. TBH I think that usually they are a bit of an aesthetics killer.

However ......... after about the first 30 minutes of riding I realized that not only were they a good idea/fix to the short stem but they just worked with climbing etc.

I was truly dumbfounded :shock:

So ..... for future builds, rides etc I will be giving serious consideration to the addition of bar ends regardless of aesthetics*


M





* This may not be true, well might not be for pictures

 

[REKIBorter]

Could have done with bar ends myself last weekend. Unfortunately the bike I was riding does not suit bar ends due to its vintage. Other than that I am a confirmed bar end fan.

 

[technodup]

Bar ends are a must. Had the welded X-Lite ski type bitd, now use X-Lite stubbies instead. Not just for climbing, but to provide extra hand positions to relieve wrists. I ride a lot gripping the junction with the bars, kind of like on the hoods on a road bike.

Bikes feel naked without them to me. And they look good as well imo.

 

[orange71]

Another +1 for bar ends. I ride singlespeed 95% of the time and you're out of the saddle a lot esp. on climbs and I think bar ends are essential in those circumstances.

 

[T'boo Ted]

Yep, bar ends are a must, only bike I don't have them on is my commuter and that just because I don't have a spare pair (will do soon) and the old carbon bars won't take them (...or will they :twisted: )

 

[konacarl]

Not only do they help climbing but they saved me from being a eunuch when I crashed :?

 

[Rich Aitch]

I've found the opposite with bar ends. I always used to fit them because I thought people needed them but this year I had a bit of a revelation when I realised that I couldn't remember the last time I'd used them. So I ripped them off my Muirwoods. Not only does it look a lot better without them- before it looked like a snail with really long eye-ball stalks- but I haven't missed them at all. Maybe for really long rides I might re-fit them but for now they 're in the spares box.

 

[Coleman]

I recently had the same experience.

BITD bar ends were cool and looked cool as well, only coming on here and not seeing bikes with them has made me drop them from builds. I fitted some to my xizang for a recent ride and the improvement in comfort/power was very obvious.

They will be a feature on future builds I think.

 

[drcarlos]

Have them on the Butler but none of the others. Will be fitting them to both Foxes though (with a shorter stem on the pathfinder) as I like the extra hand positions they give during a long ride.

Carl.

 

[ferrus]

put some AT4s on and you'll be so spoilt for choice you won't know where to put your hands