[splat]

I was doing one of my lunch time rides, and doing that I was riding my Hardtail which has bar ends. and as I was climbing up one of our many hills I always use the Bar ends. This got me to thinking that I don't have them on my FSR at home, and I am thinking about putting them on.

so Lets hear some Pros and Cons about them.

I pesonally find on my Hard tail they Help me with Climbing , and they do give some protection to my hands, on the negative side I find they do occasionally hook tree branches.

 

[Heidi]

I like them. They allow me to switch up my hand positions on long rides, and I use them in climbing as well. Mine are not long enough to hook on trees or anything though.

 

[CrAckErKorEan]

I like them. They allow me to switch up my hand positions on long rides, and I use them in climbing as well. Mine are not long enough to hook on trees or anything though.

Ditto. I just got some single track solutions bar ends and love em.

 

[Heidi]

Just another comment though, I look around the start line and don't see a lot of the other Pro women using them. Maybe just for the weight savings???

 

[mrbigisbudgood]

On a long ride, absolutely, you need to change body position every so often so you don't fatiuge as quickly. You do get a bit of leverage advantage if your standing up and hammering. For a normal XC ride, espically on our tight VA singletrack, heck no.

I've got an older set of Trek OCLV ends if you want em Splat, I'll sell em cheap. PM me if your interested.

 

[oldfart]

Comfort item I think. They were invented back when we all had flat narrow, 23 inch or less bars. I think the width has more to do with their aparent effectiveness, so I just run wider bars. Our locak terrain is too gnarly for stinkin' 22 inch bars. 23's are passable for smaller folks but 24 and up is better. Plus in steep places like the North Shore we run shoter stems for goin' down. Shorter stems quicken the steering so a wider bar is needed to slow it back down and the width makes a more stable platform for hangin' on.

 

[rockracing]

they're funny things, when I have them on I use them all the time, when I don't I just carry on,

I found when I was riding a full sus trail bike I was climbing seated most of the time cos of the advantages the suspension gave me for traction etc. then you don't really need them but on a HT and you're powering out of the saddle they are a must...I reackon.

 

[D_D]

They are usefull if the ground is rough enough that you can't just move your hands into a different position anyway.

Since I got a sus fork I have found no use for them, I just move my hands into a different position unless it's too rough, when it's too bumpy I usually need to be able to reach the brake levers anyway.

 

[deroyo]

A couple years ago I did hook a tree with them,the bike went that way and I went the other way...Not a pretty site!(Yard Sale)
Then and there I got my multi-tool and off they went!!!
The following season,like some of you already said I missed that extra position for those long rides.Bought these stubbies,your hands covers them,less chance of hooking.I sure appreciate that extra hand position!!!
on five if you ask me...

Oldfart = Andy?

 

[wooglin]

Originally posted by oldfart
Comfort item I think. They were invented back when we all had flat narrow, 23 inch or less bars. I think the width has more to do with their aparent effectiveness, so I just run wider bars.

Good point. When my bars were narrower than my shoulders I ran them and appreciated the leverage on climbs. Now, I think not.

 

[SuspectDevice]

Originally posted by wooglin
Good point. When my bars were narrower than my shoulders I ran them and appreciated the leverage on climbs. Now, I think not.

The bars on my xc race bike are 18"s wide so i of course run barends.

(the bars are cut so that my positon on the barends is identical to the hoods on my roadbike)

 

[Serial Midget]

I don't use bar ends and never have trouble with my hands or wrists. I don't see them used much in the PNW anymore.

My bars are 22", 23" and 24" - I've never bothered to cut them.

 

[PsychO!1]

I ran them in a slalom race once........By my second run I realized that was a very bad idea.

 

[Zark]

Bar ends: 1 Kidney: 0

I never ran bar ends again In a crash they are truly lethal and rupturing my kidney was too much downtime and hospital timefor them to be ever worth running.

Wider bars with some sweep give me some comfort, without the goring and tree hooking.

 

[MikeOK]

They're ugly and heavy, but they work. Excellent for climbing, plus you get extra hand placement options for long rides. I've come close to hooking them on vines or branches but never bad enough to take me down. None of my bikes have them now (I'm using risers on everything) but I used to when I used flats.

I think a short little knob on the ends of the bars would be almost as good but haven't seen anything on the market yet. Something that you could grab with just the palm of your hand maybe?

 

[EBasil]

I've used them since they were actually cool and still do, because of the extra hand positions, the power/leverage for climbing out of the saddle and that I can move my center of gravity forward for climbs--or to tuck and chase down slow roadies (let's be realistic here... ). And I do run 23's.

I am so uncool that I use ends that wrap around, because they are resistant to hooking on things and act like an MX shield when I'm flying through narrow brush. Sure, I've torn out three ribs, a kidney, half my liver and the lower portion of one lung with the deadly bar ends, but I look at it as a personal weight savings.

 

[jacksonpt]

I use them. It's probably a habit/technique thing, but they help me get my weight forward on climbs. I've tried riding without them a few times and I just can't keep my front wheel on the ground during steep climbs. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if they help keep my weight forward, or if they help keep me from pulling up on the bars - I'll have to check next time I ride. That is the main reason why I use them. I also like to be able to change the position of my hands frequently. If I don't my fingers go numb. I think a decent pair of gloves would help, but for now my el-cheapos will have to work.

 

[oldfart]

Yes oldfart = Andy

18 inches!!!!!!!! Did you measure the hand position from the center of your wrists? I think that's the right way to do what you did. Hands on the hoods has your hand sideways, but on a flat bar the hand is horizontal. I'd guess an 18 inch flat bar would be roughly equal to a 36 drop bar. Pretty dang narrow.You certainly want bar ends for that.

I had a bar end hooking incident during a race once. I was getting passed by a friend and I moved over a bit but hooked a vine on the right bar end when I did. This caused me to steer left to compensate thus cutting off my buddy. Then the vine got taught which pulled me back to the right thus cutting off my buddy...again. Then it snapped which sent me left thus cutting off my former buddy for the third time. HA.

 

[spincrazy]

I used to use them when i ran flat bars. Now I run a myriad of riser bars from .75" to 2.5" and don't see the need. My bars are pretty wide too, one bike has 26" - I love em.

 

[SuspectDevice]

Originally posted by oldfart
Yes oldfart = Andy

18 inches!!!!!!!! Did you measure the hand position from the center of your wrists? I think that's the right way to do what you did. Hands on the hoods has your hand sideways, but on a flat bar the hand is horizontal. I'd guess an 18 inch flat bar would be roughly equal to a 36 drop bar. Pretty dang narrow.You certainly want bar ends for that.

\

true. I use pro-cut onza CWA's wich step out about 2.5 centimeters but this was for a race bike so i rode with my hands on the barends ~80 percent of the time just like on my road bike. I used the grips when i was descending or needed a change in my hand position. The big downfall here came with the way my brake levers overlapped and also in really highspeed dh's where I wanted a tad more leverage.

When i built up my xc bike last year i went with 20.5" bars and will probally stick with that setup or 24.25" rise bars on all my future xc bikes.

 

[zzyxzz]

Bar end pros - more hand positions, easier on the climbs (more leverage).
Bar end cons - old school, and we all know its better to look good than to be good....

 

[psychokid]

Never had them, never felt that i needed them..

and yes, they're old skool!

 

[zzyxzz]

Don't get me wrong, I can still climb everything (and then some) that I used to be able to. It was just a tad easier with the B ends.

I like the look of my Easton XC risers.

 

[Sideways]

Think they are great.
Of course I ride my street bike in Pisgah....and I can't exactly be running barends on a street bike, now can I?
If I built a dedicated trail bike, yeah...it would have some of them cane creek varieties.

 

[Ian F]

I tried them for a short time when I used flat bars... didn't like them - bike seemed harder to keep under me. I wouldn't mind having them for the extra position on flat sections. However, now I run riser bars on all of my bikes and bar ends on riser bars look weird.

Also, many of the trails I ride on around here are very narrow - adding extra hooks could be bad news...

 

[oxygen_77]

I used barends for years and recently replaced my flat bars with barends with a Bontrager Crobar Comp and no barends. I love not having the barends. I'm able to wheelie much easier now and the wider grip seems to provide me a much more stable ride. Unless I was constantly pounding my way up some major hills I don't think I would ever go back to barends.

 

[LordOpie]

I've got big bar ends that have a wide curve and wrap inwards... they're dented... I'm positive I'd have had to visit the ER at least three times for broken fingers.

 

[Dirt rider]

I love my barends NUFF SAID

 

[Spunger]

When I had a hard tail I used them as well. I liked them, didn't find too many problems with them, and could get them color coded to my bike!

Now on my bike I couldn't have them, they would get banged and dented to hell.

I think they do help you in your climb. They relax you a bit more. I found bar ends and clipless pedals to be a good combo for climbing hills.

I'd give a thumb up for bar ends, but it seems that all kinds of companies phased out making them. I tried to get my girlfriend some and all I could find was some reject aviner? ones at the bike shop. I had some fancy answer hyperlight ones on my old hard tail which I loved.

I ride a full sus. now, more free-ride/dh then XC, but I miss those days.

 

[rye]

I have two hardtails (both Bontragers)

I don't have them on my Race Light but they came on my Privateer. Their ok, I use 'em when I'm climbing and on longer straights but I could take 'em off and never notice.... but I don't care about weight and the extra hand positions are cool.