I was searching for some stuff on my loft last night and found a box with old and random bike bits. And there was a pair of some retro bar ends – not the modern small and “chubby” style, but a “proper” long ones 8)

Not thinking a lot I fitted them on my 29er… It looks rather s*it, but after climbing some steep gravel tracks this morning I gotta say that I love them! Out of the saddle, big gear grind, “honking” up to the top resulted in Strava KOM 😆 Riding on the same gear and out of the saddle before was not possible – the rear was breaking traction. Now, due to the fact I could properly pull the handlebars the wheel was like glued to the gravel!

So retro-tech + modern 29er = POWER! 😉

Use em myself because they work, bollocks to the fashionista crowd.

Don’t worry – the spotty kids in the marketing department will dream up some Bar Ends soon and sell them to us as the next best thing.

Of course they will be new and improved and 29’er specific 🙂

Then the following year they will come up with a new standard for them !

yep – I tried the whole silly wide bars malarkey (700mm) but ended up trimming them down to 640mm and chucking some bar ends on!

What width bar were they on?

I ask because I’ve seriously considered this for my El Mar. The bike was meant to replace the idea of my ’96 fully rigid P7 which had a flat bar and bar ends, and the riding/hand position was perfect for lots of road and covering lots of miles.

When I first assembled it I put a traditional 580mm bar on and a 90mm stem, and whilst the position was great the huge front wheel felt huge and unwieldy. Really felt the big wheel needed more leverage.

bollocks to the fashionista crowd.

Of course they will be new and improved and 29’er specific

Too right, I love bar ends, awesome for climbing, one of those great, simple solutions to riding a bike faster.
Next year they’ll be yellow and enduro specific. Probably with a X2 price tag on.

Drop bars will be the next move – more positions plus they won’t stab you in the kidneys when you fall off…

What width bar were they on?

680mm. Look at these beauties! 😆

yep – I tried the whole silly wide bars malarkey (700mm)

I think you’ll the silliest of silly wide bars, are much wider than 700mm.

You don’t suffer from spacehopper syndrome like that?

But… but… not Enduro.
🙁

I’ve got a set from 1989 in my parts box. I may fit them to my 800mm bars and go for a ride later 🙂

I also had those bars made by Orange with Bar-ends built in. All one piece, brilliant (at the time).

Bar ends or no bar ends. If you carry on down that trail for much further then I’ll wager that you’ll struggle.

i have some attached to 740mm bars on my SS, wide and high!

Drop bars will be the next move – more positions plus they won’t stab you in the kidneys when you fall off…

You are close. I have invented (about 32 years ago) upside down drop bars. They give a nice upright position among others plus brakes that have to be applied with your thumb/palm and the hooky bit can do untold damage to your knackers if you go over the bars:-)

bar ends on my 760mm flat bars here, 29er SS. The experience riding on them has been described as “like carrying a big television”

I am tall mind.

680mm. Look at these beauties!

You need to sort the drainage on your lawn out.

Honking

Haven’t heard that term in ages.

Nice to see it’s still used.

*Thumbs up emoji*

Haven’t heard that term in ages.

Nice to see it’s still used.

Retro end bars – retro wording! 😉

Funny because I’ve used bar ends for years now and I’m seriously considering taking them off my main mtb. I find that I do use them but only really on road as I’ve found that with wider (685mm is wide for me) bars, I don’t really use them off road as I get enough leverage from the bar itself.

Bar ends on my commuter (90’s Orange Clockwork) here, love ’em! Much easier for me to get in a powerful position whilst sat on the saddle as they keep my chest open when I’m tucked down for aero’namics, or something.

I also had those bars made by Orange with Bar-ends built in. All one piece, brilliant (at the time).

How does one install grips on a one-piece bar-with-bar-ends setup..?!

I’ve got Ergon grips with bar ends on 680mm wide bars. They’re proper wide to the point it’s scary through tight gaps!
Very comfortable for climbing though.
I’ve also got Togs on the inner part of my grips too. Handposition-tastic!

I’m also a fan of them, but when they get caught on something and chuck me off sideways I do curse them then.

this is what real men/women use 😀

i have a flat ritchey bar and cane creek ergo bar ends on my now post retro/modern charge duster and won’t be removing them any time soon 8)

I’m also a fan of them, but when they get caught on something and chuck me off sideways I do curse them then.

Yeah – but I’ve had them protect me from braking fingers/brake levers when hitting trees!

As for the subject of drop bars, I really do prefer them, but sadly they are banned from most XC/marathon series!

That Scott would ride a lot better (even with the silly bars) if it had tyres on 😉

I’m also a fan of them, but when they get caught on something and chuck me off sideways I do curse them then.

Yeah – but I’ve had them protect me from braking fingers/brake levers when hitting trees! [/quote]

Also helpful if you go down on the ice.

For touring use I sport a set of these:

Though they are both heavy and expensive, I am a big fan.

When I bought my solaris I specced some bar ends in the build, they’ve been brilliant – Cane Creek Ergo bar ends

I know they’ve not fashionable but they’re damn comfy

This:

Riding on the same gear and out of the saddle before was not possible – the rear was breaking traction.

Makes no sense. You’ve moved your weight forward and suddenly the rear wheel has improved traction…

this is what real men/women use

Real men/women ride on the rim?

I used to have those Topeak mirror bar ends on the tandem until one mirror fell out. They are pretty good, but I was kidding myself and went back to a proper Cateye mirror.

As for real bars… Soma Sparrows FTW, in multiple widths too 😀

Bar ends on my commuter too. Really good on a rigid bike, not sure if they’d be as good on a fullsus, not that honking out of the saddle is ever good on a fullsus.

Njee, I initially thought the same as you but after reading his description properly it turns out that for some (unexplained) reason the OP found it too difficult to pull on his bars while standing and pedalling before fitting the bar ends. The bulk of his weight isn’t necessarily any further forwards, only his hands.

it’s cool most humans have joints all over our skeletons allowing independent movement of our limbs etc. isn’t it?

What’s not so cool is some human’s annoying propensity for misquoting people in order to try and get one over on them

I find if a bike has a short reach it’s quite hard to stand up properly and belt the pedals – bar-ends help this.

oliverracing – Member
yep – I tried the whole silly wide bars malarkey (700mm)

700? Bit narrow really 😉

Seriously though, I’ve got some 680 carbon bars I got for the hard tail, but was so used to the 750s on the big bike I found the 680s felt too narrow. Crazy when I used to ride with bars sub 600 without worry. That said the night ride folk I ride with do like to go through some well skinny twisty bits that aren’t 750 friendly. Or rather I need to master the bar wiggle 😀

Just comes down to getting used to things, and I do love the wide bars for railing berms.

I would agree that bar ends are going to encouraging a forward position and I find the rear needs the weight for grip for me mostly, and on flat and down over roots and rocks I prefer to unweight the front. A forward position is just going to dig in and have me over the bars. Though it’s mostly that I’m scared of doing that (from past experience) so prefer slack riding myself.

what’s not so cool is some human’s annoying propensity for misquoting people

Me? don’t think I did, genuinely curious, as what he’s posing doesn’t make sense.

😆

Yes. Hilarious. Shit, my side just split.

Over 700mm bars and Specialzed sworks bar ends on my 29er.

Great for cruising along flat sections, or honking it up hills – but definitely ‘interesting’ in amongst the trees – made it all the way one particularly narrow section of single track, then clipped the only tree that didn’t have one opposite it.

Here its is in castle hunting mode…

[url=https://flic.kr/p/qCsdSL]IMG_20141220_124740944[1][/url] by belugabob, on Flickr

(Yes, I do have that many spacers below the stem)