Considering some on my bikepacking Inbred to have a variety of hand positions.
Do you typical need a longer stem than you did with normal risers?
Do you get quite a few hand positions? Do you have them taped all over or just normal grips?
Are they shiney black or kinda blasted satin black?
Normal jones bars or the titec copies just look tooo hard to run gear shifters with by the looks of it.
Oh and pics would be great.
In my experiences:
Yes (I've gone +10mm with mine)
Yes, lots.
Yes, tape and grips.
Kinda satin-black'ish.
Having used both, I prefer the Loop bars now. The Titec H-Bars are great for SS, or if you don't mind running bar-end shifters on 'thumbies' (or similar), but there isn't really room for brakes and shifter-pods. I understand that some people have successfully installed Shimano's dual-control pods ok tho'.
Loop bars have longer 'grip' sections so they are perfectly happy with brakes and pods. You might need a little bit of rise on the stem too with Loops, unlike the Titec bars, they don't really have any meaningful rise (in the way conventional bars do).
Pictures shortly ... 😉
+1 for Shimano dual control shofters/brakes. By far the tidiest way of doing it.
And the bars are fantastic for stapping luggage to?
Pictures ...
All sets of bars have Easton tape and are fitted with Specialized small-sized Ergonomic grips.
Loop bars.
This was the last ride of the build stage, and they've been taped up since. There's no newer pictures tho', as I've not ridden for a couple of months following a hand injury I gave myself very soon after this photo 😕 ... For an idea of sizing ... They are Cane-Creek Direct-Curve levers and XT SL-M780 pods.
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Titec H-bars.
As fitted to my SS Kona - for sizing, the F-brake is a Hope Mono M4, and the R-brake is a Magura HS33 (pre-2007 or whenever it is that they changed last).
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Titec H-bars with shifters.
As fitted to my 3 x 9 Genesis.
For sizing ... this is a set of Hope Mono M4's and Dura-Ace SL-BS77 bar-end shifters on converter mounts (from SJS). Worked brilliantly, plus you've got the option to go to friction shifting (which I prefer), but it felt a bit odd with suspension (although that's more likely to have been me, as I can't get on with suspension.
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Oops, and I forgot to add that you'll almost certainly need to remake your cables / hoses. I've had to do this for every set of H-bars or Loop-bars I've fitted.
This might give you an idea what the Loop's like if you've already tried a standard H bar.
[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5203/5248899084_9b7fc4208b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/5248899084/ ]2010_1210newandold0002[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/stu-b/ ]singlespeedstu[/url], on Flickr
I like them a bit more than the original. You can use a slightly shorter stem than with the H and there's room for whatever lever/shifter combo you want.
[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5095/5481797953_a849be907e.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/5481797953/ ]2011_0227viewfromthewok0002[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/stu-b/ ]singlespeedstu[/url], on Flickr.
[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5142/5695793274_7ff9f8c20b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/5695793274/ ]2011_0507wildcat0001[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/stu-b/ ]singlespeedstu[/url], on Flickr
[img] 
[/img]had the titec version before but Ti version "feel" nicer, luckily got them second hand
I love them on my rigid bike, tried them with a suspension fork and it seems a bit odd (buggered if i can work out why).
Ace bars love mine to bits.
difficult to source though via UK stockists
sideways tim and the charlie the monger of bikes have jones
Charlie's site said no stock last time i checked and Biff was out too
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/7241707828_8e071f4dbf.jp g" target="_blank">
I like the H bars as I can slide a shifter on and off easily depending on the riding, but I'd go for a loop bar for the bikepacker set up as it'll probably always have gears on now and I want to put a light in a position that clears the bar roll.
Hand positions are great on these bars, better if you use an under-bar shifter, but I find bar-rolls fit better with an over-bar shifter. I use the same shifters as OCB and they're great. If you have an XT 9 or other shifter with adjustable mount position, a little filing means you can fit a trigger shifer on the H's and operate it OK, but the loops look like a better fit. One thing I do really like about the H is the wider x-brace weld spacing, I like hooking this with my thumbs like a road bike climbing position. I've been told you don't miss it on the loops though.
thanks for all the advice
loving the sandals ocb!
have to have a google about and see whats available
loving the sandals ocb!
😉
I've ridden miles in these. Sometimes I do fear for my toes, but for an evenings hour or two hacking round the country lanes in the summer, they are ideal.