Bar Ends, Good or Bad?

Hi guys, i have been trying to persuade my girlfriend to remove her bar ends as I believe they are dangerous especially while trail riding, as she proved a couple of weekends ago at Afan when she fell off and stabbed her self in the gut.
What are your views on bar ends?

What are your views on bar ends?

It’s surprising I know, but i really do not have any opinion whatsoever on them.

Are they the sticky out things or the stoppers?

Never used them but I can’t really see how they could be any more dangerous than – say – brake levers or anything else that sticks out really

They are the things i like to call horns on the end of the bar.

Some folk like them for climbing, no more dangerous than say; pedals or the end of the bar hitting you really.

What are your views on bar ends?

Perfectly fine, I’ve used them since the mid 90’s with no issues – there are many parts of a cycle you can injure yourself on if you’re unlucky!

Wouldn’t ride without them and I’ve never seen a thread dedicated to their danger. Their lack of use in mtb is more down to fashion than their actual benefits.

What manga tank said-
when i was doing all day rides over 30 miles, they were great for changing hand position
I dont ride over a couple of hours these days and that’s the only reason i’ve dispensed with them

I don’t use them that often, but they are great for climbing.

I find they take some getting used to – they compress my hand position on the bars a wee bit, I don’t like not being able to grip the very end of the bars. I’m sure you get used to it though.

They are banned in CX races, presumably on the grounds of safety not fashion.

I’v ealways had them. Onzas in the beginning and now some Cane Creek Ergos on my SS. They’re excellent for climbing and just having an extra hand position. Dangerous? No, though you do see some people who don’t seem know what they’re for and have them pointing straight up, or even back.

Brake levers have done me more damage. Not as much as this guy though:
😯

Good for climbing but bad for narrow treelined single track – For general XC fine but haven’t felt the need to use them for many years now 🙂

Well my girlfriend likes them pointing to the sky, which is why i am a bit concerned. i will reposition them to the correct way and see if she likes that.

Maybe you should remove the bars as well? I mean, if the bar end hadn’t got her, the end of the bar would of. Having said that, if you removed the bar, the stem would have clobbered her….or the headtube of the frame…or if that was gone, the steerer of the fork…
Hope she’s OK though.
ps. I love my Ergon grips with bar ends.

I like them for XC, and will have them on my next bike, but then again thats going to be an all day 100mm mince machine rather than the general trend for my bikes which has been getting heavier and seadily more rad*.

Only for flat bars though, its not a fassion thing, theres just no room on XC raiser bars for the brakes to go that far inboard.

*I hate that word, but at least its better than ‘all mountain’

Had them on ss; brilliant for climbing but dangerous in tight singletrack and especiaaly summer vegetation!

Cane creek ergo bar ends…..You hardly notice theyre there…and covered in grippy rubber…no sharp edges for you to damage yourself on..

+1 for Cane Creek Ergo bar ends, although I did still manage to poke myself in the face with one whilst rolling on the floor during Sunday’s Gorrick race. Would have been worse if it had just been the bar though.

As Clink says, care required in tight overgrown singletrack if you don’t like harvesting ferns 🙂

Good….. for catching tree branches and bushes 😮

Good….. for catching tree branches and bushes

Uh-huh, and it really hurts if you hook a sapling with one. But its a rare occurance and bar ends can be really useful on a jey-to-the-max machine …

[whisper]… some of us even have them on (low) risers …[/whisper]

i use them on riser bars wih ergo grips f@ck the fashionista

If they injure you it would have been the bars or the levers anyway
Never trapped a tree with them

I would like some of the Ergon units on my SS as I often do long rides on it. At the moment I tend to ride with the end of the bar in my palm for a varied hand position. A bar end (and the paddle grip) would be much better. I never used to have anymore trouble with bar ends catching undergrowth than just bars on their own. But then of course we weren’t riding on 700mm wide bars.

OP if your GF rides with her bar ends pointing up is that because she really doesn’t like the position her bar position gives her? Maybe she actually needs a shorter/higher stem to get her grip position closer to her preferred riding position on the raised ends now?

Used them many years ago. I don’t think they are any more dangerous. If anything, they give your hands a bit of protection and clipping them on trees etc is no different than clipping the edge of your handlebars. And while you suggest you can skewer yourself on them, they stop you from skewering yourself on the edge of the bars which is probably more likely given the shape.

I’d leave your girlfriend to set up her own bike how she likes it. If she likes them pointing up, then that’s what’s right for her.

Love ’em, run them all my bikes except the SS which has Mary bars fitted. As said here, they offer so many options with hand positioning etc etc and IMO they’re no worse than riding with spd’s.

couldn`t ride without them , fitted to lo riser bars graet for climbing and just to ease off hand position for fireroads or on non tech sections.
Have used Ergons too but find bar end a bit on small size and doesn`t offer me a full secure feeling grip cf normal bar ends

If you want varied hand positions, what about drop bars?

bar ends are awesome for long all day rides and hammering climbs – drawbacks = can catch vegetation etc in proper deep ferns etc… i like miine but i am old skool and do long rides in the hills using an os map…

paul

If you want varied hand positions, what about drop bars?

find those work best on bikes they`re designed for IMO, ie my road bikes (yes admitting to riding on a tarmac surfaec for enjoyment !)

ive used them since 1991, dont feel they are dangerous at all from an impact point of view, however i feel you dont have quite the same level of control over the brakes, due to width issues.
however, i must point out i have wide hands, other people ive spoken to (with smaller hands) dont have the same issues at all.

I got a pair after many years without them off the classifieds here. They’ll go onto the lightweight bike I’ll be building, together with some flat bars and possibly 29er wheel (if rigid) otherwise a 26″ wheel with a Pace RC41s.
I reckon they are fine for XC, racing or similar, the general riding might be done without them.

i had them on my ss which i recently broke up and sold. had them set between the grips and lever clamps, so no issues with catching them on bushes, trees, gate posts etc. great position for climbing. imo 😉

Good,perhaps she should learn not to fall off. 😉

nowt wrong with bar ends
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swift[/url] by rOcKeTdOgUk[/url], on Flickr

They are good for climbs it has to be said. I had two incidents – one where I caught a tree in a race and managed to rip the end off a set of carbon bars, and another catching brush at the side of a narrow track in Spain which sent me off. Got rid of them after that and now could only fit one anyway due to the strange grip arrangement I utilise to cater for gimp right hand.

Depends where you ride – they have their benefits – does she use them on the climbs much ??

caught my Ergon bar end on a sapling 10 days ago…. see my thread about sprained ankle! I won’t be taking them off though, properly positioned they take the stress out of your wrists on long rides.

p.s. I have mine on low risers so neeer.

I have ergons with the integrated bar end too. They’re great for long non-technical rides, 24 hour races etc, but if you’re going to get into any serious tech, I don’t use them. I find the paddle impinges on grip and control too much.