# moustache handlebars



## dannyg100 (Feb 28, 2007)

heard moustache handlbars were good for touring. Any other opinions?


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## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

dannyg100 said:


> heard moustache handlbars were good for touring. Any other opinions?


I'd go with a drop bar to get more hand positions. I've ridden m-bars a fair amount, and I find that after a couple hours I am wishing I had drops.

Don't get me wrong. I love m-bars for getting around town and for recreational rides less than thirty or forty miles.

- FBB


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## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

I have them on one of my bikes just to be strange. Other than that, they are largely overrated. There is nothing wrong with them, but they aren't the second coming.


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## Hollywood (Jan 16, 2003)

ditto - good for townie use. Not so hot for long distance. I did a century on a set and my hands were cranky...

they look good hanging in my garage now


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## Doggity (Mar 10, 2006)

If you're wanting uprights, Albatross bars are better for longer rides. Got the cork grips on mine, and with my bars pretty high (stem 1cm above saddle-that places the cork grips 2" above saddle), my hands, neck, and shoulders are comfortable no longer how long the ride. Of course, there _are_ times when I wish I could go on the drops (such as steep climbs), but overall, these are great bars. And...the silver shifters, sticking right out the ends of the cork grips, places all the controls right at hand. It's effortless to shift just with the heel of my hand; I like this setup better than STI or Ergo. Don't feel like I'm giving up anything.


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## meat tooth paste (Oct 6, 2004)

i rode with them for about 3 months and ditched them.

personally, i didn't like losing the top flat/straight sectino of my drops. I like riding with my hands right next to the stem and moustache bars do not have that position.

i would consider them for townie use as someone else mentioned.


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## M.J. (Jan 28, 2004)

they are on my fixte commuter - have ridden 60 miles in a day with them and plenty of 50 milers - generally after 20 miles I start looking for more positions - so am in agremeent with other posters:

great for townie rioding and commuting - not good for long distance - would avoid for touring


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

When you consider that it took the almighty Grant Peterson, inventor of the mustache bar, an extra set of tandem dummy-hoods to set up mustache bars comfortably... the hype seems a bit over the top.

I've got a set and they are comfortable for about 5-10 miles. after that, I can't find a comfortable place to put my hands- they aren't wide enough to give you mountain-bike comfort, they aren't flat enough anywhere except the ends to keep my hands from feeling bunched up, and at the ends, the brakes feel like they're a long way away when you have to stop suddenly...

I would say that if you could get them an inch or so above your saddle, they'd probably be OK. but if they're below your saddle, look out.


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## meat tooth paste (Oct 6, 2004)

Although Grant is responsible for the resurgence and refinement of the moustache bar as we know it, he did not invent it.

These bars date back decades.

I love the way they look, just wished I liked the way they rode


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

They're awful for bike riding, but if you know how to get a sound out of a trumpet (embouchure), they make a great shofar you can blow for Rosh Hashana if you're so inclined. The only bars that sound better are Cinelli 66 Campione del Mondos.

I bought the heavy 25.4 mm clamp diameter Nashbar steel moustache bars and used them for 3 miserable hours. PM me your address if you want them for free. Edit: bars found a taker and are gone.

.


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## [email protected] (Aug 24, 2004)

I've got about 5000 miles on the Nitto variety. I use them on my 'cross/commuter bike. I like them better than drop bars *off *road and better than flat bars *on *the road. I would not put them on my road bike, though. I've done rides up to 70 miles on moustache bars, and I was fine, but I do notice that lack of a usable flat portion (e.g. the tops of drop bars). Mine are set up even with my saddle and the ends of the bar are pointing downwards slightly. It took a while to get the set up where I wanted it, and until then they were hit and miss, comfort wise.


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## KWL (Jan 31, 2005)

*No.....*



dannyg100 said:


> heard moustache handlbars were good for touring. Any other opinions?


I commute on a Bridgestone XO-1 and a Steamroller with M-bars and have ridden the 200 mile TOSRV ride on the XO-1 twice, but am building up a Long Haul Trucker with drop bars. It is possible to ride 100 miles comfortably on moustache bars but that isn't touring. Go with drop bars - you'll want the hand positions.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*no*



dannyg100 said:


> heard moustache handlbars were good for touring. Any other opinions?


They look really cool on my Bianchi Milano now, but they sort of suck for comfort. I can't really pin it down, but they just don't feel right. I liked the flat bars betters.

For extreme comfort, use bull horns. I have bull horns on three bikes, and they are by far the most comfortable bars imaginable. They give you a huge variety of hand positions, and when standing give a very long, smooth, surface to place your hands. The only drawbacks of bull horns is that you can't have a really low aero position, and you may have to be a little imaginative with shifters and brake levers. I use time trial style brake levers on my two fixed gear bikes, then on my commuter multi-speed bar end shifters (like you put on aero bars) at the ends, with several brake lever options. The slickest are these: http://jtekengineering.com/Jtek_Brake_Levers.htm http://jtekengineering.com/AeroBrake.htm

For even more comfort, double or even triple wrap sections of the bull horns. You'll never have hand issues again.


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## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

*I wanted so much to like them.*

In order to get comfortabe with moustache bars I had to place them quite high and ride in a very upright position. That saved my hands, but made my butt less comfortable than leaning forward and taking weight off my seat. I replaced mine with some very long bull-horn bars turned upside down. Stranger, but much happier.


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## PdxMark (Feb 3, 2004)

Fixed said:


> For extreme comfort, use bull horns. I have bull horns on three bikes, and they are by far the most comfortable bars imaginable.


Which bullhorns do you like? Did you need a shorter stem when switching from drop bars so the reach to the ends of the bullhorns worked? I like the look of the downard curves in this Nitto bar:

<a href="http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=188_232&products_id=860&zenid=5d9656b2a78e5de30911c122d949bd63">NItto RB-021</a>


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*Profile Airwing*



PdxMark said:


> Which bullhorns do you like? Did you need a shorter stem when switching from drop bars so the reach to the ends of the bullhorns worked? I like the look of the downard curves in this Nitto bar:
> 
> <a href="http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=188_232&products_id=860&zenid=5d9656b2a78e5de30911c122d949bd63">NItto RB-021</a>


I like the Profile Airwing: http://www.excelsports.com/new.asp?...whorn+Bar&vendorCode=PROFILE&major=1&minor=15

Plenty of room for gizmos and your hands near the stem; very long straight section; just the right upsweep at the ends for comfort and grip out of the saddle.

I don't run shorter stems. With all the various places you can put your hands, you can find anything that feels good. Instead of drops, I use the ends as the aero position, and you're sort of stretched out and lower there. It's an extremely versatile bar.


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## markie (Jan 4, 2005)

For touring and days of riding, I think everyone else is right. Go for drop bars.

But I like M-bars.

I particularly like these Nitto north-roads flipped. 










They flare out and you can grab a hold of them near the stem.


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

You might consider on-one's midge bar- it's got the funky look of a mustache bar but it's got actual drop and straight sections along the tops- I've got a set and they're pretty nice...


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