bars for converting mtb- on-one midge?

doofy

Hi, i wil hopefully be cycling JOGLE with some of the girls from my uni rowing team later this year, but as im a poor student getting a road/touring bike is not an option.
i already have a fairly light strong hardtail mtb ( on-one scandal), which ive alredy spent a week touring round cornwall on with slick tyres etc.
however, im looking to change the bars for a wider range of postions etc, and was wondering if anyone else had any experience of this.
i've seen the standard butterfly bars around but also noticed the on-one midge bars which look good as you still get a farily wide bar whilst getting the drops for more speed/ comfort etc, are they compatible with mtb disc brakes / gear levers etc?

thanks for any suggestions/ comments

GyatsoLa

I have the midge bars on my fixie bike and they are great - very comfortable. I think they are a good bar for comfort, but all the better if you can get bar ends mid-way, that way you have a semi 'aero' position to add to the variations. I've done light touring using them and they work very well.

So far as I know there are no compatibility issues with mtb levers - On One are usually very good with information like that so if you drop them a mail they should answer quickly.

Two other options for you:

Cane creek ergo bar ends on regular straight bars add a lot of comfort. They 'widen' the bars as you have a handhold on either end and having a handhold parallel to the bike frame is better for all day comfort according to my physio. The Cane creeks are expensive but there are a few cheaper own brand alternatives around, I think sjscycles do one.

http://www.canecreek.com/component-othe ... go-control

Another option is the Titec version of the Jeff Jones H-Bar. this is very popular with touring mtbers:

http://www.profile-design.com/titec/pro ... h-bar.html

There are a few reviews of the H Bar in Bike radar.

andymiller

In my experience you can usually get away with using MTB kit (designed for 25.4 mm diameter bars) on a 26mm road bike bar. It's not ideal, but it will work. But if you are going with drops you would need to change the levers - so the costs would start to mount up.

Personally I'd stick some bar ends on your present bike. I've been happily using the basic Specialized bar ends for years.

solocp

Bar ends will work well. If you don't mind a bit of extra weight fit two pairs one set in board of the brake levers and one set normally.

andrew_s

Midge bars are MTB stem clamp (25.4), but road diameter otherwise, so they need road levers (i.e drop bar). They are pretty wide and the drop is shallow so there's very little aero advantage in them. If you move from lever hoods to drops there's very little change in body position. I'd say they are really for drop bar users who want the width to take a bike off-road.

If you've been riding flat bars, I'd suggest On-One Mary bars, with inboard bar ends, mounted on the front of the angle just inboard of the grips. They are MTB sized throughout, with the grips on an angle that I find much easier on the wrists. I've always had a tingling/numb little finger if I've ridden too long on flat bars, due to the twist in my wrist.