Bar Ends - Yes or No?

ross_mcculloch
ross_mcculloch Posts: 478
edited May 2010 in MTB beginners
A simple question really...the pros of bar ends are obvious when it comes to climbing. Are there any cons to them?

Comments

  • switchback18
    switchback18 Posts: 617
    I find with wide bars, which I like, there's no need for them. If you like narrower bars then try them & see how you get on. They mostly improve out of the saddle climbing, so if you usually sit down & spin then they're less necessary. If you climb standing up a lot then they'll help. I've not used them for years due to liking really wide bars.

    And someone's bound to tell you they look rubbish! I have no opinion on the fashion of it all!
    chasingtrails.com | twitter | facebook
  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    They can be good if you get sore hands. The bar ends give you a different position you can swap to when the tingles start.

    Cons they can get tangled up in branches if the trail is really narrow.

    People will tell you they are dangerous that they will stab you if you fall off. Though I have never worked out why a bar end in the nuts is any different to a handle bar end in the nuts.

    The fashion police will tell you they are wrong. Tell them to get stuffed if they feel good use them.
    Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap
  • hoochylala
    hoochylala Posts: 987
    http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/forums/vie ... t=bar+ends
    www.sherwoodpines.yolasite.com
  • bulkydaddy
    bulkydaddy Posts: 85
    hoochylala wrote:
    http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12697883&highlight=bar+ends

    You read my mind. Had a spin bar-endless today, bike handling was spot on, 100% against them, for me anyway, but I know alot of people who use them with great success.
    The brave might not live forever, but the cautious don't live at all.
  • 5pudgun
    5pudgun Posts: 402
    I use them purely because it gives you alternative hand options on long rides
  • Hitby
    Hitby Posts: 218
    5pudgun wrote:
    I use them purely because it gives you alternative hand options on long rides

    ^^This.
    I love my bar ends, they're the type that go above and below the bar and the extra hand positions when you're in the saddle for hours are invaluable
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    Not sure I understand the point that narrower bars mean less responsive - I'd have thought the opposite was true - the narrower, the twitchier because small movement gives larger angular movement albeit more force required.

    As for the weight, this must be a miniscule contribution versus the wheel/tyre - especially when it's rotating and the gyroscopic forces are at play.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • rf6
    rf6 Posts: 323
    Never used them, but I am firmly in the wide bars camp. Never found hand position a problem.

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