Bar Ends: Does anyone still use them?

[Red Tornado]

In the early 2000's I stopped using bar ends (or as some buddies called them, "tree hooks") on my MTB's, but since then have always found myself wishing to have them back. I really liked the alternate hand position. I move my hands around quite a bit on my road bikes, but can't really do that when riding dirt with my current setups.

The other day I happened to stumble on some free bike parts, and behold, there were two sets of bar ends in there. Very scratched and faded, but nothing a nice soda blasting and re-paint couldn't fix. I'm definitely putting one set on my 1990's Giant retro-MTB, and thinking very seriously about putting the other pair on my newer Specialized. That set is pretty long and might cut them down into "shorty's" for that bike. Will add some pictures when they're installed.

Curious as to what other here do with regard to bar ends...

[BryanE]

Nope. Not since 99.
There's a reason they're called tree hooks.

[Jaybee]

I’ve considered putting them on for bikepacking trips, not sure how they’d work on the super-wide bars (780 minimum) I like though.

[C40_guy]

Well, my primary mountain bike is a bit of a throwback, so yes. :)

'87 Wicked Fat Chance, all original except for stem, bars, pedals and front fork...

The bars are Scott wraparounds...

https://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1697985864&stc=1&d=1569532625

[cinema]

i have wanted a set of paul chim chams for a while.

[Velocipede]

I do. But I also don't like wide bars. So, there's that.

[Red Tornado]

I’ve considered putting them on for bikepacking trips, not sure how they’d work on the super-wide bars (780 minimum) I like though.

780mm is almost 31"!! For me that's WIDE.

Bar on my 90's Giant is pretty narrow, 24" (610). Can't believe I used to ride/race routinely on something that narrow! The Spec is close to 27" (685). Shouldn't be a problem where I ride.

[Red Tornado]

Well, my primary mountain bike is a bit of a throwback, so yes. :)

'87 Wicked Fat Chance, all original except for stem, bars, pedals and front fork...

The bars are Scott wraparounds...

https://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1697985864&stc=1&d=1569532625

Nice old bike. Guessing it came new with a rigid fork? 28/38/48 up front?

Really enjoy riding my Giant occasionally. Narrow 25.4 bars, 3x8 drivetrain, V-brakes, 60mm travel Manitou....

This is it - sans bar ends obviously and with different bottle cages.
1697998767

[NHAero]

I think your bars are the AT-3 or At-4? I have a set of AT-2 (they don't curve back to the middle) that I put on the tandem I bought last years from Steveandbarb, because those bars give great leverage and I'm a tandem noob. I think I have another pair in the parts drawer.

Well, my primary mountain bike is a bit of a throwback, so yes. :)

'87 Wicked Fat Chance, all original except for stem, bars, pedals and front fork...

The bars are Scott wraparounds...

https://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1697985864&stc=1&d=1569532625

[MikeD]

I use them. I was a holdout for a long time when they first came out back in the day, but really like them. They give another hand position and are useful for climbing; especially out of the saddle. They don't work with the stupid wide handlebars that are all the rage today though and look dumb on riser bars. My bars are medium width at 650mm.

[mistermo]

edit: NM. Thought you meant bar end shifters.

[jchasse]

I find bar ends close to a necessity on my single-speed for the leverage and hand position they provide while standing. But I haven't really been tempted to put them on my geared full suspension bike.

[C40_guy]

I think your bars are the AT-3 or At-4? I have a set of AT-2 (they don't curve back to the middle) that I put on the tandem I bought last years from Steveandbarb, because those bars give great leverage and I'm a tandem noob. I think I have another pair in the parts drawer.

That sounds about right. I've got a couple additional sets of bars in the parts drawer too...bought for my vintage ('92) Merlin hardtail build. Frame gathered dust for too long, and I sold it about five years ago.

Now I'm trying to find it...serial #7667, only vintage Merlin hardtail with (almost factory) rear disc brake bosses. I had one of the original Merlin crew (Mike A) weld bosses on when I first bought the frame about ten or so years ago.

Finding that one will be near impossible. Finding *any* nice Ti hardtail in a small (15") size is proving challenging!

[T-Crush]

Do not be a slave to fashion or whatever it is the hip kids are doing. If you like them (and really, who doesn't? More hand positions, better leverage, another place to put some bling...), the use them!

[Toddtwenty2]

I have a set of Scott AT-4 Pro handlebars on my touring bike. They have some built in bar ends that I appreciate using.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b9/9a/d3/b99ad364688ea2863c943a3bcdab0dbd.jpg

[Bob Ross]

When the only bike I owned was a flat-bar hybrid (Trek 750) I loved the alternate hand positions offered by those bar end thingies.

I think the guy I gave that bike to 13 years ago still has them on it...

[robt57]

My last year steel Spesh StumpJumper has rare Klein Carbon with Alloy bonded bar ends as one piece bar. Will never take them off sans breaking them. Wish they were a touch less wide, but not been in sapling mazes for a few decades...

My Gary 29er that has been a 27.5er for years now has Scott AT3 Alloy bars, built in ends. Pry from my cold dead hands, yada...

http://coupekiss.host-ed.me//images/pics/StmpjmprSid.jpg

http://coupekiss.host-ed.me//images/pics/Scott-AT3.jpg

[Skenry]

Yep, always either bar ends or vintage bars from the Scott AT- family, usually 2 or 4.

[robt57]

Then there is this, last iteration of my retired Blade TT bike re-purpose. [Sold as a frame after years of sale attempts to not give it away]

Ergons with mini built in end hand grabbers...

http://coupekiss.host-ed.me//images/pics/Ergons-Blade-City-Blaster.jpg

[colker]

I do. But I also don't like wide bars. So, there's that.

Yes to this. It all depends to where i am riding: if it´s tight woods w/ slow technical sections bar ends are out and 23in bars are in. But if i am riding fast singletrack in the open w/ long climbs AND i am on an old school vintage MTB then i go w/ 22in bars, long stems and bar ends. 26in wheels!

[colker]

Well, my primary mountain bike is a bit of a throwback, so yes. :)

'87 Wicked Fat Chance, all original except for stem, bars, pedals and front fork...

The bars are Scott wraparounds...

https://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1697985864&stc=1&d=1569532625

I salute your wicked w/ mine. Love this bike.

[JAGI410]

I have some TOGS on my 29+ bike and really like that additional position without the "fashion penalty" of old school bar ends. These are cheap and easy to install. They also have a new road version.

https://togs.com/collections/togs-1/products/new-flex-togs

[TheseGoTo11]

Ergons with mini built in end hand grabbers...


I use these (GP2 to be specific) on two 29ers, with 780mm and 760mm bars, respectively. They're especially great for the single speed, placing the hands in a comfortable spot to use the leverage of the wide bars on steep grades.

[Steve in SLO]

I have some TOGS on my 29+ bike and really like that additional position without the "fashion penalty" of old school bar ends. These are cheap and easy to install. They also have a new road version.

https://togs.com/collections/togs-1/products/new-flex-togs

Curious. What do these do other than hook your thumb to keep your hands from rotating forward?

[witcombusa]

Bar ends are very useful!

My '94 Gary Fischer Mt Tam

[BobbyJones]

I use the ergon GP2 on my Brompton. Love em.

[witcombusa]

Curious. What do these do other than hook your thumb to keep your hands from rotating forward?

Agree, don't get what they actually do.

[sw3759]

i'm have become fan of the ergon grips with the built in bar ends..
i for one just refuse to ride my mtb's without some sort of bar ends.most are older 26" versions and without yard bars.although my fatboy has some pretty wide bars and keep saying i need to cut them down a bit.
i have often thought about starting a thread here on why they went out of fashion since imo they offer such a great hand position that for extra power when climbing and just better leverage and gives some extra hand positions.
i don't get the downside ? is it just the aesthetics of why people stopped using them ?

[pdmtong]

Bar ends are great unless it’s tight with a lot of plants and branches sticking out

Really depends on where and how you ride.

If anyone is looking for some I have a small stash. Lmk

[John H.]

I think barrens worked pretty well with narrow bars- They seem to be a distraction on wide bars.

[Peter P.]

Like multiple hand positions on a road bike, ATB bar ends enable different positions for climbing hills out of the saddle, cruising on the flats, etc.

I think they're a "must have" item. But they look stupid on riser bars!

Mine are old, Salsa brand Mangos de Amor (Love Handles), which were given to me. They were way too long (Yeah; I guess the extra length is to protect your hands if you hit a tree.) so I cut them down in increments using a tubing cutter, until they were just long enough for my palms.

I also cut my handlebars down to 21" so with hands on the bar ends, it feels almost like riding a road bike while hands are on the brake hoods.

I used to wrap the bar ends in handlebar tape to result in a decent diameter, then top that with medical tape to hold it all together. Years later I got the idea to fit some Grip Shift ATB bar grips on to them.

[RFC]

Ya Baby! Chopped handle bars and bar ends on my allaround bomber.

https://live.staticflickr.com/7923/45946831934_522f2ec2eb_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2d1awnu)IMG_0360 (https://flic.kr/p/2d1awnu) by Robert Copple (https://www.flickr.com/photos/161536771@N04/), on Flickr

[Burning Pines]

No it’s 2020 and my bars are 800mm. Maybe I could see using the ergons with built in stubbies on a bike that sees a lot of fire road time.

[cabriggs]

I've got Ergon GP2's on my Fuel EX and GP5's on my Fatboy. I just really like to change hand positions after a while.

[fjaws]

This is a great throw back thread! Who wants these carbon Beauts? $40 shipped. They were made by Trek.

[JAGI410]

Curious. What do these do other than hook your thumb to keep your hands from rotating forward?

Hard to explain without pics! I use them to rest the meat of my palm on the grip, then hook the thumb, and now the fingers are free to rest, use brake lever, or wrap around grip for extra power. They are certainly worth a try if you ride flat bars!

[Tony]

NO, they’re just a roadie hangover that died off around the millennium.
There was a need in the past because the rest of the bike they were attached to was not well suited for riding off-road, mainly the narrow bars, also really short top tubes, seriously slack seat angle.....
Wider bars gives you much more control and leverage, no need for bar ends :)

[Red Tornado]

1st MTB I raced on. 94 Giant ATX780 - check out those shiny purple bar ends.
1697998860

Plenty of bar ends here, too. I'm in the teal/orange jersey racing the 780.
1697998861

[benb]

I've never taken them off.. they are too useful.

I ride plenty of tight tracks where they could snag on things, but I'd still rather have them. Yes they can hook on things, but they can also shield you from taking a hit to your hand.

They are too useful for getting an extra hand position for comfort & getting lower when you're going fast on the flats or for leverage when climbing. That extra position is also the *only* position on a MTB that puts your forearm pronators/supinators in a neutral position. It is *not* a coincidence we all spend almost all of our time on road bikes with our forearm in the neutral position and everyone thinks road bars are more comfortable for long days in the saddle and better for your hand/wrist/arm health even despite the more aggressive position.

They are not useful on technical downhills and when jumping through the air. So they've lost popularity as more and more riders are doing downhill only "sessions" where they take lots of breaks and/or shuttle back up. If you're riding like that you're not continuously riding long enough to care about hand issues.

This is no different than MTB giving up clipless pedals or lycra. A lot of it is more fashion than utility. Lycra is still more comfortable, more aero, and wearing it means you don't need two sets of clothes if you ride road or gravel too. Clipless is not a problem if you ride within your limits and/or spend a lot of time actually pedaling and/or just spend the time to get good enough to where you don't have to unclip.

Nobody comments on your bike if you don't "ride" with a bunch of people who spend the majority of the time on trail standing around talking about bikes and setting up to jump off the same rock over and over.

[pdmtong]

Nobody comments on your bike if you don't "ride" with a bunch of people who spend the majority of the time on trail standing around talking about bikes and setting up to jump off the same rock over and over.

^ this made me laugh out loud, thanks. the ground doesn't know my mtb is out-dated. but it's also so true that the mtb that's best really depends on rider and terrain.

[colker]

NO, they’re just a roadie hangover that died off around the millennium.
There was a need in the past because the rest of the bike they were attached to was not well suited for riding off-road, mainly the narrow bars, also really short top tubes, seriously slack seat angle.....
Wider bars gives you much more control and leverage, no need for bar ends :)

VIntage MTBs w/ bar ends are close to gravel bikes w/ drop bars having the same roadish cx geo w really short top tubes, seriously slack seat angles of 73 degr.. yadda yadda.

[witcombusa]

VIntage MTBs w/ bar ends are close to gravel bikes w/ drop bars having the same roadish cx geo w really short top tubes, seriously slack seat angles of 73 degr.. yadda yadda.

Depends on the era and intended use. As we got into the mid 90's geo had changed quite a bit. In my neck of the woods it's mainly fairly technical single track with good amounts of elevation change. My Mt Tam works just fine in that setting now just like it did then. It is a cross country bike made to actually pedal up hills. Today many are doing DH with lift served up hill return. Or the 'enduro' bikes jumping the same rock until they have enough video...

[Jaybee]

If there's anywhere on the internet that you can find a spirited defense of NORBA geo and bar ends, I'd expect it to be Paceline.

[colker]

Depends on the era and intended use. As we got into the mid 90's geo had changed quite a bit. In my neck of the woods it's mainly fairly technical single track with good amounts of elevation change. My Mt Tam works just fine in that setting now just like it did then. It is a cross country bike made to actually pedal up hills. Today many are doing DH with lift served up hill return. Or the 'enduro' bikes jumping the same rock until they have enough video...

Anyone who has ridden an 80s or 90s Fat Chance in technical woods knows that old bikes can be fun and do incredible things on difficult terrain.

[colker]

If there's anywhere on the internet that you can find a spirited defense of NORBA geo and bar ends, I'd expect it to be Paceline.

I like my old bike better in actual woods trails than on internet forums.

[Velocipede]

Nobody comments on your bike if you don't "ride" with a bunch of people who spend the majority of the time on trail standing around talking about bikes and setting up to jump off the same rock over and over.

^ this made me laugh out loud, thanks. the ground doesn't know my mtb is out-dated. but it's also so true that the mtb that's best really depends on rider and terrain.

It's funny, I know a bunch of MTB'ers given what I do. And all they do it talk setup and the next line and blah blah blah. And they all huff and puff on trails cause of the bikes they ride, their geometry, setup and of course cause they are 30-35 pound pigs. Me, I just ride away from people. And even if it's a downhill, I keep up or pass them. They don't understand it. WHY??? Bike handling skills beat an 8" travel full sus bike any day!

[Red Tornado]

In the early 2000's I stopped using bar ends (or as some buddies called them, "tree hooks") on my MTB's, but since then have always found myself wishing to have them back. I really liked the alternate hand position. I move my hands around quite a bit on my road bikes, but can't really do that when riding dirt with my current setups.

The other day I happened to stumble on some free bike parts, and behold, there were two sets of bar ends in there. Very scratched and faded, but nothing a nice soda blasting and re-paint couldn't fix. I'm definitely putting one set on my 1990's Giant retro-MTB, and thinking very seriously about putting the other pair on my newer Specialized. That set is pretty long and might cut them down into "shorty's" for that bike. Will add some pictures when they're installed.

Curious as to what other here do with regard to bar ends...

The reds didn't turn out quite like I hoped (r.e. color). Went to a big box & hardware store but couldn't find that perfect color match. It's not my go-to MTB so I can live with it. Black shorty's turned out good IMO.
1697998907
1697998908

[Tony]

It's funny, I know a bunch of MTB'ers given what I do. And all they do it talk setup and the next line and blah blah blah. And they all huff and puff on trails cause of the bikes they ride, their geometry, setup and of course cause they are 30-35 pound pigs. Me, I just ride away from people. And even if it's a downhill, I keep up or pass them. They don't understand it. WHY??? Bike handling skills beat an 8" travel full sus bike any day!

LOL, What are you riding that your passing up folks on 8" travel bikes downhill?

[charliedid]

LOL, What are you smoking that your passing up folks on 8" travel bikes downhill?

Fixed it for you

[colker]

I bet he is still fast.

[benb]

I don't think anyone is denigrating the ability of long travel bikes to go really really fast downhill.

I've gone to MTB Nationals and watched what those bikes do under the top riders.

But that's generally not the kind of rider most of us are seeing. When I've gone to things like festivals/events the people are smoking fast are not smoking everyone on the downhills.. they're dropping everyone on the uphills... not having to walk when most people have to walk.

I'm riding the same trails I was riding 20 years ago. The trails didn't change, and 95% of the terrain wasn't appropriate for those long travel bikes anyway. The guy with the long travel bike has to know how to use it and then they're only getting a benefit on 5% of the terrain. Fitness and such trump the bike everywhere else.

I'm not comparing to a 1990s rigid bike though, my bike is about 15 years old, it's an NRS XTC1 with a ~2012 era Monarch shock and more recent brakes. It's 80mm travel front & back.

My bike would be better with 27.5" or 29" tires for the terrain around here but otherwise it is well matched to the terrain I can ride.

There's almost nothing I can go ride where a long travel bike would have an advantage for more than a few seconds. The descents just aren't long enough and steep enough.

Biggest weakness on my old bike personally is the gearing.. it has an old school triple setup with a 22/32/44 ring setup. The 44 isn't really big enough on easy terrain while the 22 ring is almost too low.. it's so low the low gears are very difficult to use on the most technical uphill terrain.

Back when I did a little MTB racing (it was fading by the time I started riding) I never did a NORBA style race.. the races/trails here in NE always seemed to be rougher than that.

[robt57]

A lot to be said for bike handling skills.

My decade of Moto CX as a young man [now on the pedal variety] has saved my bacon and kept me on more times that I can mention.

Back 20 years ago, in the bike club I was only bested descending by a tandem with two A riders on it. And not dropped I'd add. ;)

Now I am a has been, but the reflexes and instincts still prevail thankfully.

Not quite to this level though:
vimeo.com/4207784

[ariw]

I love the Ergon grips, the flat section definitely helps, and they have a version with a short bar-end that is turned in plenty to avoid catching trees.

https://www.amazon.com/Ergon-GR9566-P-GP3-Grips/dp/B00PUG9FAA


-Ari

[pdmtong]

I like the ergon grips with the stubbie end but they dont work well when the trail points down hill - can't roll my wrist back enough. I have to install them a bit dropped and with slightly less palm support that ideal - it's a compromise.

[EricChanning]

I was into bar ends in the 90s. With the wider bars of current bikes these inner ends put my hands in the same position when I want. Fire road climbs non tech singletrack.

[Tony]

I bet he is still fast.

Bet he wouldn't ride that same bike given the choice we have today :)

[Tall]

I have a MTB stashed at my parents' place in Germany. I don't really ride it on single-track but use it as all-purpose bike, including a two-day tour to the Alps last summer. Bar ends are the only way I can do that. My wrists don't tolerate flat bars for more than two hours or so.

https://i.imgur.com/IoSeaVZ.png

[boywander]

OP- they're not tree hooks if they're long L bend ones. In fact they may save your pinky fingers/knuckles from bashing into trees.

Sent from my LG-M322 using Tapatalk

[Tony]

I have a MTB stashed at my parents' place in Germany. I don't really ride it on single-track but use it as all-purpose bike, including a two-day tour to the Alps last summer. Bar ends are the only way I can do that. My wrists don't tolerate flat bars for more than two hours or so.

I think the added leverage and change of hand position makes sense on long distant rides, open area fire roads with climbs.