moustache vs. drops

[Ken Robb]

After letting them age in my toolbox for a couple of years I finally got around to installing the m-bars in place of my Nitto Noodles on the Riv Allrounder. The drops were so good and I'm so lazy I just kept putting this job off.

Most of you know I'm an old guy and like my bars and saddle even or the bars slightly higher. Riv recommends M-bars be used this way too.

I had some NOS Shimano aero brake levers and Suntour Powerratchet barends so the front end of the bike looks cleaner than it did with non-aero levers and their extra set of exposed wires.

There are now theoretically 4 hand positions. I really like and use two almost all the time. The obvious one grasping the ends of the bars with my pinkies touching the shifters is good for rolling down the road in an upright positionwith the brakes levers a short reach away. The other is with my hands in the middle of the bend and my index fingers covering the brake levers. This stretches me into a position similar to the top of the hoods on my drop bars but makes braking much easier with easy modulation of brake force and even better stability off-road because I have all but my index fingers wrapped around the bars. When I am on top of my drop bars I usually have to reach for the brakes with all but the index finger (Vulcans don't have this problem) so my grip on the bars is less secure and braking power and modulation is less.

I can get a pretty "aero" pose by reaching all the way to the ends of the now horizontal brake hoods or by tucking in and grasping the narrow straight part of the bars where they exit the stem but I don't spend a lot of time there.

I think if I only had one bike or only wanted to shift with brifters I'd have my favorite drop bars. If you have more than racey style bikes the M-bars might be worth trying. My MB3 is out on long-term loan but someday I might try that with M-bars. I replaced the flat MTB bars it came with with a set of what Riv used to call "Priest" bars which are pull-backs similar to their present Albatross bars and that was a success in making it into a sit-up straighter errand-runner/cruiser but their isn't a very good way to get aero at all and still be near the brakes. I think a higher stem and Mbars would be more versatile.

[Fixed]

bro pics please cheers

[Kevan]

only when the rides are relatively short and simple, but I know Ken already knows his stuff. I didn't, but do now.

[hansolo758]

I agree with Ken and Kevan -- I haven't found moustache bars are as useful as sometimes advertised. You need a shorter stem than you would use with drops, which might affect handling. Where the brake levers are placed often results in my hands being in an awkward position. The bars might have, as Kevan said, a role in a commuting bike or other other bike that's used for fairly short rides; I can't imagine using them myself for long rides.

[sjbraun]

I had mustache bars on a Bridgestone X0-3.

They were nice for commuting, but after 45 minutes or so, it was hard to find a comfortable position.

They look nice on many bikes, but be sure you know how you're going to use them before you commit.

Steve

[Brian Smith]

My experience with moustache bars is that for going slowly and keeping your torso up in the wind, I'd rather have a set of drop bars. For me, they do work well for going hard on roads without drafting opportunites (basically alone,) and for fast trails off road. I don't like them for bunny hopping, and for 'cross racing they're fine. I think anyone who knows how to mountain bike and has time away from training to just ride a bike would enjoy a set of moustache bars on a bike with very strong wheels and a pair of 700x38s - oh and a normal length stem, a darned rigid one, too.

They're also an adventurous way to tote a watermelon or a file box.

[cs124]

...<snip> ...They're also an adventurous way to tote a watermelon or a file box.

Cinelli Spinaci bars were pretty good for carrying a 6 pack of :beer: