Hybrid Bike Bar Ends

[AndyW]

Hi All,

I have a Trek FX3 hybrid bike and I use it mainly for exercising. I am reaching 30-40Km rides and was looking to get some bar ends to swap hand positions during the ride.

I did see this style online which I liked the look of, but not sure what brands/features to look for.

https://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bicyc ... id=1&pid=2

Has anyone added any bar ends or done any handle mods to their hybrid bike which you'd recommend?

Cheers,
Andy

Note:
Trek FX 3: https://www.trekbikes.com/au/en_AU/bike ... c/p/28474/

[Retrobyte]

I put Ergon GP5 bar ends on my flat bar hybrid, they were on my MTB before that. Allowed me to stretch out a bit on the flat, and provided a different hand position for comfort or climbing. Here they are on the hybrid ...

[peter]

Can highly recommend Ergon grips with barends, they come in different sizes/lengths to suit your need.

I have GP2 in my previous bike but hardly used the barend bit, so got a pair of GP1 this time. The palm support really does relieve a lot of pressure on longer rides.

https://www.ergonbike.com/en/product?a=griffe

[caneye]

I've got the Ergon GP2 on my flat-bar bike. The wide palm pad is very comfortable. The bar-end section is useful if/when you need to get out of your saddle (e.g. at the lights or up a pinch).

[trailgumby]

I don't do bar ends any more. After being deliberately knocked off my bike, and the crash unfolding so fast I had no time to release my grip, I am very fortunate to still have all 10 fingers.

But don't bar ends protect your hands? In theory, yes.

This is a case where reality differs from theory. The bar end smashed my right fifth metacarpal into so many pieces they needed to open up my hand, wrap the bone in titanium mesh, and insert 8 screws to hold it all in place.

The surgeon advised it took a very long time to put back together, and I was lucky to keep the finger. Amputation was under active consideration during the procedure. That was followed by 12 weeks of physiotherapy focusing on pulling the tendon through the scar tissue so that it didn't adhere and cost me the movement in my little finger.

The prosthesis is all still there, and was my first bike-related investment in titanium hardware. Firm handshakes remain painful 13 years later.

So... bar ends? Hmm, yeah. Never again.

[Mozziediver]

Ergon Gp3 bar ends for me. They have slightly bigger end extentions, but not the recurve found on the GP5.
I'm old, and need to change hand positions frequently to avoid cramps. For this, I prefer drop bars, but that's not always possible.

E-Bike came with 70cm flat bars, and changing to drops wasn't going to be easy or cheap. I found the width was a problem as it forced my hands into an uncomfortable position.

So I chopped 4cm off each end and added the grips.
Big improvement; flat grips give you options to grip differently, and the end extentions allow more positions.

[AndyW]

Thanks for the replies guys. The ergons seem popular so far.

I actually like the factory grip on the fx3 and the wide grip distributes the pressure on the palms well. So I prob wouldn't ditch these and swap to the ergons grips.

There is an option to get bar end adaptors and get bar ends but I was keen more on the "aerobar" style bar ends (as per the link in my original post), which are positioned closer to the middle of the handles?

Has anyone had any experience with those?

[AndyW]

Hi,

I just realised the link of the aerobars was a bit confusing.

This is a video of the aero style bars I can considering.

Has anyone had any experiences or thoughts on fitting something similar. Would be great to compliment longer rides and provide a diff grip.

https://youtu.be/p1f2_T4LX9w

[foo on patrol]

So you're looking at TT bars?
Foo

[AndyW]

Thanks foo. I didn't realise the bars they're called "TT bars". Helps calling it the right thing, to narrow down what I'm looking to get.

So far, it doesn't seem very popular consideration with fellow board members...

[AUbicycles]

TT for Time Trial and in that context help give you an aerodynamic form.

For leisure / recreation, these handlebar options are far from aerodynamic and primarily for comfort and fairly popular for some leisure bikes in Europe. You may need to look around a bit and typically these are mounted inside your handlebars and the bars are often foam covered almost all the way around. You can often rest your elbows on them (some have cups, some don’t) and they are usually angled fairly steeply to suit comfort.

You will have more luck looking for ‘rest handlebars’ rather than TT bars when looking online.



Trekking bars are a bit different, but also comfort orientated. Aka butterfly bars.

[AndyW]

Aubicycles - Thanks for the useful post. Yes the rest handle bars are what I am looking for.

Profile designs seem to make decent quality ones, but was surprised to see the $$ they are asking... !!

[AUbicycles]

Profile are a race / performance orientated brand… so for these TT bars you are starting at $150 (basic) but it goes through to $4000+ (justs the aero bars, no bike included)

For the rest bars, if you find them, price is probably $40 - $80.

Overseas online bike shops could be an option, especially dutch shops… I saw a lot of these in Holland the other week.

Homework, confirm diameter / size of current bars and they often taper so check that these extensions will clamp-on and fit.

[hunch]

I tend to like to have hands close to brake levers - especially if this is for mileage in urban areas. After trying combinations of bar ends, horns and butterfly bars looking for more comfort, could never get over the unease of increased response time. If the butterflies were on the menu, a stem change would probably be on the cards too!

With the Trek and Bontrager bars, they lock you into their proprietary system to a certain extent too.

[AndyW]

I tend to like to have hands close to brake levers - especially if this is for mileage in urban areas. After trying combinations of bar ends, horns and butterfly bars looking for more comfort, could never get over the unease of increased response time. If the butterflies were on the menu, a stem change would probably be on the cards too!

With the Trek and Bontrager bars, they lock you into their proprietary system to a certain extent too.

Yes, I was looking for a way to minimise hand fatique on my flat handle bar hybrid, on long straights. So it should be fine not to have access to the brakes (for any emergency stops) for a short time.

Yes Trek has an adapter to allow for bar ends. I am considering just getting some profile design bar ends now, fitted with the trek adapters. Hopefully I can go for longer rides 50K++ with this setup.

The exact setup looks like this:
https://i.redd.it/4td5nvbxz1f51.jpg

Any other suggestions or thoughts on this approach most welcome.