Checking out different homepages of bike part sellers, one will notice that there are different styles, materials, and finishes of handlebars widely available. Each handlebar serves its own purpose and the needs of bikers. Below I will cover some common styles:
BMX bikes have their own BMX handlebars which are mounted directly on a stem right above the steering tube and therefore have a high rise. The welded cross brace adds strength and rigidity.
- North Road bars like Townie and Tourist bars come from the roadster bike (today's city bikes) era. Due to their higher rise and swept-back construction, they offer an upright riding position and consequently a good view of the road. They are designed for cruising along and daily errands like shopping etc.; some styles can be mounted upside down for a slightly aggressive position.
- Porteur bars are similar but offer a swept-back position with grips parallel to the top tube to control heavier loads.
- Cruiser handlebars look great on Beach Cruisers but need, because of their size and shape, some time to get used to. They make the riding and steering slow and cumbersome in tight situations. I've struggled to find a comfortable position on longer rides.
- The first mountain bikes (MTBs) came with flat straight handlebars in the late 1970s, from this base developed the more comfortable riser bars with the outer section rising higher from the center of the clamp. Bullmoose handlebars are welded with a 'V' shape onto the stem.
- Drop bars are found on racing bikes, the riding position in the drops creates a low profile and therefore less wind resistance for higher speeds. Track handlebars come originally from track bicycles but can also be found on single-speed or fixed-gear bikes. A variation is the Randonneur bar with a slight rise in the center for touring and Audax or long-distance cycling within a predefined time limit.
According to one source, the grandfather of the mustache or moustache bar was developed for the Penny Farthing Bike in the 1870s (http://www.mortaljourney.com/2011/03/all-trends/penny-farthing-bicycle-and-the-history-of-the-bicycle). Watching different designs in my books and online this statement is at least questionable. The riding position on the high-wheeler was very different from today's bicycle. The rider was sitting very close to the handlebar which was actually mounted in line with the axle directly over the large front wheel. The rider's legs moved the pedals mounted on the axle of the wheel and sat so close to the handlebar that it hardly swept back, atypical of today's mustache handlebar design. In almost all pictures the steering bars of a Penny Farthing Bicycle were straight like on early mountain bike bars or had a bend to give space for the up and down movement of the legs below (!) the handlebar.
Growing up in the 1970s, mustache handlebars were the choice of some racers on their training bikes and occasionally fitted with bar-end shifters, a big improvement in comfort over the than-common down tube shifters. From the design perspective, mustache bars are 'flattened' drop bars; the clamp, tube diameters, and the material of both handlebars are identical.
Mustache handlebars slipped out of my mind until I ran into some photos of the Bridgestone XO-1 from the 1990s. I did not only like the bike design but admired the bold move to produce a road bike with fast accelerating 26' Mountain Bike wheels and tires with a road profile.
Around 10 years ago, already in my mid-40s, I decided to return to cycling and built my first bike from scratch. Due to costs and availability, I chose a Mountain Bike frame with a rigid fork and 26' road tires as a base. The bike came out great but the straight traditional Mountain Bike handlebar did not work for me. Even adding bar ends did not make it more comfortable and active enough for me.
As I’ve progressed, I wanted to look for alternatives but use most of the mountain bike parts incl. the mustache handlebar to keep costs down.
I've considered several options and came across the long-forgotten Mustache Handlebar. I purchased them and, besides a pair of bar end shifters, aero brake levers (for the linear-pull or V-brakes), new road brake cables, and a set of bar tapes there was not much more to invest. After mounting all the parts I had a very nimble modern day like the famous Bridgestone XO 1 but with an alloy frame.
Generally, I like the comfort and versatility of a mustache handlebar a lot. I have to admit that it took some tinkering with the bar and the brake levers to find my ‘personal’ position. Some people use a short high rising stem for a comfortable position, but I've used a 120mm low road stem with the outer tubes of the bar parallel to the road for a more aggressive forward position. The 54cm wide bars give the bike better leverage riding fast downhill or through high-speed corners than the widest drop bars of 46cm.
The big advantage of the mustache handlebar is that it offers me several comfortable or racing riding positions; I can hold it on its grips (forward/racier or in the rear/cruising), grasp it with the hand over the brake lever, or put my fingers beside the stem clamp.
I've used my mustache handlebar for daily errands (buying food, recycling paper and cans), tours, and even attended races or ‘challenges’, as amateur races are called in Taiwan. I found them so versatile that I could call them the ‘Swiss Knife’ of handlebars.
Some changes
To save some physical distance between braking and shifting, I’ve cut of 4 cm off each side. Even with the shorter handlebar, I still cannot shift and brake simultaneously as integrated STI Shifters do. I have to predict when and where I should shift or brake.
A great improvement in brake performance came after I switched the handlebars to my road bike (see picture below). I purchased traditional road bike brake levers and Shimano Ultegra R8000 caliper brakes. I’ve dialed them so that I can
- either brake with one finger of each hand off the straight handlebar tubes
- or with a full grip (thumb and two fingers around the bar and the two fingers on the brake lever) in the ‘drop’ or round shape of the bar.
Once, a young rider on his modern carbon bike overtook me while climbing a steep hill. Checking out my bike he asked me: "How do you shift?"
"With my bar-end shifters!"
He neither heard of them nor see them being used by a road bike in a traditional setup.
After my positive experiences with the alternative mustache bar, I encourage every biker to try out different handlebars. It may not only improve the comfort but also the bicycle experience in a positive way as a whole…
A Word of Caution
Always ride with a helmet and in a way that you are in control of the bike and not the other way around. It is senseless to gain some seconds but spend weeks recovering in a hospital and at home! Ride responsibly, defensively, and safely; I am sure your body, parents, family, and friends will very much appreciate your precautions during a bike ride.
Take care, Gerhard
I've purchased, owned, and used these handlebars over a period of time. I've paid for them by myself and I am n o t endorsed by anyone. Subscribers or followers are more than welcome!
Hello Gerhard! I've been reading your writings and in some way your approach reminds me Sheldon Brown - he also tuned his bikes to his taste and preferred use. Approaching age past my prime I also found I like handlebars allowing more natural hand position than straight bars hence moustache bars on one bike and La Rochelle bars (basically flattened moustache) on other. Farmost curves are my substitute for drops as stretched position allows to achieve similar goal and load more front wheel. Life is too short to have drop bars and use mostly upper grip positions (for me, anyway)!