V20 with 26 inch wheels

[M.J]

I use a base bar (or bullhorn bar) on my V20 but have the tips down and the brifters mounted at the ends.

This provides a longer reach for straighter arms. When riding, my forearms lay on the bars and I hold the hoods, much like how an upright rider does.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I put bullhorns on my V20, and had to angle them up to be able to pull on them. I put Dura Ace bar end TT shifters in them and while they worked I didn't keep them on for very long. Shifting gears meant that I had to let go of the bar, reach forward to shift gears and then grab the bar again. While holding on to the bar my index finger had to wrap around the non-ergonomic TT brake lever that could only be mounted 1 way, which involved pinching the shift lever cable. So, not only was the whole system a tad uncomfortable, the brake lever was ever so slightly loose. I still have the bars in a box with the TT shifters installed just in case my SRAM AXS gets wonky and I need to use it temporarily, but if you get bullhorns to work well it would be nice to see.

I have a Deda Tribar with bar end brake levers that I am going to give a try once I get the Wireless SRAM TT shifters. Since I'll have to angle them up like the bullhorns I don't expect a huge aero gain. However, Since the shifters are essentially buttons attached to the bar anywhere I want I can get rid of the brifters saving a bit of weight. Kind of irrelevant on the flats, but I like trying new things

 

[Black Hawk Down]

I suspect that you have the normal handlebar configuration that most people have. So your hands are a long way in front of the clamp, which means that you have to have the clamp a long way back. So it sticks in your sternum. It is like the thing that holds you in your seat on a rollercoaster. You have a lot of space between the bars and your knees. I went through a lot of handlebar experiments. Now I have Crononero with the ends sticking up. This puts my hands in a drop-bars position but they are not in front of the clamp, so I can have the clamp a long way forward. Thus the space is between the clamp and my chest. This makes a huge difference to the ease-of-use of the bike. Trouble is, there are no hydro brakes that have levers that can be made to fit ergonomically. This is why I have Hy/Rd. I can find levers.

A dilemma. This handlebar configuration makes it so much easier to get on and off and stop and start, but you have to give up hydro brakes. You also must give up brifters and have a bar-end friction-shifter. But I think DI2 will fit.

Actually, I have almost no space between my bars and my knees. I had to push the bottom bracket forward more than I wanted to make more space as I was hitting the handlebar with my knees. The alternative is to adjust the slider backwards and extend the bottom bracket portion of the slider forwards to make the handlebars closer to my chest, but keep the leg extension the same. But I didn't like how close the handlebars were to me. I didn't consider this issue before writing my previous post.

I use a base bar (or bullhorn bar) on my V20 but have the tips down and the brifters mounted at the ends.
View attachment 13978
This provides a longer reach for straighter arms. When riding, my forearms lay on the bars and I hold the hoods, much like how an upright rider does.

Thanks for the pic. I think that would make things worse for me. It would put the bar stem in my gut. My arms are already pretty straight and my gut is reaching planetary dimensions.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

I mounted my new bar riser extension. It was too big, but I'm going to give it a try anyway. My handlebars are in the middle of my vision, but it seems I can see above and below them. I have lots of room to get in and out of the cockpit, maybe more than I need. I have a curved slider that I previously curved up. I can curve the slider down to get the handlebars out of my vision. If that's too much of a change, I still have the straight slider that I can install. So, I have some options. I think one of the choices will work.

Unfortunately, I have knee issues and can't ride right now to really test it out. I'll see the doc tomorrow. Last time he gave me a shot in the knee and I was back on the bike the next day. Hopefully I can repeat that.

 

[bladderhead]

This is how I can get the clamp away from my sternum without the bar ends going out of reach. Crononero with the straight middle section.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

View attachment 13980This is how I can get the clamp away from my sternum without the bar ends going out of reach. Crononero with the straight middle section.View attachment 13980

Thanks for the photos I didn't visualize this orientation. It makes more sense now. However, I would never want to hold the handlebars like this. I don't know how you push/pull with your arms with them in this position, especially going up hill. Also, with the brake levers upside down, It would seem difficult and awkward to grip them tightly. Obviously, you make it work.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

FYI, I rotated the curved slider down and the handlebar height is just about perfect. I'm still considering the 26 inch wheels. Also changing Ultegra DI2 component group to SRAM, but I put that in another thread.

 

[Frito Bandito]

Make sure the handlebar bolts are tight enough. As the handles get more vertical it takes less pressure at the ends to have them break loose, kinda like adding a crow bar to the end of a wrench to loosen a stubborn nut.

 

[TransAm]

Another option to get more belly/leg clearance is the Surley Truck Stop drop bars with 30mm rise:

https://surlybikes.com/parts/truck_stop_bar

I use the 48mm width.