albatross vs moustache bars

[elk]

albatross, moustache, north road, ay ay ay !!

Mr elk and I went riding this morning...he on his new Volpe with the new higher stem....(and me with the bars lowered one spacer and liking it!!!)

he was miserable.....said it felt all wrong (he did have a little fit session when he got the new stem) and i think he simply is not suited for drop bars & way prefers a more upright position...

so the question becomes: sell the Bianchi, take a loss, OR invest a little more $$$ and try one of the above bars....

most of the bikes i see with the above named bars are road or cross bikes that have traded drops for more uprights....so why not just make the Volpe a more upright ride....?

It has Tiagra brifters... I think you can use them on M bars....but if he wanted the A bar....would we have to switch out the bar AND the brifters AND the derailleurs? Or is there a suitable bar end shifter that would work with the 9 speed Tiagra set up?

[uforgot]

Here is a thread on Bikeforums on that very thing!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

My own opinion is to sell the Volpe and buy him a fairly lightweight and very upright hybrid bike with straight bars and handlegrip numbered shifters.

[xeney]

I agree with Lisa. I don't think a mustache bar is going to make him happy -- it's not much less upright than drop bars, really, and your shifters might not work. An albatross bar will definitely require new shifters.

There are so many nice upright bikes out there now, mostly much less expensive than the Volpe. Even if you take a bit of a loss you will still save money, I think.

ETA: that Bike Forums thread is unintentionally hilarious ... "my wife loves her Volpe except she'd like for it to be a completely different bike!" If at the end of the day all you really love is the color, you need a different bike.

[Blueberry]

You could try the Northroad Bar - our LBS ordered it for the back of our tandem. It has some rise from the stem, and brings the bars way back towards you. It is compatible with bar ends. I think it was about $40.

CA

[KnottedYet]

I switched a road/drop bar set up to a pair of Nitto All-Rounders (sort of a narrower version of the North Road) with new brake levers and such.

It wasn't cheap, but I absolutely love the frame and how well it fits, so it was worth it to me.

Take a look at all the pros and cons, write out an expense list (new bar, new stem, new brake levers, thumbies shifters, grips) and a labor estimate. Compare that to the $$ cost of switching to a completely different bike. Add in the value of bike-love. See what you come up with.

Meanwhile, get him to try some hybrids and see how they feel. That gives him a chance to both experience a different bike and test-ride different bars. I don't think I'd put more money into the Volpe until he has ridden a few other bikes/bars for comparison.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

ETA: that Bike Forums thread is unintentionally hilarious ... "my wife loves her Volpe except she'd like for it to be a completely different bike!" If at the end of the day all you really love is the color, you need a different bike.

Now that's funny. It's really true sometimes too, you want so much to love a particular bike for various reasons (including color)....even if that bike is completely wrong for you.

[elk]

we were out this morning and I mentioned dropping by the LBS where I bought my Jamis and having him try a Coda...

he said he didn't want to get all confused and would fiddle with the settings on the Volpe and see what happens. I think he WANTS to like drop bars. '. I have an A bar; we can just try it on the Volpe and see if it makes enough difference for him...

I agree...the moustache bar isn't right.

BUT! IF he likes the Albatross bar...can't we switch out the shimano brifters for SHimano bar ends and brake levers ...hardware wise? I already HAVE the bar at least. Will all 9speed shimano shifters work with the existing system?

[Zen]

I'm watching this thread with great interest, I still have to do something about that Mariposa

[xeney]

Elk, my husband and Sheldon Brown say yes, all Shimano 9-speeds are compatible.

[KnottedYet]

The sweet thing about bar-ends is that you can flip them to friction... ahhhh!

[elk]

this morning we put the A bar and my currently unused B67 on the volpe..... an adjustment here, one there...and suddenly...I saw this incredibly happy man floating towards me on his bike. He sailed by and was gone for 20 minutes...
came back radiant...

he's got the brifters on with shims...which i don't approve of...i just need to talk him into bar cons...but otherwise, i think he's the happiest I've ever seen him on a bike..

The great part is that if he later wants to try the drop bars again...he can.

I think he has an interesting shape......LONG legs and arms, but short upper body....and the bike reflects that. Here's what she looks like now:

[SadieKate]

Nice! Finally!

Elk, do a little research on Paul's Thumbies. These will let you mount the bar cons on top of the bar near the brake levers. That picture I posted earlier used them. May make him reconsider.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Except for the oddness of the brifters on there (and that they are not going to work comfortably with his hands trying to shift up and down in that position), I like the look of the A-bars with the black tape, and the brooks on that Volpe.

It's good that he's happy though.

I agree with SK about the Paulie's thumb shifters- they'd be ideal for your husband's setup, and I bet he'd love them.

[xeney]

Thirding the Thumbies suggestion, if it will help convince him to use different brakes. That brake setup does not look very safe to me, never mind the shifting.