Idea for a different shape of drop handlebar

I've been playing about with different bars to see what I'm comfortable and I found that an old pair of drop bars flipped and chopped to make bullhorns were the most comfortable (and cheapest!). And then I got to thinking...

...has anyone tried making some drop bars that are also like bullhorns? I has a little play on Photoshop. I haven't seen any like it and there may well be a good reason for that!

this really seems like a good idea
i can imagine it wouldnt be the easiest to fabricate
but im sure somebody could knock a heavy mockup in steel quite easily

Those do look kinda awesome.
But the area that you made by the extending the tubes would be made by brake hoods anyway.
Unless you use cross top levers.

Id actually quite like those on a brakeless though

I'm not sure of the point though? If you're using bullhorns you could use drops. If you're using drop bars you could just hold the tops (nearside of levers) for the same effect.

Yeah, zacchary. You're not really adding much to what drops achieve now.

Well the point is that I don't like using just drop bars as I don't find them as comfortable. The difference of that little bit of kick that the bullhorns give you has an amazing difference. I also don't like using drop levers and therefore don't have hoods to rest on.

The whole idea with this bar setup is that it's different and something else to try. What's the point in just being told I should use drops?!

might find it difficult to get 'in' the drops with those bullhorns.

Why not though, try it if thats what you're into.

i can see how this would be useful if you didnt have hooded brakes, but otherwise its just the same.

I reckon I'll give it a go. I've already got some chopped drops so I may as well use them. I don't have access to a welder but as I'm a silversmith I may as well braze them together with silver solder.

you go, girl! I mean go for it, could be a fun experiment

Sometimes its not actually the handlebars.

the best solution is to just add some old brake hoods on a drop bar.

I like the idea though, especially for me since I don't even have brakes on the bike, and therein lie the problem - I doubt that there'd be a big market for that handlebar since it have a serious limitation of not having the option of adding a hood brakes, I would buy that handlebar if it does exist.

plus, there's always dummy levers that you can use instead;

this is where it's at

I get your point.
I've toyed with the idea of getting a couple of those 'fang-type' chain catchers, filing them down a bit, and fitting them at the ends of the ramps. I should be able to tape over them to tidy things up, and it should give a on-the-hoods position, without the need to chop or wield the bars.

I reckon I'll give it a go. I've already got some chopped drops so I may as well use them. I don't have access to a welder but as I'm a silversmith I may as well braze them together with silver solder.

I hope you can make the weld strong enough, that could get pretty painful, maybe wear a gumshield for the first 100 miles :|

I get your point.
I've toyed with the idea of getting a couple of those 'fang-type' chain catchers, filing them down a bit, and fitting them at the ends of the ramps. I should be able to tape over them to tidy things up, and it should give a on-the-hoods position, without the need to chop or wield the bars.

Don't worry, there'll be no wielding going on!

As for the welding, I reckon the brazing would be strong enough. It's exactly the same process as with the rest of the hand-made frames. Also, we work on metal stakes that have been brazed together with silver solder and we're full on hammering onto these things. I reckon the bars'll be fine. Although, it may well be worth making a first pair and testing them to destruction through various methods before actually putting them on the bike!

Your chopped bars are probably aluminum fillet brazing them will be a diffrent matter. I don't know if you'd use bass still as the filler metal, I suspect not.

I don't know if you'd use bass still as the filler .

Yeah, sounds fishy to me too.

I actually think this is quite a good idea. It would do (for hand positions) exactly what road handlebars + hoods do, but without superfluous brake levers or those fucking shite dummy stumps suggested above.

I would however add that the CAD illustration given does not look like it has enough room for the fore finger underneath the horn when using the bullhorn/hoods position. I think it needs some careful thought to make it a useful, elegant idea.

the best solution is to just add some old brake hoods on a drop bar.

No, that's a solution. Bike Destroyer is looking to try something new.

i had thought about a similar shaped handlebar

decided that drops and with brake hoods offered more functionality, so i have one dummy brake hood and one genuine one

realised that the hoods are more comfortable than the tops, so a cross top lever was not actually going to be as useful as conventional brake lever, hence the bikedestroyer bar actually gives less options than more

i did consider the cane creek thalidomide stoker, but it looks shit and I would have still needed one working lever (and they come in pairs)

also if bikedestroyer is finding one pair of drops uncomfortable, try some other ones, there are so many shapes etc to try

might find it difficult to get 'in' the drops with those bullhorns.

I would however add that the CAD illustration given does not look like it has enough room for the fore finger underneath the horn when using the bullhorn/hoods position. I think it needs some careful thought to make it a useful, elegant idea.

Those are valid points, I think. Also silver soldering alluminium dosn´t work so well. If you go for steel, you should know that silver solder is only used for lugged construktions because it´s weak. It only has a tensile strength of about 350 N/mm² while CroMo usually has something in the range of 800 N/mm². To get a strong bond you have to use the big bonding surface provided by lugs. I would advise you to use Nickel-Silver solder which has a tensile strength of around 750 N/mm². Very interesting project by the way.

im trying to find those reworked drops, you know they were shaped almost like tri bars - gwan someone find it!

i like it
im picking up a pair of drops tomorrow
so i might use my old ones (and my schools tech lab)
and try this out
i really like the idea

why not stick some oldschool mtb-bar ends on the end of the bullhorns pointing down?

like these perhaps?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Onza-Old-School-Bar-Ends-Single-Speed_W0QQitemZ170442532504QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20100208?IMSfp=TL100208202007r30356