Which handlebars are best for your bike commute? Rating handlebars for commuting and urban cycling

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There are so many different types of handlebars that it can be overwhelming to decide which style you should use for your commuting or urban bike life. So here I try to simplify everything by breaking down 5 of the most popular styles of bars -- riser bars, flat bars, bullhorns, drop bars and cruiser handelbars. And I've come up with some categories to rate them in: Speed, comfort, control, practicality and the intangibles.

#bikecommute #cycling #urbancycling

00:00 Introduction
01:36 Riser bars
03:30 Flat bars
05:46 Bullhorns
07:43 Drop bars
10:03 Cruiser handlebars
12:03 Results

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greetings from the Netherlands i commute without bars (unicycle)

guz
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One thing this video doesn't touch on is that there is more to being upright than comfort. It also improves visibility of oncoming traffic and signage. This is incredibly useful in urban environments, and part of the reason why cruisers can be great and drop bars can suck.

Hooberschmit
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As long as cities don't have decent bike lanes, "control" should be weighted x3.

When you have to "jump" between bike path surfaces switching every 3m you just need to be able to control your bike.
Therefore risers and flat are the only choices for me at the moment.

richiericher
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I find that bars make me late on my commutes... usually hours late.

davs.ketchup
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Drop bars changed my life! I always thought the back pain I had with raised / flat bars would be worse with them but they are much better

immeremma
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sweeping/cruiser handlebars get my vote every single time. The others put too much pressure on my hands and arms.

GMiller
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I'm surprised this video didn't mention late night bars. Highly recommended

danielplainview
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Great discussion. The main thing I'd quibble with is your preference for upright rides. Sitting upright means that your spine will have to absorb a lot more bumpiness, so I find it a lot rougher on the back. I also think that shifting the center of mass forward helps with handling as it allows you to shift your weight more easily. Finally, and that may just be me making stuff up - but I have the feeling that being angled forward helps me get more power onto the pedal for a longer part of a revolution of the crank. All in all, this would shift the picture well in favor of drop bars and bullhorns.

tonchrysoprase
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My commute is 6.85m/11k and I have gone with cruiser bars on my current bike and the one before. I found they gave me just that little extra height (1.5in/40mm) to sit more comfortably for that distance without at all impacting my riding speed, which gets up to 16mph/25kph for large stretches of the journey. Sitting like that also gives me a better view of the road, vehicles, traffic lights, etc. And the upright position also takes a lot of pressure off my hands, which usually become numb very quickly when I'm more leaning forwards. I honestly would not have a commuter bike now without cruiser bars

CaptainToadUK
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I'm a noob in city cycling, using bicycle to get some groceries, commute etc. Just started due to this pandemic, so I haven't ride it for long distance to office yet, but daily I went around my home. When I first bought it, due to me being noob, and don't know much about sizing etc. My bike came with the flat bar, and it is not comfortable at all as my arm reach is just enough to hold it with my body need to be lowered. I thought the bike size is wrong for me, but can't change the bike already. It was not comfortable and I didn't enjoy riding it, I prefer to cycle upright, given I'm not in a rush or anything. Then one day I went for a dutch bike tour in my city, and omg the dutch bike is very comfortable, I wish my bike is like that. So I started to look in online shopping app handlebar similar to the Dutch bike, not many in my country. I just found one seller, which name the handle bar as 'M shape vintage style handlebar' and I just go for it. It is sort of the 'cruiser' handlebar as you name it in this video. It totally changed my experience and I look forward to cycle everyday now, even after 3 months cycling as of today. It made my ride so comfortable and relaxed. Of course I do not do racing so maybe that's why it's suitable for me 😁

radziahradzi
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Damn I was hoping you would assess which handelbars are best in a tornado.

smallhatshatethetruth
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"I give them a 7" *writes down 8* :D

no-trick-pony
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I find drops pretty comfortable especially if you stick to the hood position as default and shift around from there based on need, and with the right frame fit and and handlebar positioning they can be much less aggressive than an actual racing bike. Control is probably the worst thing about them, but you can make do with them in any city situation especially in hood position, also they come in different widths so just use a wider bar (like for a gravel bike). Plus getting there faster (aka spending less time in the saddle) and with less effort expended by your legs is its own kind of comfort.

whywhatwhenwherewow
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I've been a bike commuter off and on for years now, and finally made the jump to commuting full time. I hesitate to call myself a cyclist, just a chick who rides a bike, but in an effort to change that I've been doing an abundance of research, and for every question I ever have it seems you're there with a high quality video giving me all the answers

junebug
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Bullhorns are amazing, I love them because you can still get into the riser/flats handlebar position and actually using the "bullhorns" are awesome for areas where you don't need brakes like hills or long straights. I also don't find it too hard reaching the brakes when using the handlebars.
I am actually impressed at how well our hands adapt to a parallel bars configuration over a straight bar position, since it isn't a naturally occurring position whereas a straight bar is, when I first started gripping stuff for workouts and biking.

Xhadp
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Drop bars for sure. The sheer number of different hand positions is worth it alone. Strong headwind? Get in the drops. Just cruising? Use the flat section. Tired after a long day? Hop on the hoods.

svfutbol
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To my knowledge, the dutch solution to any discomfort you might feel in your wrists/arms from riding your bike for a long time is just to ride hands free. Most of my friends do that anyway. Of course that's a lot easier in the Netherlands because most of our roads are flat and we have a lot of big and safe bicycle roads.
Imagine cycling hands free on a stroad💀

peterjanroescher
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I think a riser & adjustable stem, tilt them back & very comfortable.

vincewhite
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I rode bullhorns for seven years on my commutes and by chance got a narrow riser just to give it a try. It was a blast! Couldn't believe it'd be so comfy and responsive

ofacid
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Personally I find drops more comfortable. Less pressure on my bottom and better angle for my wrists.

AWriterWandering