BIKE HANDLEBARS EXPLAINED [FIXED GEAR]

It’s important that bicycle riders choose the right handlebars for their bike to maximize their riding experience. In today’s video, Jackson breaks down a few different fixed gear handlebar types and rates them according to different criteria: comfort, control, tricks, speed, and aesthetics. From bullhorns, drop handlebars, and riser handlebars to BMX-style bars, each handlebar has pros and cons that suit different rider needs. Jackson brings a unique experience with freestyle trick riding that will help riders choose the best bars to suit their needs.

Follow Ruff Bike Co for some FGFS stuff coming very soon:

#fixedgear #fixie #bikelife

Go watch "Last Try":

FOAD Gear:

0:00 – INTRO
0:33 – BACKGROUND
1:19 – TAPE AND GRIPS
1:41 – CRITERIA
1:57 – BULLHORNS
4:16 – BULLHORN RATINGS
5:28 – INTEGRATED HANDLEBARS
6:01 – STEM LENGTH
6:20 – INTEGRATED CONS
6:39 - DROPBARS
8:15 – HOODS
9:02 – DROP RATINGS
10:03 – BMX BARS
10:51 – RUFF BIKE CO
11:21 - BMX BARS
12:41 - BMX BAR RATING
13:17 – COMFORT BARS
13:55 – COMFORT BAR RATING
14:48 – RISER HANDLEBARS
15:48 – NARROW BARS
16:26 – RISER FLATS RATING
17:09 – RANKINGS
18:21 – CONCLUSIONS

[wallacepelletier]

Ive been riding fixed gear since the early 70's I'm 62 now and still ride fixed gear. I've always loved the pursuit bars and the mustache bars but I can't find them anymore been looking for years now. You have me a fantastic laugh that narrow bars with the pink grips i had on a fixed gear many years ago the exact same bars and grips lol. Memories lol. Keep on fixie riding ill keep riding fixed till I can no longer ride

[adamweb]

I absolutely love all the different sub genres and styles of cycling! I come from the MTB and roadie world but there are so many types of fixie/bmx setups that I didn't even know existed, bicycles are truly an art of self expression!

[maxwellcoates]

Lane splitter bars were the funniest trend I followed back in the day cuz what on earth and I threading the needle through that’s more narrow than my cranks let alone my whole body

[sprtsfrnd]

For myself the most comfortable and also the most aestetic are the risers, just love the style of a fixed with them

[sergioa.orozco]

When I first got a road bike I hated the drop bars cause I always felt like I was about to fall and bust my teeth the next second. So when I got home (I rode the bike back home, the most terrifying ride ever in my life) and I didn't have any money to buy different bars, so I got a literal tube and swapped it for the drop bars. Good times, as things started getting broken I swapped parts for more reliable and unbreakableish parts and that slowly got me to fixed gear bikes. It was an old second had roadie that was falling apart, a bad purchase but it's what got me into fixed gear

[meemoprohodeel]

I really love my mustache bar! The cool thing besides the look is that the grip width also makes fit more aero when you hold the bar close to the stem and more straight when you hold the bar near the ends, which are closer to the saddle

[jacobruff]

I second the value of bar ends. This was incredible, Jackson! Comprehensive and thorough recap. Love it.

[Metal-Possum]

Handlebars are so last century, I just use a really long stem.

[Gsyncro]

Roadie here so I obviously run drops but when it came down to building my winter bike, I took a long hard look at my beloved cyclocross and checked off whatever I didn't use on my crappy winter ride. I found an old alloy frameset the same size as the CX and close in geometry and set about replicating it in winter mode. First thing to go was the drops, you never seek aero when barrelling down a snowy street! So I found a combo of bullhorns and stem that nailed the riding position of riding on the hoods on my summer bike and got rid of a bit of useless metal in the process! They also make my winter bike look super aggressive and fast (though it's not!) I love the bullhorns!!

[brocklawson]

I haven't road in years but I remember riding lane splitters in like 05-06. It was such a goofy concept but it was fun. It made tire grabs pretty easy but I definitely ate it all the time from missing the bars on barspins.

[nnntttccc]

ive been riding fixed gear for awhile now and i honestly love it!❤ i use the bullhorn handlebars! never tried other handlebars before

[FSantiago-kvzt]

I've actually ridden with the extremely short handlebar setup. Makes super sense in the city of NY. In fact, it's pretty practical. 😃👍

[LEIFONEISM]

I use the “weirdo” beach cruiser looking bars, but I cut the ends down so I can thread through traffic. I can bar spin with them. But it can hit my knee when I’m doing a backward circle sometimes. For a while I was living on the edge no bar tape and bar ends i was very worried about getting cored. Luckily that didn’t happen. Thank you for the video, the weirdo bars are cool too me, looks dynamic but is actually slower. Also can grab the middle. I always only wanted to ride sparrow bars and I’m now living my dream.

[MarioXcore]

Fixie riders using MTB parts it so hilarious to me 😂 can’t blame you for loving them

[HtetPhoneHlan]

Finally your are back I was waiting for an months to as you how to stand inside the frame while riding tutorial please I'm your biggest fan!

[ayeayethantlamarca]

We used to call “ dummy hoods” stoker pegs so the rear rider on a tandem had more hand positions, and “ bull horn” handlebars were originally called L.A. ‘84’s made by cinelli for the’84 los angles olympics and used by Francesco Moser’s hour record attempt on a “ funny bike” with a smaller front wheel. My friend Nelson “ Tee-bah” Vails and Mark Gorski won the gold and silver medals at the’ 84 Olympics. Nelson was a bike messenger in NYC in the early ‘80’s when I was working and racing there at the same time. The first track bikes to show up back then were Panasonic steel frames from Japan and came out of the box with an “ hour record” gearing of something like 49x14 and I would see these guys struggling to make money with that ridiculous gear, having to stop and go all day on them. I only rode a track bike in the spring every year to develop leg speed for road racing but we had a lumpy outdoor velodrome called Kissena park Queens and would race out there several times a year. I thought it was strange when being a bike messenger went from “dirt-bag job” to “ urban hipster fashion” and some guys like Squid actually made some money from the fad while it lasted in the early 2K’s..unfortunately now in NYC all the gomers are zooming around on electric bikes and most of the traditional messenger companies are gone, victims of the insurance companies!

[negrettoni]

I've been riding fixed gear for the past 2 years, when I started drop bars and bull horn is my go-to but before i didn't like to do tricks but now riser bars is what i've been using for 8 months now and its very comfortable and doing tricks is way easier than drops. (i've converted into tracklocross for 3 months now) the only downside is doing sprints and climbs is harder. Ride safe y'all

[jeffgutierrez]

I've been riding my fixie for decades, I still rock the bullhorns

[fuzer]

My first fixed gear had drop bars and also was the first time I actually gave them a fair chance since I used to only ride porteur bars (an old version of the mustache bars). I actually got to like them and since I had never ridden drops with hoods I didn't miss the hoods. Surprisingly enough I was able to learn how to fakie a lot faster with pursuit bars and I feel the most comfortable riding them since my city is pretty hilly and there's nothing like climbing with pursuit bars, they also helped me getting comfortable riding with my hands super close to each other on the flats. The flat bars are ok but I like riding fast and apart from fish and chips I don't see any benefit for my riding style. The track drop bars are my least favorite, I find them super uncomfortable in any riding position. I also had mustache bars for my track packing set up because I thought they were gonna be more comfortable for the long rides but completely destroyed my wrists 😢 I also have some bull horns which I only use in winter when it snows or when it rains, I just feel like they give me enough control without having to stretch as much as I would have to with the pursuit bars. Oh, I almost forgot I had cruiser bars for a while on a typical dutch style bike which I ended up destroying o.o

[Thedrumer]

@15:40 I used to rock the oury sized straight bars back in hs in 2013