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Submitted by
Dropout33
a Cross Country Rider
from NY
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Strengths: | Well made for the $$. | | Weaknesses: | Little too wide but nothing a little trim couldn't take care of. Personal preference. | | Bike Setup: | Redline Monocog 29er | | Bottom Line: | I have the J-bar but there wasn't an option to review it. It was a world of difference switching to these bars. Much more confidence and control on the trail. Also the ergonomics on climbs are great. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
fatoldslow
a Cross Country Rider
from charlotte,nc
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | tsali | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$75.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Didn't break them | | Weaknesses: | Never got used to them | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | single speed | | Bottom Line: | I read all the reviews, checked out the Jeff Jones website and went and bought a set of these bars knowing that this was going to be the best set of handlebars ever. Didn't work that way. Although it took about 30 minutes to get used to the bars my hands, forearms and back were killing me. It seemed to require more hand strength to hang on to the bars and my position on the bike was much different. Seemed to push me back farther and although this was good going downhill that was the only time. Maybe I have spent too much time on motox bikes and flat type bars that this didn't work for me. I thought the bar end things on these bars were too close together and too far forward to be comfortable even on long climbs. Went back to regular riser bars and ergon grips and will never look back.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Deltap60
a Cross Country Rider
from Albuquerque
Date Reviewed: April 3, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Mars Court-Tunnel | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$69.00 | | Purchased At: | Universal Bikes | | Strengths: | Comfort, control | | Weaknesses: | Heavy, but well worth it. | | Similar Products Used: | "Normal" handlebars | | Bike Setup: | NINER RIP, XTR dual control shifters | | Bottom Line: | The J Bars felt strange at first, but it took about half of a ride to adapt. It is hard for me to go back and ride my other bikes with "normal" bars. The J-bar eliminates the pain in my wrists and elbows. I plan to put them on all my bikes. They pretty much only work with Shimano dual control shifters. I love dual-control, but not everybody does. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jonbyron
a Cross Country Rider
from Jackson,OH
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Lake Hope | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | Nashbar i think? | | Strengths: | so far, bloody everything. i love these bars. tendinitis in my elbow is improving, and everyone wants to try my bike out now! | | Weaknesses: | none so far? | | Similar Products Used: | not really any | | Bike Setup: | monocog 29er, bb7s, hbars, stuffed hedgehog, f-bomb bell. | | Bottom Line: | damnably great bars. like in the strengths, my elbow was killing me, that after the ride beer that's so wonderful...wasnt so wonderful.
i can have that beer now. hell, give me a pitcher. the change in position is really helping the elbow.
as for climbing, i love them, more hand positions, more natural feeling. jeff jones is the man.
oh, and for tight switchbacks....they improve the cornering and control for these, everything really, but the switchbacks really stood out to me as very different, especially when climbing up them.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bikerfish
a Cross Country Rider
from Lincoln, NE
Date Reviewed: December 11, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Platte | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$75.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint | | Strengths: | Product review also for the "J" bar (H bar without the rise bend) -- Seems strong enough - light for how strong it seemed | | Weaknesses: | Never felt right-see below | | Similar Products Used: | Straight bars, riser bars | | Bike Setup: | Nashbar MTB frame, xtracycle, BB7 Disk, SD7 levers, Sram twist shifts, 120mm stem w/10 deg rise. | | Bottom Line: | Never felt right to me. I ran a twist shift/ Avid SD7 combo which I know is not ideal for these bars. I got it to work, but wasn't great. Shifters & brake levers were too far apart but beside that I just never could get used to and/or liked the hand position provided by this bar. Furthermore, I tried switching hand locations on the bar but never thought any of the additional hand locations were really viable options. I put this on my utility bike because I really wanted to enhance the comfort of this ride and I'm not concerned with weight on this bike. I really wanted to like them but never could. If I ever build up a SS MTB I might try them on that. I also probably could've tried some different stem combos but just didn't think it was worth it. I hate to withold too many flaming terds because I know bars are such a personal preference thing and the bars seem to be made well, but they just didn't live up to the hype for me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
surreal
a Weekend Warrior
from NJ
Date Reviewed: December 1, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Les Mis | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$75.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint.com | | Strengths: | This is a review for the newer "J-Bar" model.
Upgrades over the older "H-Bar":
-modern 31.8 clamp diameter
-center section is a flatbar rather than the riser thing, more like the original Jones H-Bar. In my opinion, the flatbar offers a more useful central hand position.
-The lower extensions fit full-size ODI grips with the brake levers mounted just above the central bar, on the bottom of the upper extensions. This still allows for comfy 2- or 3-finger braking
-the bars seem strong enough, but only time will tell.
Like the older model and the Jeff Jones model, the extensions on this bar allow for several alternative hand positions, which will reduce wrist fatigue and offer more comfortable positions for various on-bike activities | | Weaknesses: | -I don't know if this qualifies as a weakness, but part of why I ordered these for my SS was to see if bar-con shifters would fit into any of the ends on the bar. They don't.
-That being said, it'd be difficult to run shifters on this set-up. I know a lot of people suggest the shimano dual-controls, where the brake lever blade doubles as a shifter, but this isn't always conveneint depending on your gear/brake selection. Another option is paul's thumbies with shimano bar-cons mounted, but most technophiles won't go for that.
-The bar is kind of heavy, but it has to be, considering all of the extra material. Given that, they're actually kinda light. | | Similar Products Used: | Nothing, really. Flat bars with bar-ends, I guess. I run risers on my other mountain bike. | | Bike Setup: | 29er Singlespeed/Fixed with rim brakes and fat knobbies. 32t/19t free, 32t/15t fixed. | | Bottom Line: | These bars are well-finished and seem to be well made. I've got them mounted to a Titec Rip 3d Gold Stem, and it's a nice piece of kit, too. I've run the stem for a while, and it's made to last; I've no reason to believe the J-Bar will fail anytime soon, but I'll update the review if it does.
There's a bit of a learning curve in terms of actually using all of the positions, but as I put miles in, I tend to use more of them more often. I had considered putting on a longer stem, but I figured I'd try them as-is before I switched anything. With the top/forward extensions, I don't feel a need to switch just yet, but your experiences may vary. Personally, I like a short reach to the bar in most conditions, and having the central/flat location where it is, and the forward spots as well, I don't think i'd like a longer stem.
These replaced a easton EA70 flatbar, and it's nice to have the other positions. In my opinion, it just looks cooler than the flatbar, but a lot of people think they look ridiculous. Whatever; aesthetics aren't the best reason to buy a component, but most people do factor it in. That being said, the J-Bar is way heavier than the EA70, but it's also comfier and more functional.
Overall, I'm glad I got the bars, and I'd recommend them to anyone with a SS or some flexibility in their shifting/braking selections.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bobby Hartridge
a Cross Country Rider
from Mountain City,GA,USA
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Butter Gap | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | $69.00, Local Shop | | Strengths: | Great design courtesy of Mountain Bike Guru Jeff Jones.....1st rule is form follows function | | Weaknesses: | crazy looking...people are going to stare! | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Karate Monkey frame and fork (29er Single Speed) | | Bottom Line: | Im not going to ramble but this is MY OPINION, everyone has diffrent tastes. I have been intrigued by Jeff Jones's approach to bicycle design and since I cant afford one of his bikes I decided to try the H bar. It makes perfect sense to me from an ergonomic standpoint to rotate the wrists to this position....its more comfortable for me and aids in soaking up the bumps and such on the front of the bike. The biggest diffrence that I wasnt expecting is while climbing. The bars are further back, easy to hold at your side and the adjusted position allows more leverage while pulling up. In other words it made climbing more enjoyable ,Im not going to say easier. While descending on the bike I noticed a huge diffrence in control, The bars put back further and therefore make the bike more stable going downhill.
What else do I need to say except that theres more than one way to skin a cat....H bars seem to give alot of advantages thru a simple inexpensive design. Thanks Titec/Mr. Jones. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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