|
|
|
| |
Submitted by
Will T Smith
a Cross Country Rider
from Valparaiso, IN
Date Reviewed: January 5, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | www.outbacktrail.org | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Zim's Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Big bar ends that add about three new hand positions and effectively shield the hands from collisions. | | Weaknesses: | MTB fashion queens criticize me for using big bar ends with riser bars. Small risk of hitting yourself with the tips in crashes. | | Similar Products Used: | Shorter "tree hook" bars | | Bike Setup: | Karate Monkey XT/X.9 level build. | | Bottom Line: | Lets get one thing straight. Bar ends are only tree hooks when you shorten them for weight weenies. A full L-bar end that extends inward over the hand protects the hand from tree strikes. It also deflects the bike off of trees when you do hit them. Any hit that can get far enough inside to hook on these would have taken you down anyway.
My hands are protected, I get a supinated position that increases bar leverage on climbs. I get an elongated position which help on the flats by minimizing by aero-profile. And I get an intermediate position. All are functional and help reduce hand fatigue.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bryan
a Weekend Warrior
from Miami, Florida, USA
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint | | Strengths: | Lightweight, right size, strong | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Diamondback Outlook | | Bottom Line: | Whether to have bar ends is a matter of personal preference and riding style. I'm not a racer and ride in a variety of conditions, on and off road. I bought these larger "L" shaped bar ends because I wanted more options to hold the bar in different riding situations. On long rides, the ability to place my hands in different positions fights fatigue. When riding against a wind, moving my hands forward gives me a lower profile and less wind resistence. And on steep hill climbs it moves my weight forward more efficiently. These bars were lightweight and strong and did the trick well. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sprocketeer
a Cross Country Rider
from Narashino, Chiba, Japan (native of New York)
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | The roughest,toughest, rootinest, tootinest, dirtiest trail I can find. Saddle up! | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Seo Cycle (pro shop), Tokyo Bay LalaPort shopping mall in Minami-Funabashi, Chiba, Japan | | Strengths: | light weight
color
thinner tubing than others I've used. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | System Components heat treated aluminum bar-ends with Profile grips which didn't do much for me but protect my hands from branches and the bike in a crash. The tubing was too big so they weren't very comfortable as an option to my handlebar. Others . . . . | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Trek 8000, stock except for the Titec bar-ends and Shimano 959 pedals. | | Bottom Line: | Well, I can't claim to have tried every kind of bar end out there but out of all the ones I have used these are the best. Probably some downhiller will completely flame these things, as downhillers tend to do with a lot of equiptment, but that's only because they need much stronger equiptment and weight isn't such a factor as it is with other styles of riding--so if you're not a downhiller I recommend these bar-ends highly, but if you are I can't really think of any bar-end which will be good.
The basic use for me of bar-ends is for putting my hands and upper body in a more relaxed position on something that's easier to grab than the handlebars when I'm on some easy stretch of trail--because it's harder to control the bike while riding the bar-ends. My old bar-ends were too fat and so they didn't do much for me in terms of resting my hands except when I put on the Profile grips. With these bar-ends I don't need the grips and I have much more control over the bike because they're easier to grab.
Add that these are extremely light for the price. These are half the price of other bar-ends which are 66% to double the weight without sacrificing anything by going cheaper.
Normally I would say, "Ah, they're bar-ends, who cares" but the Titec bar-ends are really worth taking a look at in comparison to the general or even high-end selection out there.
Happy Trails | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
| |
|
Photo Caption Contest
(sponsored by Maxxis)
|
Enter here
|
|
|
$ 25.00
