[JonathanGennick]

I feel rather silly for asking this question, but I don't want to blunder down the wrong path. My son is thinking that he'd like a pair of Topeak Bar'n Mirror bar ends. These are bar ends that have flip-out mirrors. They look pretty cool. But I'm uncertain as to how to install them.

My son has a Rockhopper with stock grips. The bar ends need to clamp directly onto the handlebar, right? Should I then cut the ends off the stock grips so as to expose some bare handlebar to use in attaching the bar ends? Will that compromise the grips? Will they stay in place with their ends cut off?

Is there a better approach? Is there a special type of grip that one buys to go along with bar ends?

 

[nachomc]

Check the length of the clamp and see where the extended piece of the bar end will be once installed on the bar. Mark the grips and cut them to remove the end, then install the bar ends.
I like to have my grips come up fairly flush with the extended bit of the bar end.

 

[KevinB]

Loosen up the fasteners holding the shifters and brakes in place. Move them inwards (by the width of the bar ends) on the handlebar and retighten.

Take a rubber faced mallet (or use a block of wood and a convenient hammer) and give the grips a few good whacks at each end of the handlebar. The idea here is to make the ends of the handlebars cut a hole in the grips so that the grips may also be slid inward to make room for the bar ends. Once you have some suitable holes, slide the grips over so that you can install the bar ends.

Alternately, you can take the grips off and cut off the ends, or make a suitably sized hole in the end via some other method. If the rider has small hands and does not use the entire grip, it's okay to cut part of the grip away.

 

[mfranklin01]

just be careful when moving the brakes and shifter, i accidently stripped out one of the hex screws trying to install my bar ends :madman:

 

[JonathanGennick]

Thanks everyone. Kevin, I hadn't thought about moving the entire grip over versus cutting the end off. I'm glad you mentioned that approach.

 

[xenon]

The best kind of grips to go with bar ends is lock on grips. No need to cut ends. In my opinion, they are better anyway.
If you prefer to keep the regular grips, you may just cut their ends off with a sharp knife(did anybody say circumcise ? LOL). You need to bare the ends of handlebars at length a bit less than bar ends width. So that the bar ends will press onto the grips, making them sit tighter on the bars. Moving the grips - along with brake levers and shifters - inwards is an option, but it depends on how convenient it will be for you. My personal preference is having the controls as close to the bar ends as possible(but I have small hands, so can have shorter grips).

 

[jeepinmike]

Let me know how you like those bar ends. I am considering getting them to keep an eye on my son in the bike cart, and for the occasional road ride.