Bullhorns with fixies?

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Alan O

Über Member
Location
Liverpool
I see a lot of fixed-wheel bikes with bullhorn bars, and (as I'm building one myself and haven't decided on what bars to use) I'm wondering why they're so popular.

I understand the liking for different handlebar styles (and I've tried a few varieties myself on various bikes), but is there anything specific that makes bullhorns especially suitable for fixies?
 

Broadside

Guru
Location
Fleet, Hants
They look a bit cool if that's your thing. My fixed gear bike came with them, they're nice for a change but offer far fewer riding positions than drop handle bars. I have considered putting full drop bars on mine.
 

Venod

Eh up
Location
Yorkshire
I like the look of them but I have built a couple of fixie's and use compact drop bars, I always use two brakes as riding on the hoods is my favourite position, if your only using one small brake lever on the straight bit of the bars they are probably more suitable.
 
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Alan O

Alan O

Über Member
Location
Liverpool
Thanks folks. I can certainly see the point of bullhorns for city commuting.

My default was likely to be drops (which I already have) unless I found a reason for something else. The bike will be just for leisure riding and I'll have two brakes on it, and I ride on the hoods a lot on road bikes, so I think it will have to be the drops.
 

FishFright

More wheels than sense
Ive got them on my single speed and I'm really enjoying them at the moment but if it turns into a commuter bike then I'll probably change to something else
 

3narf

For whom the bell dings
Location
Tetbury
I've tried them on gears and fixed and returned to drop bars. Just couldn't get on with them.
The fixie thing is just fashion.

What he said. They do look quite neat and minimalist but it's largely form over function.

I think with single speed bikes there's a tendency to over simplify and dumb them down. A single gear doth not a one-trick pony make! ;)
 

rogerzilla

Legendary Member
They solve the problem of where to rest your hands on a fixie with only one brake lever (an alternative is to butcher the LH lever so just the body and hood are kept).

On singlespeeds you probably won't have a big enough gear to use the drops, so bullhorns also make sense.
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
I like em but not just on 'fixies'

DSCN0129.JPG
 

Tin Pot

Guru
Thanks folks. I can certainly see the point of bullhorns for city commuting.

My default was likely to be drops (which I already have) unless I found a reason for something else. The bike will be just for leisure riding and I'll have two brakes on it, and I ride on the hoods a lot on road bikes, so I think it will have to be the drops.

The bull horns are essentially the hoods - with no drops.

You don't need the drops on a fixie, so you don't put drops on. It's kind backwards logic to think that horns need to be justified - it's the other way around.
 
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