Bullhorns with fixies?

[Alan O]

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]

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]

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.

 

[Biff600]

I had bullhorns on my last fixie, they were ok, but I prefer straight bars.

I trimmed my current pair down to 350mm so I could get through traffic easier

 

[Fab Foodie]

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.

 

[T4tomo]

I just sorting a fixie too. I'm going bull bars (will prob flip and saw the drops) as its for commutting in town so bulls give a better heads up hands covering brakes position than riding on drops or hoods.

 

[Alan O]

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]

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]

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]

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.

 

[Tin Pot]

I can't ever imagine needing the drops on a fixie or ss.

 

[Venod]

On singlespeeds you probably won't have a big enough gear to use the drops,

I don't understand this, what do you mean ? you can use the drops in any gear as an alternative position.

 

[raleighnut]

I like em but not just on 'fixies'

 

[Biff600]

My old fixie....with bullhorns

 

[Tin Pot]

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.