Touring bike - flat bars

[Blue Hills]

Any CC users of BBB butterfly bars or similar?
They look ugly but I'm thinking about using these for future do it all bike
View attachment 514362

Not me. Am willing to believe they have many pluses but yes I do think them ugly - totally spoil the look of the book - also have an idea that they maybe make the rider look a bit geriatric. And I'm usually someone who is happy to embrace function - sloping top tube etc.
So I'll be sticking to my flats with various bar ends - sporty type or touring - and of course shunning the ugliness of drops

Folk feel free to sing their praises/list advantages - I was offered them when my Hewitt was being built but I passed.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Any CC users of BBB butterfly bars or similar?
They look ugly but I'm thinking about using these for future do it all bike
View attachment 514362

Yes, I currently have a butterfly bar on the knockabout bike. I got them to sort out a specific problem in that the top tube on it is unusually long so it's always been either a stretch to the bars or I've had the saddle positioned too far forward.

I like them a lot on this bike and they've been great for long rides. I don't plan to change the other bikes though as I'm pretty happy with them as they are.

I do have one minor niggle which is that despite all that length of tubing they don't have a huge amount of suitable space for accessories. On the old riser bar I found space for two front lamps, a speedometer and a large bell. Not so easy with the butterfly as the angles are wrong.

 

[Blue Hills]

I do have one minor niggle which is that despite all that length of tubing they don't have a huge amount of suitable space for accessories.

yes, confirms an impression I had.
And on "normal" flat bars it's easy to fix accessory holders on the bars with minimal expense and trouble.

 

[RobinS]

I do have one minor niggle which is that despite all that length of tubing they don't have a huge amount of suitable space for accessories. On the old riser bar I found space for two front lamps, a speedometer and a large bell. Not so easy with the butterfly as the angles are wrong

I have managed to fit all these on JanetS' butterfly bars,as well as a large Ortlieb bar bag, not as easily as on straights, but easier than on my drops.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

I have managed to fit all these on JanetS' butterfly bars,as well as a large Ortlieb bar bag, not as easily as on straights, but easier than on my drops.

Well done.

On mine it wasn't helped by my choice of shifters but this was my solution:

I did change the bell to a smaller one mounted on the stem as I kept hitting my knee on it when standing on the pedals, but I don't like the note the new one makes so will have to think again.

 

[avecReynolds531]

yes, confirms an impression I had.
And on "normal" flat bars it's easy to fix accessory holders on the bars with minimal expense and trouble.

Yes, this has been my experience with the butterfly bars. They appear to be popular and more accepted in Europe. I appreciate a lot of people really like them.

I tried them for about a year, before reverting to flat bar & bar ends as before. I haven't had numb hands with flat bars so far, touch wood, but always use bars ends. I'm happy touring with drop bars too.

I do like quill stems: being able to raise or lower any bar quickly is handy when you're feeling a bit tired or slow or inflexible, or feeling stronger, faster and flexible- in our experience this can happen frequently through a season or tour.

Handlebars seem to be a bit like saddles in terms of individual preference.

 

[mudsticks]

I've always toured with flat bars.
But have bar ends too now, which I do use.

Not really had any arm or wrist problems, but I do alot of stretching generally, anyway, so maybe that helps.

Perhaps it also depends on what sort of conditions you ride.

I prefer the wider bars for better control when on rougher tracks.

But maybe that's not an issue for you..

Having said all that, I do like the look of the butterfly bars.. Just because

 

[Blue Hills]

I do like quill stems: being able to raise or lower any bar quickly is handy when you're feeling a bit tired or slow or inflexible, or feeling stronger, faster and flexible- in our experience this can happen frequently through a season or tour.

Rose bikes of germany has a few adjustable quill stems. Think i will get one eventually.

 

[mickle]

Any CC users of BBB butterfly bars or similar?
They look ugly but I'm thinking about using these for future do it all bike
View attachment 514362

I absolutely loathe these bars, but that's probably borne out of sheer snobbery.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

I tried butterfly for a while but went back to flat with bar ends.
I didn't like the feeling on anything rough - I just had the sense of less control. I tried them out in various configurations but never felt as comfortable as with my flat bars.
Having said that, I've never needed "multiple hand positions".

One thing though that I did notice is that not all Butterfly bars are the same. There are subtle (and not so subtle) differences in design that can impact in all kinds of ways - perhaps why some have issues with attachments and others don't.

 

[mudsticks]

I tried butterfly for a while but went back to flat with bar ends.
I didn't like the feeling on anything rough - I just had the sense of less control. I tried them out in various configurations but never felt as comfortable as with my flat bars.
Having said that, I've never needed "multiple hand positions".

One thing though that I did notice is that not all Butterfly bars are the same. There are subtle (and not so subtle) differences in design that can impact in all kinds of ways - perhaps why some have issues with attachments and others don't.

I seem to remember someone saying that BB's had more 'give' in them - which i guess could be an advantage in reducing fatigue.

But as you say also feels less controlled on rougher stuff, and i would imagine less resistance, if you're using the bars to pull on, to help you up hills.

I'm tempted to try some BB's if i can get a reasonable pair S/H just to explore the possibilities.

I think in truth, I'm mostly just attracted to the scenery that you see gnarly Californians riding through whilst using them, so I'm thereby hoping that some of that glamour might rub off on me, by association..

A girl can dream right ??

 

[mjr]

I do have one minor niggle which is that despite all that length of tubing they don't have a huge amount of suitable space for accessories.

That's a feature not a flaw. Brakes, bell and shifters are all that should be on handlebars. Only perverts and deviants want loads of strap ons. Put the front light on the fork crown as God intended and any speedo or computer on the stem or better yet in the handlebar bag where it can't distract from the scenery while touring

 

[Pale Rider]

A Speedlifter - a quick release stem height adjuster - is handy for adjusting bar height on a long ride.

Available from Rose and others.

https://byschulz.com/product-category/speedlifter-en/?lang=en

 

[anothersam]

I did thousands of miles of touring using flat bars before moving, for the most part, to curly (like you OP, I also like the look of them). I still prefer flat on wild & windy days, as they feel more stable.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Yes, I currently have a butterfly bar on the knockabout bike. I got them to sort out a specific problem in that the top tube on it is unusually long so it's always been either a stretch to the bars or I've had the saddle positioned too far forward.

Are you talking about the Pioneer Jaguar by any chance? I've found the same thing with the welded type frame. It's a good strong bike, but I do prefer the fit of the previous lugged & brazed version which has a shorter top tube. Why Raleigh sought to redesign it is a mystery to me as the lugged frame is a good one, and they could have just replicated the existing geometry!. I did think about fitting a spare set of North Road bars to shorten the reach, but the gripshift changers require too much straight section, so I abandoned the idea..