Butterfly bars vs bar ends

[mudsticks]

I ride with flat bars, which I prefer for the more upright riding style, and greater control over rough ground.

But I can also see the argument for the benefits of changing hand position, for the sake of arms and shoulders on longer rides, and when touring.

ATM I'm just thinking of getting bar ends.
Which will be a relatively cheap, and quick add on

Any reason I should really consider butterflies??

 

[snorri]

Any reason I should really consider butterflies??

In the event of an accident which might cause the rider to fall on top of the 'bars, the smooth curves of the butterfly bar seems preferable to a pointy bar end.
There are variations on the theme of butterfly bars, some might suit your personal choice more than others.
The sheer aesthetics.

 

[mudsticks]

In the event of an accident which might cause the rider to fall on top of the 'bars, the smooth curves of the butterfly bar seems preferable to a pointy bar end.
There are variations on the theme of butterfly bars, some might suit your personal choice more than others.
The sheer aesthetics.

Yes I had end bars on the last but three bike.
I did use them.. Esp when climbing.

But they can get caught on things as well, so I can see the advantages of butterflies in that way.

Plus butterflies do look quite cool too

 

[mudsticks]

There's also more 'flex' in the curves of butterflies..

Good for some shock absorption I guess.

But some loss of efficiency in energy transfer, less strong perhaps??

 

[berty bassett]

i had a bike that i liked touring on with flat bars , add bar ends to give more choice , swapped to butterfly bars to give more choice and ended up with drop bars ! in the wind it is nice to get as small as possible even when semi loaded - i wasn't camping so not a full load . i had choice of hoods or top bars or drops or even resting forearms on bars , and i never got pins and needles like i did with the other set up
just my experience , may have been set up wrong but just saying what worked with me - until it got squashed by a car

 

[Ajax Bay]

less strong perhaps?

Will be designed to be strong enough. Flexing (and/or damping vibrations) doesn't equal lack of strength.

 

[mudsticks]

i had a bike that i liked touring on with flat bars , add bar ends to give more choice , swapped to butterfly bars to give more choice and ended up with drop bars ! in the wind it is nice to get as small as possible even when semi loaded - i wasn't camping so not a full load . i had choice of hoods or top bars or drops or even resting forearms on bars , and i never got pins and needles like i did with the other set up
just my experience , may have been set up wrong but just saying what worked with me - until it got squashed by a car

Oh no !! poor squashed bike .. One hopes not squashed with you on it.
I guess I could try bar ends and butterfly ones and see the difference - we're not talking mahoosive outlay after all.

So much of it comes down to individual riding style too - i was coming down a bumpy track just now and feeling i could do with a little more give in the bars - if it had gone on for more than a couple of miles my arms might have grumbled.

Will be designed to be strong enough. Flexing (and/or damping vibrations) doesn't equal lack of strength.

Your right i'm sure they would be strong enough - its not like i do anything excessively gnarly - and as i've just realised - a bit more 'flex' might be nice.

And I don't know where i came up with all that rot about' loss of efficiency in energy transfer' - as if i'm some kind of super sleek racing machine or something - whereas I'm just merrily pootling about the planet on a bike - for the love of it ...

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Surly’s Moloko bars look the business. Love them. I want.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Coming from a purely Touring perspective, I ride on Flats with as long as possible bar ends.

I did try Butterfly bars for the more hand options and had no issue with them on "normal" surfaces. However, once off-road I didn't feel confident with them steering me on a loaded bike. Maybe I should have stuck with them longer, but I went back to my flat bars.

While there is an almost infinite scope for the positioning of these bars they can cause issues for those using handlebar bags.

I agree with @Heltor Chasca - those Surly bars look good!

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Like! Much need for some bar tape though. I don’t do open ended metal tubes either. The mice will get in.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

I find those open tubes quite disconcerting. A quick Google shows that most people leave them that way.
The barbag is very handy, though.

At least this one has no open ends, although with less curvature.
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/handlebars/blb-hobo-loop-handlebar-318mm-clamp-black/

 

[mudsticks]

View attachment 446904 Surly’s Moloko bars look the business. Love them. I want.

Whoaa

They're a bit technical looking.

Shouldn't there be bungs at least?? To stop the rain getting in??

Or are they only for Cali- forneeya, to be ridden in endless sunshine - with a well sculpted beard on board ??

i dont see such a big hand hold variation though ?

 

[Dayvo]

Funnily enough, I was looking at the Surly bars earlier today (night time in India now) and saw this and thought that it WILL be sitting atop my next touring bike (with a possible bull horn bar end).

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Whoaa

They're a bit technical looking.

Shouldn't there be bungs at least?? To stop the rain getting in??

Or are they only for Cali- forneeya, to be ridden in endless sunshine - with a well sculpted beard on board ??

i dont see such a big hand hold variation though ?

Very easy to sort out bar end plugs if you are so inclined. With one eye shut I can see 5 hand positions I would use.

 

[ColinJ]

Like! Much need for some bar tape though. I don’t do open ended metal tubes either. The mice will get in.

View attachment 446905

I find those open tubes quite disconcerting. A quick Google shows that most people leave them that way.

Shouldn't there be bungs at least?? To stop the rain getting in??

Very easy to sort out bar end plugs if you are so inclined.

Mice and rain are not the big worries ...

Local news reports say 6-year-old Denny Curran died last month following a bike crash in which he was struck in the stomach by an exposed handlebar.

The Pullman Police Department announced on its Facebook page that Curran died from internal injuries including a torn artery.

KHQ.com reported that Curran was riding with four friends on a July evening when he crashed on the pavement. His father told the news organization that he later inspected the bike and saw the handlebars were bent and the grip was torn, exposing the metal handlebar end.

There have been numerous studies of childhood and adult injuries from bike handlebar ends in recent years. One 2002 study estimated that 1,147 Americans had serious bike-related injuries involving abdominal or pelvic organ injury in 1997, and 886 of these injuries likely were associated with handlebars.

I have read about several cases where an exposed handlebar end 'apple-cored' a rider's abdomen in a crash.