So I picked up a set of Titec H-bars (designed by Jeff Jones) for the Kona. The idea is to make it a bit more comfortable for all around riding, particularly on dirt roads and trails. I was waffling between the H-bars and a set of Albatross bars, but thought the H-Bars must be better for the rough stuff.

I should begin with the tale of installation woe. This was not the fault of the bars. At all. The Kona came equipped with GripShifters, and from what I’ve read, the H-Bars really aren’t designed to be used with them, and this is a fact. I did, however, try to (ahem) modify the shifters by trimming them with a hacksaw to get them to fit on the forward extensions of the bars. This was successful only in rendering in the GripShifters useless. Oh well. Fortunately, I had procured a set of old Shimano integrated brake/trigger shifters, but this meant I had to muck with the derailleurs, which is never fun. Add to this the fact that the stock cables and housing were likely too short to be useful and I had a long evening ahead of me.

For a moment, with the brake and shifter cables removed the bike, I despaired that I didn’t have the spare cables and housing to make it work. The Cannondale was in full ‘cross mode, meaning not particularly useful for commuting the rain. Ugh. So I dug through the parts bin, found enough brake cable and housing to hopefully make it work, and set off to getting things back together. The shifter housings are still too short, but at least I can turn the bars. The brakes are mostly set, but I could probably use a longer length of housing for the front brake. I see a trip to Thick Bikes in my future. I did, however, manage to get the bike into ridable condition, so I shook down the bars on the commute to work.

They are quite comfy. Not as comfortable as Albatross bars, but the trade-off is worth a wider range of hand positions. I found myself mostly on the rear extensions, or at the junction between extensions. I need to move the levers to the recommended position on the front extensions (I tucked mine on the rear extensions, just against the junction)–the levers are mostly unusable when I riding on the junction area. The front extensions were less useful than I thought for out of the saddle climbing, but do work well for getting into a more aerodynamic position. I could probably use a slightly shorter stem for a bit more comfort on longer rides, but otherwise the bars feel great. The flare of the rear extensions is more natural than the Albatross bars, too.

Pics will be forthcoming, if the sun ever comes out.

Posted on 30 September 2009