Talk:Bicycle handlebar

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[edit] Lead sentence

"used in conjunction with the rider's balance or center of gravity to steer."

Any idea what this means? -AndrewDressel 21:59, 30 March 2007 (UTC)
I've taken it out. -AndrewDressel 01:32, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
That statement is quite an unclear way to explain a technique called "cornering". Basically. whoever wrote that was trying to say that the primary method of steering a bicycle is really leaning into turns, and that moving the handlebars back and forth isn't an effective way of steering at speed. At speed, bandlebars are really just used to stabilize turns, and most real modifications of trajectory are made by adjusting the center of mass of the rider/bicycle (usually by moving the hips). Either way, it's a very difficult concept to explain in few words, especially in one sentence, and shouldn't really be handled in this article. If someone wanted to revise the article to handle the topic, it should really just link to part of the page on Bicycle Dynamics. 71.170.49.122 (talk) 03:12, 29 May 2008 (UTC)
This is a more pertinent segment of the article on Dynamics. 71.170.49.122 (talk) 04:55, 29 May 2008 (UTC)
While it is true that this is covered extensively in the Bicycle and motorcycle dynamics article, and in even more detail in the Countersteering article, both articles debunk the idea that shifting body position is somehow superior to turning the handlebars for steering bicycles or motorcycles. -AndrewDressel (talk) 13:49, 29 May 2008 (UTC)
I Learned something new today. Thank you! 71.170.49.122 (talk) 08:33, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Oversized bars

"although other accessories such as computers and brake levers also need to be designed with the thicker bars in mind"

Every oversized bar I have ever seen necks down to a standard size for the mounting of standard brake levers and shifters. Has anyone seen a counter example. The only issue is that the area traditionally used to mount cyclecomputers is often taken up by this diameter change. -AndrewDressel 04:00, 31 March 2007 (UTC)
Agreed, I've change it to: "although other accessories such as light or computer brackets also need to be oversized to fit the thicker bars. Standard brake levers can be used as it is only the central section that is oversized". LDHan 15:08, 31 March 2007 (UTC)
Cool. How about the speculation that stems will only come oversized? I think that might be a stretch. At any rate, it doesn't sound very encyclopedic. -AndrewDressel 16:28, 31 March 2007 (UTC)
No, speculation wouldn't be a good idea, I think it's against wiki guidelines isn't it? Anyway Nitto still make stems with standard size clamps. LDHan 18:10, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Merger with triathlon bars

The triathlon bars article does not now and might not ever (it is still a stub after 5 years) have enough material to warrent really its own article. It would make a nice addition to the much larger handlebar article. That would also save having to duplicate or decided how to avoid duplicating the sizing discussion. -AndrewDressel 17:35, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Photos

This article could really use a pile of photos or other illustrations. I find it really hard to imagine what these different sorts of handlebars might actually look like. Jaddle 20:47, 7 November 2007 (UTC)

There are more than a dozen pictures. Anthony Appleyard moved them all to a gallery at the end of the article on 13:22, 13 June 2007. Maybe a table with two columns could handle the pictures and text side-by-side. -AndrewDressel 01:42, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

the so called north road handlebars appear to actually be moustache bars turned upside down... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 160.94.133.76 (talk) 20:07, 5 June 2008 (UTC)