26 November, 2008

French Handlebars are Back


We just recieved another shipment of the VO/Nitto Montmarte and the Left Bank handlebars. They sold out very quickly last time we got some and it takes 4-6 months to have more made, so don't wait too long if you want a pair.

These are French style upright city bike handlebars. What's special is that they will accommodate bar end shifters and inverse brake levers because they are made from road bar-size tubing. But they won't work with MTB levers, grips, etc. Just to avoid confusion, here are some of the components that I recommend using with them:
I wrote more about them in this post.

10 comments:

  1. So, is there any way to run brakes if you've using the bar-cons? The inverse shifters all seem to use a plug...

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  2. Old-style levers, like Weinmann gold dots, the ones they used to put on old Schwinns, should work fine.

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  3. Velo Orange has city brake levers that fit 23.8mm handlebars. They are also available in 22.2 clamp diameters:
    http://velo-orange.com/cibibrle.html

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  4. Wouldn't a combination inverse brake lever/bar end shifter be neat? Where the shifter is mounted after the brake lever-- kind of an STI-for-francoplilic city riders?
    mb

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  5. Yeah, I thought a combination of bar ends and inverse levers would be cool too--he convenience of the bar-ends and the better mechanical advantage of inverse brake levers. But when I though about how I use my bar end shifters, I realized that I slip my hand partially off the bar to shift--something that would be difficult to do with inverse levers in the way.

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  6. Anyone see the new Guns N Roses album Chinese Democracy? Not that I bought it but it has a picture of a bike on the front cover with these similar bars, check it out in Best Buy circular . It also has a big front rack that attaches to the frame and not forks so it is stationary when turning,(guessing not good for handling). On the back rack is a weaved basket that would put a hatchback to shame. I`d love to see VO sell the basket so I could sell my pickup!

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  7. Anonyme 13:44 wrote:

    "It also has a big front rack that attaches to the frame and not forks so it is stationary when turning,(guessing not good for handling)."

    Actually that IS good for handling, because you don't have the weight of the cargo trying to pull down and turn your handlebars.

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  8. Yep. Google Image Search for "cycle truck" or "butcher bike"

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  9. Perhaps VO should have made some clamp on reverse levers. Or stems that incorporate shifter mounts.

    James

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  10. It's just not fair. I purchased some other 'bars recently for a mixte conversion, although it was not a perfect fit. Now you have the Montmartre again and I'm tempted to take the plunge because the rise and reach might work better. Here I am trying to spend less yet you continue to temp me with more...

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