Michael Labuschagne Posted March 12, 2012 Share Broke my friends carbon handle bars in some head over handlebar action... Bought a replacement bar... It's a little longer so I need to cut it... Need some advice can I just use a hack-saw? Secondly how do you get the rubber grips off the old set and onto the new set? Tried and it's friggin' hard to make it move... Once I have it off is there a lubricant I can use to help get it on the new bar? Silicone/oil/spray and cook? Thanks in advance - appreciate any advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR ◣◢ Posted March 12, 2012 Share I normally use a little bit of sunlight liquid under the grip to get it to slip off. Use a syringe from the pharmacy to squirt it in. Afterwards just rinse it out and let it dry. As for cutting the bars... Not sure, never cut a carbon bar before. I guess a hacksaw with a very fine blade should be ok but don't take my advice on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted March 13, 2012 Share cutting bars is a sin! wider bars are the future... don't fight it! Let your friend try them before you cut. He/she will thank you ThePubSA, Big H* and Ed-Zulu 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big H* Posted March 13, 2012 Share cutting bars is a sin! wider bars are the future... don't fight it! Let your friend try them before you cut. He/she will thank you Eeeeeeeek...... The Hub fahionista Police will come and cut your fingers off!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grebel Posted March 13, 2012 Share Don't cut the bars.Use compressed air to get the grips off.Use hairspray to put them back and make them stay there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted March 13, 2012 Share cutting bars is a sin! wider bars are the future... don't fight it! Let your friend try them before you cut. He/she will thank you Absolutely! The extra control he'll get from longer (wider) bars will be fantastic! Personally, I don't know how some people can run bars that are as close as dammit to 500mm... Must be helluva twitchy, and not in a good way!Don't cut the bars.Use compressed air to get the grips off.Use hairspray to put them back and make them stay there. What he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted March 13, 2012 Share Eeeeeeeek...... The Hub fahionista Police will come and cut your fingers off!!!! pffft! they're just behind the times ...wide bars are cool... they just don't know it yet! (also, black handle bars, like black rims, are for poor people) I mean just look at these beauties 780mm wide 700mm wide (the narrowest set I own) 740mm wide Edited March 13, 2012 by patches Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted March 13, 2012 Share Cutting those bars would be a crime. As said on this thread, try them first and then decide. Take a thin flat screw driver, wrap take around the point, slip under grips, lift softly and spray deodorant in there....twist grips off. Spray the inside of the grips again before sloping grips back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbleweed Posted March 13, 2012 Share Use compressed air to get the grips off. I love aiming at the appie at the bike shop and firing away! Captain Fastbastard Mayhem 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted March 13, 2012 Share I love aiming at the appie at the bike shop and firing away! Bwahahahahaa!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covie Posted March 13, 2012 Share Lots of whats said in this thread is true, the wider the handlebars the more control you will have at the end of the day, but the flipside is that if you do endurance racing it can mess with your seating position and can become a pain in the back litterally over many days spent on the bike That said however, leave the bars its current length your friend might enjoy the little bit of extra control. And if he doesnt well he can always have it cut to size, if it needs to be cut just take it to any LBS they will cut if for free in most cases since it takes about 3 minutes to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvus Posted March 13, 2012 Share I read somewhere that the idea of long stems (90mm+) and narrow handlebars are a legacy brought across from road cycling. If this is true then it's not a matter of engineers and scientists determining that long stems and narrow handlebars are the best. It's actually based on the false assumption that what's good for road bikes must also be good for mountain bikes. But, why should one think this, given that wind resistance is less of a factor in MTB, and that MTB typically has far sharper direction changes and require more control especially on technical terrain? Either way, your friend has nothing to lose by atleast trying out the longer bars. I would however suggest pairing this with a shorter stem. This will also eliminate the change in seating position that covie mentioned. I made this change a while back, and even though my personal experience may not count for much, I can recommend going with wider bars-shorter stem for any style of mountain biking. The bike corners a lot better and it's easier to balance on technical terrain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grebel Posted March 13, 2012 Share I love aiming at the appie at the bike shop and firing away! Haha! stick the nozzle into a cake of soap first (or a potatoe if you are environmentally concious...) Don't point it at his face though (Not unless he is wearing goggles...)!! I served my apprenticeship in a soap factory... "How to amuse yourself with what's at hand..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandui Posted March 13, 2012 Share Use a normal hacksaw to cut the handlebars down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grebel Posted March 13, 2012 Share Wide bars do have their downfalls though... http://i52.tinypic.com/24g7xid.jpg From the sublime to the ridiculous... http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2010/09/13/1284368487374-ta5b1sdldhxu-500-70.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiderX Posted March 13, 2012 Share I can recommend going with wider bars-shorter stem for any style of mountain biking. The bike corners a lot better and it's easier to balance on technical terrain. This is really great advice, wide bars and a short stem will improve the bike's handeling a lot and is the way to go! Also id like to add that if you can, get lock on grips they dont slide around and are very easy to install and remove. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now