I have reasonably recently bought a UDC 36" Unicycle and am wanting/starting to get into longer rides and im just wondering what exactly the main purpose of handlebars are, do they:
Give you something to put weight on?
Help with steering?
Improve posture?
Look wicked?
Just trying to work out whether it's worth buying one, making one, or making do without, as i haven't really had any problems at all riding without one so far.
Also im not sure about mounting on a seat, i have the seat pretty much slammed cos my legs are not telescopic, so if it bolts on between the seat and seatpost im not sure it’s going to work… There are only pictures of the T7 from above on UDC (at least the AUS one).
Are there any other brands/styles worth looking at? i have heard the T7 is notorious for bending.
Coker makes a handle, here, that attaches to the seatpost. If that still doesn’t let you lower the seat enough, you could find a threadless bicycle stem that fits over the frame and use it instead of the stem they provide. If you did it right, it could just replace the seatpost clamp.
I’m not sure how the Coker handle compares to the T7 though.
Contrary to john, they help my steering. They let my arms get more involved in the steering process and not rely so much on my torso and abs.
Being able to adjust weight is priceless to me on long rides, however you still won’t be able to ride indefinitely.
I love being able to grab the bars on all but the steepest uphills. My theory as to why I like it so much is that it helps me minimize wasted energy in the side to side when grinding up hill. Could just be psycho-sematic though ;). Whatever as long as it helps, right?
They def get a lot of positive comments too.
I have the coker bars. It’s true that they do rub the inner thighs. It hurt alot during the first couple rides but after that, I no longer notice it at all. I def. like that they are adjustable up and down as I find different heights lend themselves to different terrain; low for speed tuck on pretty level terrain, and high for off road.
When my riding buddy built his big pimpin aero handebars he went from being the limiting agent on our long rides with his frequent “taint breaks” to putting me to shame with not only his taintly endurance but the increase in his sustained speed.
I recently bought a t-7 for my nimbus 29er. Since I only ride distance, the t-7 is great addition. I experience no problem doing a free mount and enjoy the looks from the roadies who acknowledge the skill for riding one wheel. I was in a 35 mile ride with two-wheelers climbing hill after hill passing some along the route. I only completed 17.5 miles because my back leg muscles tighten after I stopped riding for five minutes.
Yes, very worth it. Most importantly, they allow me to put my weight into my hands, and off the seat. Second, I think it stops one from “sloshing” left/right when they wave their hands, producing a more stable riding experience, taking less energy, and allowing you to go faster. I also think you can do high speed turns, with the proper lean. I also think it improves my racing posture, pushing me forward and more aerodynamic (anyone who has seen me ride knows what I mean).
Overall, like John, I would dread doing a long ride without one.
gives me something to clamp on to when transporting the uni on a bike rack
allows for easier adjusting of position on the seat
allows you to put some upper body muscle into climbs.
Different people have different opinions on handles. I like mine a bit further away and lower than most. Yes the T7 is known to break at the front plate. There are a few threads on here discussing how to strengthen that part.
If you are new to 36ering you probably have your seat too low and you could fit a handle under your seat, especially with the shorter seat tubes on the Nimbus frames.
If you are indeed to short for a T7 or Coker handlebar to work for you you could rig something up with a stoker stem that clamps to your seat tube.
I am, but my opinion may not be the same as someone else’s. For me, the T7’s neutral height keeps it from being very useful. A higher handle would be useful to pull on for climbing, while a lower handle would allow you to lean some weight on it. But whenever I’ve ridden with a T7 I’ve just kind of had my hands there, but I can’t really lean on it. Still, I’d rather have one of those than no handle at all, without a doubt.
The Coker handle doesn’t bother my legs except at the front, where the bar ends are. I rode with one in a position where my knees were touching it, and I got used to it, but it would probably be too wide for a lot of people I don’t think they intended it for the bar ends to overlap your legs. The two main bars are not very wide, and were never an issue for me. The adjustability of the Coker handle makes it infinitely more useful, to me, as you can set it to fit your own particular riding style. And you can change it later as your style develops.
In addition to what everyone else says (Unless I’ve missed it somewhere in one of the posts), it is also very handy for mounting stuff like lights, cycle computer, gps, bell, brake handle and water bottle. Any of which will help with distance riding.
Plus, if you are touring, it is convenient for tying stuff to as well.
Hey, i’m the lone negative apparently. I do have the KH muni handle, but that isn’t much of a handle, really. I ride a lot of distance, a couple of centuries and many, many 50+ mile rides. I have a schlumpf and I ride 20 mph regularly. I do hold the small handle with both hands to stablize and aid in steering, but I don’t like the bulk or the weight of a larger handle. I like having the same handle set-up as my muni and I am convinced that my coker climbing skills, (speed and endurance) have improved my off-road climbing skills. Plus I think the no handle look is cooler, but that’s just me.
