Since I have my guni26 I have been playing a lot with different handlebar settings.
Because I use it for muni, downhill, cities and roads/bicycle paths, and because this is a 26er (27.5 because of the knard 3") and a “sort of” 42er at the same time, I have to deal with very different and contradictory needs that I can resume like this:
-For hops, downhills and very technical muni, the closer the better.
Issue: a short T bar close to the saddle makes the unicycle less stable when I want to lean forward with both hands on the bars, especially while riding in 2nd gear.
Plus I find it harder to accelerate when I have just shifted in 2nd gear.
-For road, large trails, long distance a longer T-bar lets me hold the bar-ends with both hands and I can lean forward which is stable even in 2nd gear.
Plus I can pull on it more while I am accelerating after I shift up or when riding uphills on uneven floors…
Issue: it is harder and less precise to do hops and not very adapted to a downhill practice I guess
So I presume other geared muni owners who want to ride both muni and other kind of rides, like long distances, have to deal with this kind of dilemma.
I propose to post your own setup here and explain your choice.
My own case:
Few days ago my last set up was this one:
I have tried longer, shorter, higher, lower set up and finished by this one.
It was the better compromise I found until then with this material, not too far away from the saddle so that I can still do hops and ride steep downhills by pulling the brake lever, but not too close so that I can pull on it to accelerate in 2nd gear, but I wasn’t fully happy cause I found that the “both hands on the bar-ends and leaning forward” position was not stable enough in 2nd gear.
I even found it barely doable indeed.
So I removed the bar-ends and put the same long and curved ones that I use on my 36er and I set it close to the saddle.
this is some pics:
As the bar is 20cm long, I can hold it by the part that is close to the saddle to ride some serious downhill and do some hops / rolling hops, but I can also hold it by the further part and it gives me more leverage when riding uphill, over big roots or whatever, and I can pretty well keep my both hands on it while leaning my body forward when I ride a long part in second gear (or in 1st gear as well).
This was the theory.
I tested it today on a 23km loop that contains all sorts of floors and even several short but steep downhills.
It worked pretty well indeed, confirming the “theory”.
The only weird stuff at the beginning was that the closer part of the bar-ends is oriented toward the outside and this is the part I hold while performing the steep downhills (while pulling hard the rim brake lever), or while doing some hops.
The position of my right hand was unusual but it didn’t take much time to adapt.
I wish I could have a pair of “Z” bars that are oriented toward the center both on the close part and the further part of it, but I haven’t.
Concerning the further part, as it is oriented inward, the position of my hands on it (one hand or both) is pretty natural, and it really helps riding in 2nd gear, passing over big roots or stuffs, riding uphill, or simply leaning forward with both elbows against the body.
The only downside for now is the foam protection that won’t last very long as it gets more damaged at each UPD.
Have to find something else, like thick silicone stuffs or so…