I recently created a post on t bar set ups .I had an opportunity to ride my new t bar set up on my 32. I used the curved bar. I have the straight bar on my 29 with the old metal band grips. I have to say I prefer the metal grips. The p!astic grips that came with the bars upright are uncomfortable to me I have not flipped them yet but holding them upside down feels more comfortable. I’m looking at some mt. Bike bar ends to use instead. Is anyone else using an alternative grip.
I have the Pro bar ends installed on my t-bar, which can be used both ways as well for personal preference:
Of course they were not made for uni’s, but they work well and have a good grip.
But any bar end with the correct mounting diameter could work just as well. For me I feel it’s important to be able to use my brake with my indexfinger without removing or changing grip on the handlebar.
Other people I’ve seen have completely different setups…
These look very similar to the ones that came with the t bar and that I’m using now. Do you have them installed as pictured?
I have gone back and searched older threads on t bar and looked at a lot of pictures. I see alot of bar ends that are not the stock KH bar ends. In particular I’m drawn to ones that are longer and curve in to the center. To me that seem like you can keep the bar tighter to the seat and extend your reach if desired.
I guess what I’m looking for is what are other riders using and why. Also recommendations on brands and where to buy. I got alot of great feed back on the t bar set up thread.
If bike shops are open where you live, go there and put your hands on all bar ends / hand grips they have that should give you a feeling of what you may like, and what not. Since everybody’s hands and grip positions are different, it’s hard to infer from others setups to your preferences.
You can also try different widths of the T bar. Many have cut theirs narrower.
If you like ergonomical bike grips: there are bar ends that are cylindircal 22.2 mm (standard bike handle bar outer diameter). If you find long ones, you can put nearly every normal bike grip on it.
That is true with a few things that are used on unicycles. T-bars were designed for bikes and kind of adapted to uni’s. Same is true for most brake levers that are used on unicycles. If these things were designed from scratch for uni’s they would likely be different.
My road uni has a designed for uni handlebar and brake lever.
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I flipped my Kris Holme rubberized grips that came with my T bar upside down now it feels completely different, more comfortable like a video game controller. I have had to mess around with how far out I am extending the bar and brake placement. I have been able to sit on the uni holding on to a counter to get a feel for placement and pitch but Unfortunately I won’t be able to hop on and ride until the weekend.
As a side note I always wear wrist guards as my livelyhood depends on me not breaking my wrists. Wearing them in itself presents a comfort challenge when using a handle bar, but I have managed for years on my 29er with the older style metal grips and the straight bar.
I deffinatly will visit my local bike shop to try some different style grips. Thanks for the advice.
What do you recommend for wrist guards? Being an older/heavier rider I’m very keen on avoiding injury myself.
The Kris Holm gloves.
I use 187 killer guards. They have saved my wrists more than once. They cost around $20 or so on amazon. One size fits all. I’ve thought of getting the KH gloves but I would really like to try them before I buy them.
Hillbillies! They are gloves with integrated wristguards. I’ve crash tested them numerous times. They give much more protection than the KH gloves.
They come in both half and full finger versions. I’ve only used the half fingers. I believe the wrist guard in the full fingers is substantially more beefy (some say overkill).
Thanks, I’ll see how the Hillbillies work. I’m starting to feel like a knight. Unicycle jousting probably needs to be added to that chart of unicycle disciplines.
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How is gripping the handle with the hillbillies? Looks like this plastic part on the bottom side may be in the way, just with any other skate wrist guard.
They are a bit in the way but it’s not too bad. I’ve used them with the basic plastic handle, standard aluminium bar ends (both bare and wrapped with road bike tape) and the Mad4One saddle handle.
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Hillbilly full fingers have splints on both front and back. (These are probably designed with longboarders in mind but I think the serious guys have metal sliders.) The palm sliders are huge. They were very much appreciated the time I found myself stepping of the 36 at 25 kph and supermanning down a tarred road.
I wear the XL size full finger. I have worn wrist guards with sliders since the first time I rode on a hard surface. Consequently I am used to them. The slider sits up next to the grip and the fingers wrap around. People with smaller or weaker hands might have a problem.
The 187 ,killer guards have the splints also but that’s what saves your wrists and that’s also what makes a handle bar uncomfortable. I don’t think you can have it both ways I’m not sure if the KH has splints.
I like the 187 killers because they are not a glove. In warm weather they are cooler in cold weather I wear gloves under them. They were designed for skate boarders and roller bladers.