So long as they would lock in place (at either position), the only problem I can see is what happens to handling when they trasition between the two...

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Some are born to move the world to live their fantasies...

https://triomultisport.com/
http://www.mjolnircycles.com/

 
on the second link i posted, the designer talks a bit about how the prototype handles when switching between the positions.

he also specified that the bars are also spring loaded so they default to the basebar configuration, but have locks for the positions.

-=mte=-

That's a really cool concept. I wonder how it would do aerodynamically. I'm guessing that the basebar disappearing into the aero position would really help.

Those are sick...
Hope he's patented the idea.

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Ryan
Engineer. Duathlete. Roadie. Human.
CAPA Cycling

Check out the rest of his blog. This guy is very smart. His running shoe design is slick and like nothing seen before.

Ahead of the curve for sure.

no matter what position you are riding you'd have the shifters right there.

Wonder if cable routing would interfere with their movement?

Seems like a solution to a problem that doesn't exist to me. Can't see how the aero savings can possibly justify the extra complexity of the thing. Shifting it from one position to another has to take more time and be more error-prone than simply moving your hands. If it offered a significant aero advantage over the current setups, I'd expect to see a lot more pros riding bikes with no basebar, particularly on the flatter courses - as it is, there are only a couple that I'm aware of.

That said, it looks cool, will no doubt be made of carbon and will cost plenty of $$$ so there's certainly a market for it...

cool bar, but i can see another issue: it seems that it would be pretty hard (if not impossible) to adjust the length of the virtual 'extensions' independently of the width of the virtual 'basebar.' if you change one, it's gonna affect the other.

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Where would you want to swim ?

Would this application not be amazing for the track. You could start out in a power position to get up to speed then transform into aero position and finish. No brake lever or shifter needed on the track right. Also pure TT's might be great as well.

while large scale changes would require different width (or length as the case is with this bar) in the basebar configuration, i think in the design he has fine tuning of length built in. stating this from the case of the basebar configuration, if you look at the hand hold areas, there could be some fore/aft adjustment which would effect extension length. Assuming of course that the handhold is in some sort of collar. it could however have some consequences when in the basebar though, as the handhold location would shift there as well. im not sure if the designer thought of this, but its just what i see in the photos.



-=mte=-

So you can shift anywhere but how do you brake (unless it is a fixie)?

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Run like you stole something
Formerly Fueled by ZYM

Ummm...with the brake levers?

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

 
BTW, I took a look at the "designer's forum" linked to in the initially linked blog here:

http://boards.core77.com/...r=asc&highlight=

...and I have to say that 2 things stuck out at me.

1. Slowtwitch was mentioned as THE place to get a feel for the feasibility of the concept :-)
2. Some of those so-called "designers" don't know what the heck they are talking about.

Personally, I think the idea is GREAT and I don't think that some of the folks in that thread above talking about how "unstable" it would be having pivoting elements on the bars realize that the 2 sides are connected by bevel gears in the middle. This means that even when the bars aren't "locked" in either position you'd have steering control since the bars aren't movable independently.

I think I have a new "winter project" to play around with...that idea has a LOT of promise ;-)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Saw a similar setup a few years ago at a local tri - using round basebar and with cut down sti so he had braking and shifting together. He had massive pivots so it was a solid design but could probably be slicker. I was very impressed by his ingenuity though he was having a hard time persuading the bike checker that it was safe.

Cannondale has designed something like this about 15 years ago, would be hard to make it light and rigid.

Good points Tom. The non-independent point especially. If the "release" button was by the tips, you could be riding on the "base bar" position, press the release button and push forward and inward to get into the aero position(spring mechanism against this motion and locking once the two aerobars are in position). When you press the release again, the spring mechanism helps push back into the base bar position. Cool concept.

I think this has huge potential right out of the box as mentioned before for track riders. No shifters or brakes needed. If this guy can get it right with shifters and brakes then I am in for sure.

Still market it to track riders now.

I agree, this is a great concept and would love to see it in play... in my mind though, for it to work and be commercially feasible, they have to find a way to make it with springs only and no latches/buttons/releases, so that it becomes very fluid in its use.

My point was that (with the present designs) you can't have four controls with only 2 places to put them.

OK my mistake, the pictures on the other forum show the brake levels. But there are no shifters....

So it is a good idea but you are getting back to using a $300-500 combined shifter brake lever set different from the standard production configuration that clamps onto a drop bar. That is a bit of a technical hurdle. The best course is probably for the designer to revise his bar end such that existing technology (bar end shifters and brakes) can be applied at the end of 1 bar. Something akin to a hose splitter (y-configuration) would probably be the best bet. However there does not seem to be an elegant solution that can be provided at a reasonable price point.

More challenging I think will be providing the required rigidity in the pursuit bars when they need to pivot. this will require some crafty gearing within the bar which will add weight and make it difficult to run the shift and brake cables anywhere but on the outside of the bar.

to me this seems a much better idea for TT on a fixie than in a tri setup even if they can overcome the rigidity/stability issue.

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Run like you stole something
Formerly Fueled by ZYM

The advent of electronic shifting will greatly assist this concept.

With regards to track use, with the pursuit and time trial events being decided on fractions of seconds, this design would only be adopted if the aerodynamic advantage outweighed any time cost in activating the system.

It certainly shows promise.

I recall a time triallist in the UK who used STI shifters on the ends of the extensions in place of bar end shifters, and brake levers on the bullhorns.

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"Here's how you run a marathon. Step 1: You start running. Step 2: There is no step 2." - Barney (How I Met Your Mother)

I guess my old 8 speed DA Grip Shifters would become more valuable, huh? ;-)

Seriously, one needs to think beyond the current paradigm that both the shifters and the brake levers need to be inserted into the ends of the "extensions". There are alternatives for either control that don't require that.

I don't think that the rigidity issue in the pivots is insurmountable...one just needs to use a large enough diameter pivot.

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Problem solved



-=mte=-