I’m a really conservative descender and I hate base bars that have no bend at the end of the bar to brace your hands with.
Just got a Parlee TTiR and the base bar has absolutely straight bar ends.
Got some Sugaru putty and formed pods to give something to brace against. Sugaru comes 3 packages per pack; each “pod” required all 3 packages.
In any case, the base bar now feels very secure while descending; huge improvement!
Thought this might be useful to others.
I am not sure Sugar was really designed to take the sweat, temp change and sun light abuse of that usage and I would be terrified that the Sugaru would suddenly give. At a minimum I would use bar tape to add an extra layer of protection to the glue.
I would suggest a better solution would be to get a profiled mountain bike grip: https://ergonbike.com/en/product-details.html?a=griffe&w=mountain&anr=42410005&s=gpmtb# . This would give you the desired shape as well as increase grip in a much neater package. The grips come in a variety of shapes, lengths and colours and if you get a lock-on style you can secure it so it will never move.
Felt makes grips that do pretty much just that:
They made a big difference for my wife with descending. Should fit most bars. Looks like the white is out of stock but black is available.
I just use bar tape; 2-3 wraps deep at the end and taper down as you move back.
I also upgraded my base-bar for a race with a tricky/long descent.
My approach was to simply wrap the bar-tape around a couple of times at the end.
This effectively created a round bump that made descending feel much securer, but was also generally super comfortable to rest the balm of my hands on top of when riding on the basebar for prolonged time (in training mostly).
How many watts is that costing you?
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I used bar tape over the pods.
Good call on the grips
Felt makes grips that do pretty much just that:
https://feltbicycles.com/...riant=20721958551670
They made a big difference for my wife with descending. Should fit most bars. Looks like the white is out of stock but black is available.
Ah, fantastic! Didn’t know they existed. Just ordered a pair.
Thank you!
I spot pretty much box-profile wheels on that bike. They appear of less depth than the tire even.
Those are the training wheels; Hed Ardennes.
Vanquish’s are en route; can’t wait!
I find it awesome that you made the pods look like little aero-helmets!
Good idea. And additionally it helps to wear cycling gloves.
Black out of stock now also… the ST effect!
Felt makes grips that do pretty much just that:
https://feltbicycles.com/...riant=20721958551670
They made a big difference for my wife with descending. Should fit most bars. Looks like the white is out of stock but black is available.
Had to update this post to say thanks again for the rec - these Felt grips are FANTASTIC! No more stinky bar tape after a few rides in the South Florida humidity. These fit perfectly on the AlphaX base bar and pair nicely with Magura levers.
Where did you get them? Felt is sold out.
Perfect application! I got some, too, but they wouldn’t fit over the SRAM “blips”. My shop cut off the longer section but left the “bullhorns” on. It’s pretty effective.
I also took out my putty-risers and just used a few strips of bar tape to build up a bit of a slope.
Your implementation looks pretty much ideal.
Awesome!
For a little extra grip, I’ve always turned towards athletic tape. It’s kind of tacky and doesn’t hold up to months of sun exposure but it’s cheap and easy to wrap and replace as needed. I’m currently using it with my TT bike in Zwift mode for the winter.
I think I got the last set.
Where did you get them? Felt is sold out.
Felt tri bar grips are back in stock
https://feltbicycles.com/products/tt-tri-brake-hood-wht-spare-parts-bike-spare-part?variant=20721958551670
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Can you send me a pic of this? I have the Felt grips and blip buttons, I’d love to see how this looks for an end product.