I use the Profile Design T2 Wing basebar. Overall, it’s a nice bar. No complaints. However, I’ve noticed that whenever I ride on it (which isn’t very often) I naturally grabe the flat part of the bar before the upturn. It seems like I have to actually reach for the brake levers. So, I’m thinking of trimming the upturns to cure this.
Has anyone done this? If so, do you happen to have any pics of the finished product? Any complications that I should be aware of (regarding the brake levers fitting)?
Thanks.
Steve
I will be cutting down a pair this weekend as I felt I was reaching as well. I was planning on placing large nuts on the bar taped down to use as a cutting guide, and go to town with the dremel. I think my current brake levers will need to be replaced ( too long and overlaps the bar when looking down ), The new PD carbon is shorter so will probably go with them, or grind down and repaint the existing levers.
I’ve got the AlumX base bar, and I think it is te same shape. I never liked the look of the long extensions so the first thing I did was cut them down a bunch. I’ve reiddne them this way for a while and like it,
Interesting.
Did you leave just enough upturn for the levers to seat properly (ie. if you would have trimmed more, would the bend have interfered with installation of the levers)?
I was actually considering cutting off the whole upturn and leaving just the flat section (so the levers would be pointing straight back instead of down & back), but that may be TOO short now that I see the pics of yours. Hmm…
Steve
I kinda picked an arbitrary length, and realized after that I had left enough for the brake 
Also consider the cable inlet that (at least on mine) is pressed into the Al. I think you could skip the ‘internal routing’ for the inch or two that it is worth.
Mostly I stopped there to give my hands a little bit of a barrier not to slip off the bars.
If you end up cutting the whole thing be sure to post pics, as i have always been tempted to do the same.
Will do. Although I’m still hoping that someone’s already done it and will post some pics, so I can see what it turns out like.
Thanks.
Steve
I would not cut the entire upturn off the base bar. If you measure the length of the brake expander bolt and leave at least that much of the upturn, you should be able to move the brake levers close to your natural hand position. The upturn significantly increases the angle between the brake lever and base bar, thus saving the “pull length” of your brakes.
The upturn also give you a better platform to pull on when climbing, it’s rather awkward IMHO to pull on a flat bar.
I hope this helps with your decision. Please post the pics when you finish!
cheers,
antonio
I can’t argue with you (since I haven’t tried it). But, I do find it interesting that most of the high-end base bars are flat and I don’t hear people complaining about these issues.
Steve
I’ve got the same bars and have been thinking about cutting too. The debate that I have been having is exactly the debate that I have read thus far: cut the whole upward bend, or leave a little to lean on.
I’m in no rush to do this as I have about 10 other projects in line before I get out the hacksaw.
Good luck, and I’ll echo the pics request. You could cause a trend on the board.
"But, I do find it interesting that most of the high-end base bars are flat and I don’t hear people complaining about these issues. "
The 2 high end basebars I am thinking about that you may be referring to are the Hed Integrated aerobars
and the Oval Concepts A 900 aerobars
both of which have their own proprietary built-in brake levers. I think this makes a difference as opposed to what you are thinking about doing by cutting the T2 basebar down and then having to use a plug-in type aero brake lever.
Am I on the right track with what you are talking about?
You are, and you’re correct. Are you thinking that maybe their levers do have a higher gain (ie. pull more cable per degree of lever movement)?
How’s the recovery going? Haven’t heard from you in a while.
Steve
The new Easton Attack TT and the Bontrager bars also have no upturn. I am seriously considering getting the easton’s for next season.
Don’t forget that the original base bar brake lever, the DiaCompe 188, was originally a cheapass lever for commuter bikes, designed to be used with a flat bar.
"Don’t forget that the original base bar brake lever, the DiaCompe 188, was originally a cheapass lever for commuter bikes, designed to be used with a flat bar. "
But I don’t think that flat bar had to make any turns with the brake cables either such as what is needed for cowhorns or what we now refer to as basebars.
the point is that the 188’s work fine, maybe even better, without the upturn. Standard road levers would require the upturn at the end, as without it there isn’t enough lever travel. The 188’s don’t require that additional lever travel
Can’t speak to the t2 specifically but I cut a syntace bar so there is no upturn and I love it. I had to give up the internal routing but thats like 2" So long as the bar is still round and stays round for about an inch after the cut you shoud be good. I used a pipe cutter to do mine. Nice smooth cut, just a little de-burring/sanding as the end gets sharp, the tool is less than $10 but I already had one.
On the Profile-design website there is a pic of Normann using a bar that was trimmed all the way to the up turn. Its right on the front page.
www.profile-design.com
Thanks for the clarification. Makes sense now. Would this only apply to the Dia Compe 188s or would it apply to the Profile QS2s as well?
I have a carbon-x which I cut down so the horns are completely flat. While I think they look really good, I do feel like my hands want to slip off sometimes. This is especially prevelant when riding on the trainer where you work up a good sweat (sans the wind to dry you off). If I were to do it again, I would leave a bit of the upturn. If you notice the pictures of the HED and the Oval above, the horn position does have a little bit of an up-swing in it. The new Zipp bar also has this small bump. I have the profile levers and have no issues on reach with them.