An Orange Swan

In a recent post, I talked about some small adjustments that would be made to the Hillborne. One of these is going to be a trial of some different style handlebars. In his current state, Tony looks a bit like a swan, I think.

Oh where, oh where have my handlebars gone?

It's both amusing and a little sad to see him without handlebars. As I've had time to ride this bike over the last several months, I've realized that perhaps the Nitto drops were just not the right style for me on this bicycle. I very rarely use the drops for their intended purpose (on a 20 mile ride, I most often spend less than 1/2 mile using the actual drop portion of the bars, if at all), so I've decided to give mustache bars a go on this bike. I was concerned that longer rides and touring might be difficult with the mustache style, but I've read about some individuals who utilize them for this very purpose. While I realize that reading about something doesn't necessarily make it true, I think it is definitely worth giving them a try in my situation. It took some deliberation and intense research to come to this decision, but I think there will still be enough hand positions for me to move around and avoid the pain and numbness that often occurs for me when riding on flat bar bicycles.

Handlebar tape on his saddle, Tony awaits the new mustache bars
As a side note - I swear, our home is not normally two-tones of paint on a single wall,
but I'm in the midst of a painting project that I've become quite lazy about completing.

I have found that while riding, at least for the most part, I want to keep my hands either on the hoods or on the flat part of the bar, so it just made sense to me to give this a go. I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival and forthcoming addition of the mustache bars to the Hillborne. While he's a bit crippled at the moment, he'll be back to working order within a couple of days, which will be just enough time for our recent snow drop to clear out and allow the two of us a good, long ride together.