I received a set of Humpert "Tour" bars on my bike as a default fitting for testing and handling, since I didn't spec a handlebar -- I have several sets of Uno-Kalloy North Road bars of the type I like, and my n'lock bars with the locking cable inside are made for Brain People Switzerland by Kalloy. This Humpert Tour bar is like a flat bar, but swept back a bit at the grips, much like the Thorn bar Mrs Blance developed, and I found even that bit of sweep made it much more natural to hold, not as good as North Road Bars, which have the ideal angle and rise, but much better than flat bars. I took the Tour bar off and gave it away because it had no rise and the adjustable stem I used then was already at the limit of its upward extension.
Also, my bike is sized on the predicate that I would preserve the upright seating suited to its 68 degree geometry, and preferred by me, by using well-swept bars with a good rise. But many people who like a semi-sporting or even a sporting position on the same frame are extremely enthusiastic about those Tour bars.
This Tour bar has a near Humpert relative called the Moon Bar which has a double flat hoop, the second one shorter so that the grips are single. The idea is that you can attach gear to the second hoop, but it may possibly offer another set of handholds..
A final note: I set my personal ton-up record (truck assisted, so don't get envious) on a Dutch stadssportief (aka comfort bike!) without even taking off the North Road handlebars. But I was riding with a horizontal back, very aerodynamic. How did I do it? My stem was a Gazelle Switch, which is a toollessly adjustable stem offering the usual up-down and curve-around positions but, and this is crucial, also loosens it's grip on the handlebars, so that you can then rotate the bars. (The Kalloy Zoom is a cheap copy, I think.) You do it all by just flipping a single lever; no tools required. For the record attempt I curved the stem downwards, and rotated the bars so the grips were only about 15 degrees, maybe less, off dead vertical, something like the bit of drops where the bottom grips already started their upward turn. This brought my trunk forward and down, as on an extreme road bike. One of the helpers was surprised I hadn't turned over my North Road bars to make pseudo-mustache bars, which with the Gazelle Switch stem would offer an infinity of sporting positions on the bike, even more convincing than my already pretty successful right-way-up North Road/Gazelle Switch combo.
Andre Jute
