Anyone using Thorn Touring handlebars

[Andyb1]

I hope to take my Sherpa to India this winter.   I usually ride with almost straight MTB type handlebars (5 degree rake, shortened from their standard length) and bar ends.   This gives me several different hand positions.

To give me more leverage on rougher surfaces I bought a set of Thorn Touring handlebars which are wider and have about a 30 or 40 degree rake - then looked at the Thorn Bible where it says not to use bar ends with these.   Not quite sure why not?  Except that they would point outwards rather than straight ahead.

Does anyone else use Thorn Touring ‘bars - do you use bar ends or do you find one hand position ok?

Thanks
AndyB1

[in4]

I use these on my Nomad and have Ergon GP5s on them. Works great and there are fine tuning options too.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/handlebars/thorn-exp-flat-handlebar-125-deg-318mm-clamp-680mm-black/

[Andyb1]

Thanks in4.  What I have at the moment is similar to what you are using, but I have the simpler Ergon GP2 bar ends.

These are the ones I am going to try:

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/handlebars/thorn-mk2-comfort-handlebars-254mm-clamp-620mm-satin-black/

Rake is much less than I estimated at 18 degrees.  620mm wide.  Very good feedback for comfort.

[julk]

Andyb1,
I use the Mk2 comfort ones you are going to try and find that I don’t need bar ends
I use Ergon GP1 BioKork grips which I find really supportive and comfy so avoiding having to change hand position.
All the best.
Julian

[Andyb1]

Thanks Julk, that is good to know.   What sort of distances have you ridden with them in a day?

I have fitted my ‘bars and on a short ride they seem fine - I am just using some cheapo ebay ergonomic grips which were in my box of bits.  Surprisingly, despite the extra width, it was more difficult getting the bell and speedo positioned due to the bends.  They certainly give a bit more leverage than the flats and the weight of the handlebar bag seemed less noticeable.

On Page 18 on the SJS Bible it says that bar ends will not fit as the straight lengths of these bars are too short.  This might be true of the earlier types of bar ends but I think my Ergon GP2s will just squeeze on if needed.

I need to go for a much longer ride to see how they feel over a distance.

[energyman]

All my bikes have them, next to sliced bread they are the best !

[julk]

Andyb1,
My longer trips were self sufficient camping with full gear, probably limiting me to about 50 miles a day on tarmac usually, allowing time in camp each end and shop as necessary for food/drink. 2 weeks elapsed maximum trip.
I have had other handlebars over the years but I still prefer and use the Mk2 comfort bars - they will see me out…
Julian.

[Andyb1]

Thanks Both for the replies - good to know they are comfortable over longer distances.

[John Saxby]

Andy, a cross-reference from another variant of Life on Two Wheels, one which confirms the comments above: 

I've never used or even held a set of Thorn Touring bars, but a decade-plus ago, when I was spec'ing my Raven, I looked closely at the rise and sweep of the touring bars. They matched almost exactly two motorcycles I had at the time. One was a mid-'80s BMW 800cc touring bike, on which I crossed North America east-to-west and back, and from Ottawa to the Carolinas and back, and covered many other shorter but still demanding distances. The bars were perfect: my criterion of excellence in these matters is that I don't think about them.

The second bike was altogether different: an ex-comp 1957 350cc AJS scrambler, which I restored over a couple of decades, completing it in 2002.  I kitted it out for street use, and used an after-market bar which was (near as I can tell) identical to the Thorn Touring bars.  I chose this bar before I owned the airhead or even knew about Thorn bikes.

All this to say that there's evidently some common knowledge floating around in the two-wheeled ether, which specifies What Bars Work Well for Comfortable Touring.  (Obviously the grips on my two motorcycles differed from the recommendations above.)

Cheers,  John

PS:  I used drop bars on my Raven, and have them on my Mercury Mk 3 as well -- a personal preference, linked to The Headwind Problem. (Not an issue with my BMW, which had a full fairing.  I used the Ajay only for shorter rides.)

[Andyb1]

Thanks for writing John, very interesting.

[francy661]

The wider bars with that big rake might make bar ends feel awkward or even uncomfortable, since they’d stick out more than you'd expect.
As for hand positions, I think the bigger bar width should give you more comfort without needing bar ends, especially on longer rides. But if you really like the extra options from bar ends, you could always try them out and see how it feels.

[in4]

Additionally the bar ends offer more hand protection. As a pianist that’s an important benefit.

[Andyb1]

The Touring bars have felt fine on day rides.   I take the bike to India in a couple of weeks and that will be the real test.  I hope that one ‘perfect’ hand position will be better than two ‘imperfect’ positions (straight bars with bar ends) that I keep having to move between.

I take your point, in4, about the protection of bar ends but if fitted on the Touring bars, as francy said,  they would point outwards and might snag…..on straight bars they obviously point forwards, and the straight bars I have previously used are around 10cm narrower that the Thorn Touring bars.

The other advantage I see with them is that my hands will always be close to the brakes and bell - useful in India!

[Andyb1]

953 miles in India and the Touring bars were great. With cheapo ergo grips I had enough wrist support and my hands were always near the controls and bell.
For rides with a lot of steady cruising I think that a second position for my hands (eg bar ends) would have been needed but on Indian roads and tracks I was constantly changing direction, braking or ringing the bell…. and sometimes all together.
The Sherpa gave no problems and coped with a wide range of conditions - it really is the grand-daddy of the modern gravel bike!