which handlebars are best for your 90s bike? comparison & review

[@X0oSCOTTo0X]

Nitto Albatross 1:12 Suzuki DRZ 400 2:29 Wormbar 4:19 Wald 828/898 5:34 Blygo Moto 7:18 Mothbar 8:52

[@garysprojects]

Thank you g

[@johnbrann75]

Very informative. As I'm getting later in my 60's I've migrated from drops to straight to risers with moderate sweep. The key is to keep riding in as comfortable position as possible and changing the bars is a good way of doing it and not too expensive.

[@garysprojects]

Cheers mate, yep changing the bars is a great to reinvigorate your bike and cycling! Saves the back too haha !

[@jp93309]

Bro spot on ride characteristics of those bars. Whiteboard session worked really well for illustrating the differences.

[@garysprojects]

Thank you man haha I had to think about it for a bit, but it worked out in the end! Cheers

[@toastyrides]

The Moth bars 😍 yaaaas, sound so rad. Love how companies are making some wide, but not too wide, bars with sweep! 👏 ❤

[@garysprojects]

Yessss sooo good!! Def glad they are being made !! 😊😊😊

[@jawjuk]

Great video! Really helps show the shapes of bars from all angles - far better than any pictures. And the nostalgia from the retro v-brake levers was awesome; those M600s take me BACK!

[@garysprojects]

Hell ya glad you found it helpful!! Hahah yes those m600 classic! Cheers !

[@barnfresh3787]

Great Video, brought back a lot of good memories! I started doing custom upright handlebar/comfort seat conversions as far back as the late 70s early 80s, both for customers and just to flip drop bar bikes I'd pick up on the cheap.

[@garysprojects]

hell ya that's awesome! glad to hear it, good times :)

[@paulstrong2210]

I clicked because I was interested in the handlebars, but your stems are somehow better. That Cook Brother's Racing stem is a stunner.

[@garysprojects]

hahah cheers mate, bit of a stem addict myself, got a few others not featured here haha - the cook dog bone is pretty rare! cheers

[@viviennepatterson5950]

Just come back to this video as I’m picking new bars for my bike. Super helpful

[@garysprojects]

Niceee glad it was helpful! Cheers 😊

[@peterharrer3261]

This was a great idea because you have an eye for bars that others overlook, such as the Wald longhorns and motocross bars. And your builds prove that cruiser bars look great and feel great on mtbs and road bikes alike. I've installed them on mine based on your examples. The graph at the end was inspired.

[@garysprojects]

Thank you Peter! Glad it was helpful! Changing the bars definitely influences the way the bike rides, and also a nice way to refresh an old bike 👍

[@Coastal_Cruzer]

Just recently started experimenting with a set of inverted cruiser bars with db levers. It's surprisingly comfy and effective, only complaint is I need much thicker grips

[@garysprojects]

Ahh nice I always wanted to try that but the drop it’s a bit much for me , maybe when I find a tall stem. Cheers!

[@rickbartley9255]

At 70 I’m really enjoying a new set of Albatross shaped bars on my front suspension hybrid.

[@garysprojects]

that is awesome! they are beautiful bars 👍

[@user-es6bo2qn7i]

thanks for the explanation on these different bars. I'm trying out the vo crazy bars on a 80s trek 830 and i like it a lot. not as much backsweep as the losco or albatross, plus forward facing nubbins for a "hoods" position for more aero. theyre 31.8 so im using a quill-to-threadless adapter. riding 21.1 quill bullmoose bars on another '81 schwinn le tour. so fun. i had bought them to try on the trek, but they came in a different quill diameter, that happened to fit the schwinn road bike, and it all worked out.

[@garysprojects]

Nice ! Both those bars around good. Also good to have the different hand position options 👍 cheers !

[@cristiansuarez5711]

Super awesome overview. Keep them coming. I'm trying to bring life into my 94 Stumpjumper

[@garysprojects]

Thanks man I’ll do my best ! Hell ya the stumper will be sick!

[@Charlemagne1367]

Good comparison. Just installed moto style bars, bmx bars actually, with a 9" rise on a 90" trekking bike and tilted a fair amount towards the seat. Looks wacky, but boy is it relaxed. I struggle with shoulder injuries so hoping this will solve it. Now on to electrifying the bike 😁

[@garysprojects]

Awesome dude!! Yep there’s so rule, the only rule is that if you’re happy with it! Enjoy man

[@olid512]

Great video! It's helped me decide what setup to go for on my 90s Marin Bear Valley. I'll be getting something similar to the mothball 👍

[@garysprojects]

@@olid512 cheers my dude ! glad it was helpful

[@cliffe02]

Great video, very informative and just what I have been looking for plus the whiteboard illustrations were excellent, Merci.

[@garysprojects]

Awesome glad it was helpful ! Thank you very much 😊

[@derekhobbs1102]

I have bars similar to the Albatross on my old Shogun, and I found them easier to aero tuck than the straight factory bars.

[@garysprojects]

Ooo nice ! Makes sense I guess the hand position is almost like drop bars but higher

[@lilbtyt7928]

I’ve found 2 of those moto bars for like 20 each at flea markets. I like them and the look.

[@garysprojects]

hell ya dude! thats where its at!

[@Śiśna3633]

This is for people over 50 or even 40 or on the heavy side. Any bar that is wide and high not dropdown is good enough. Change the tire to 1.9" wide and wide saddle with springs, make sure chromoly tubing aluminum rims, total weight should be less than 20lbs. You can do a lot of work out and ride some distance with comfort, no pain in the neck, wrist, and bum. You got some cool bikes.

[@garysprojects]

Cheers mate ! Pain free riding is very enjoyable 👍👍👍

[@ashpunting]

It was good to learn the names of these different styles of handlebars I am a bit of a handlebar Fanatic so I will be saving This video for reference Gary 😀

[@garysprojects]

Hahah another handlebar fanatic just like me!! 😂😂😂 glad I’m not the only one 🤣

[@ashpunting]

@garys.projects yes I am they can make you feel like you're on a different bike just by changing the bars or I might watch a video and I'll change my mind again I have got three bikes so there are lots of changes 🤔

[@ForGlory1]

Thank you for this. Especially the drawn examples.

[@garysprojects]

No worries ! Hope it helped!!

[@BufordDuckworth]

Mine are a bit like the worm but with more sweep and rise. Perfect for upright positioning on my comuter.

[@garysprojects]

nice ! sounds good

[@Sekhmet6697]

An alternative to the Nitto Albatross, which because of being Japanese can be difficult to get a hold of and expensive, are the Soma Oxford, which are an almost exact copy.

[@garysprojects]

Nice ! Thanks for the tip

[@CharlieMetcalf]

Mothbars look AWESOME!

[@garysprojects]

Yesssss looks so good, beautiful shape

[@FinelyChoppedHeaf]

Hitted 'em with the whiteboard Prof. Garry lesson in session

[@garysprojects]

Bout to break out the white board so I can show you the correct way to spell my name 🤣🤣🤣 cheers homie!!

[@Saints66]

Great content - moth bar and stem is pretty wild..

[@garysprojects]

Cheers mate!! Haha yeah they are as wild in real life as they look in the vid ! V cool

[@hammer313]

if you're not sure what metal something is made of, put a strong magnet on it. if the magnet doesn't stick, it's aluminum, if the magnet sticks a little, it's stainless steel, if you can't get the magnet off, it's steel and your handle bars now have a love bump.

[@garysprojects]

that's a great tip thank you !

[@UnhingedHarry]

Fan of the quill adapter by the look of it. I like them too.

[@garysprojects]

Ahhh yeah! Have it on one of the bikes here , cool be able to put bmx stem + moto bars on 👍

[@jamesbigglesworth4677]

What brakes are those? 1:30 I noticed the 3 spots for the levers, what does that adjust?

[@garysprojects]

old shimano servo wave levers , they let you adjust the modulation of the brake

[@jamesbigglesworth4677]

@@garysprojects Thx Gary👍👍👍

[@HoboGardenerBen]

I want fully adjustable handlebars, not any one set shape. I generally prefer the hardtail mtn bike straight bars. But oftentimes the top tube is a bit too long for me and it would be so nice to be able to make that up with adjustable handlebars. I don't know how it could be engineered, seems like it would need a mix of approaches in one thing. I'll go look noq.

[@garysprojects]

you can get ones that fold , but yeah i dont know how strong they are because they habe moving parts

[@HoboGardenerBen]

@garysprojects Good point, me neither

[@cradleofphill]

Thanks again for a great vid, I'm trying to decide what bars to put on my diamondback to set up as a bit of an all-rounder. I like your blygo bars and the bmx stem, I might give that set up a go. This helped alot so thanks again.

[@garysprojects]

Nice man! I think that will be great, works well on my bike! No worries at all, glad I could help, cheers !

[@JohnMFlores]

Thanks for this. Looking for bars for my Gary Fisher Hoo Koo

[@garysprojects]

Hell ya no worries man, what did you decide on ?

[@dcpayne5264]

Hi Gary, great vid. May I ask, what brand are the grips shown on the nitto albatross bars? They look like they have embossed sea creatures on them?

[@garysprojects]

Cheers mate ! They are old profile grips, wwf collab grips !

[@orange-peeler]

@@garysprojects so sick

[@garysprojects]

@@orange-peeler hell ya !

[@djkenny1202]

Worm Bar, Moth Bar, or Maybe Wald 828 will be considered for the MB-1 fun build. I usually get Albatross on my bikes. So comfy, but since it’s mostly going to be a quicker bike that Ill take off road a good portion.. Worm Bar or the others :) Great Job!!

[@garysprojects]

Niceeee all good options! sounds good cheers man!

[@djkenny1202]

@@garysprojects or the Klunker! 😆

[@garysprojects]

@@djkenny1202 🤣🤣🤣

[@Mash3OH3]

I like the cruiser looking bars

[@garysprojects]

Hell ya !!

[@blaketnewman]

Awesome video, v informative 👍🏻 thank you Gary

[@garysprojects]

Thanks dude glad you enjoyed !! Cheers

[@benvg]

Really good vid, been thinking about going to a more relaxed bar than my straight and there's some sweet examples here to look into. Cheers!

[@garysprojects]

No worries man glad you like the vid! Hope it helps you to find something you like!

[@bennettturk3206]

That cooks brothers stem is probably valuable

[@garysprojects]

Def is

[@Koofumhead]

PLEASE!! Gary, can you post the link for the stem that the Wald 828 bars were mounted on. Orange painted frame, 4th on the line up. I want to build a 26" cruiser with it. Please mate?

[@garysprojects]

Hahah I got mine second hand so I don’t have a link it’s a sakae mts100 you can try search on eBay/ fb marketplace etc

[@myvicariouslife4012]

I went with velo orange klunker. I mainly commute and want comfort over rapid response

[@garysprojects]

Ahhh nice, I haven’t tried those yet but they look like they have decent sweep and look strong

[@chrisarnold462]

Hey Gary, what is the front rack on the Diamond back with Blygo bars? Looks sturdy.

[@garysprojects]

It’s a Lekker front rack 👍

[@chrisarnold462]

@@garysprojects Cheers

[@gabemartin234]

Incredibly helpful

[@garysprojects]

I’m glad !

[@whateverthisis3954]

What bars would you recommend with a crust clydesdale fork? Currently running a Fun 3 Bar. Looking to try out something different.

[@garysprojects]

I would try the moto bars if you want something different , because the other bars will feel pretty similar to your fun 3 bar 👍

[@alexmilne966]

Hey, I'm from Melbourne as well, and was wondering how you got these bars in Australia?

[@garysprojects]

Black moto from eBay Wald from eBay Silver moto from fb marketplace Albatross fb martketplace Wormbar & Mothbar from Japan

[@myfreakyvalentine]

Thanks for the guide, Gary 🤘. My question would be- where do you find these bars? Especially the Wormbar?

[@garysprojects]

Ayyy they are from Japan! Check the links in the description of this video or you can dm them via Instagram. Cheers!

[@myfreakyvalentine]

@@garysprojects Oops.. should have checked the links, my bad! Cheers!

[@garysprojects]

@@myfreakyvalentine haha all g!

[@Nilbog-Hunter]

Do you think ESI Silicone grips would work on Motorcross bars such as the Suzuki ones?

[@garysprojects]

Yeah should be same diameter 👍👍👍

[@lukeoverthehill]

Great video helped confirm my decision!

[@garysprojects]

Thank you my dude ! Glad I could help

[@jmdza]

Great video, covered so much detail

[@garysprojects]

Thank you very much !

[@lilbtyt7928]

have you tried the surly corner bars yet? ive kinda been looking at them to keep my brakes...

[@garysprojects]

I haven’t! They look fun though ! You should be able to keep your mtb brakes on all the bars I mention here, only if you goto drop bars you might have to change

[@Prefer2Hibrn8]

hey mate. First time i've seen one of your videos. I did notice something, you sound like an Aussie but you have your front brake on the wrong side?!

[@garysprojects]

Hahah it’s the correct side !

[@Prefer2Hibrn8]

@@garysprojects not in Australia 😉. There are definitely different sides depending on countries, even brand names . Occasionally we’ll get customer’s bikes through like that and it throws you for a six! Even motorbikes are the same, front brake on the right

[@S62Uce]

Hi new to bikes I just picked up a trek 950 with chromoly frame. Will the mothbar fit on my bike?

[@garysprojects]

yes it will fit 👍

[@danielfaucher8063]

I know it depend on many things but the you feel a difference because of the weight between normal bike bar and motocros bar?

[@garysprojects]

Only if you compare a moto bike bike to a very light bar (e.g. albatross) other wise not that much difference. Really depends on material the bar is made out of

[@danielfaucher8063]

@@garysprojects good ! Cuz im looking to buy second hand the same handlebar as you the suzuki one . I really like the style and the hand position . Im juste not sure because of the weight ..

[@garysprojects]

@@danielfaucher8063 nice I think they are about 1kg if I remember right

[@kenlied]

Do the moth bars work with bar end shifters?

[@garysprojects]

I just tired with shimano ones , the end goes in but super tight, you would have to mod / sand them to fit. Maybe other brand with smaller inserts might work

[@kenlied]

@@garysprojects thanks for checking!

[@sertaoexpedicoes]

Very informative. Thanks!

[@garysprojects]

@@sertaoexpedicoes no worries cheers

[@claypipkin]

is the suzuki drz400 mislabeled? I searched for it but only found a dirt bike

[@garysprojects]

It’s Suzuki drz400 oem handlebars , it’s the handlebars that come stock on that dirt bike if that makes sense

[@thinkpadBentnoseTheBlind]

I just yanked a no rise mothbar off a Kona. Is it still called a mothbar if it has no rise at all?

[@garysprojects]

Mothbar is made by magic components, but you can call it whatever you like 😂

[@oreocarlton3343]

6:30 what is that georgeous orange bar?

[@garysprojects]

Wald 828 / 898

[@garysprojects]

The bike is wicked fatchance , did a resto video on it a while back if keen !

[@oreocarlton3343]

@@garysprojects meant to say what is the bike, I somehow missed that resto, its on the watch next, thanks!

[@garysprojects]

@@oreocarlton3343 cheers mate!

[@palashchoudhury5565]

ThankQ

[@ericeschborn1315]

what stem is that with the wald bar?

[@garysprojects]

Sakae mts100

[@uliphotode]

Looks you live somwhere River Blvd, don't you? Greetz from germany. Enjoied your Video.

[@garysprojects]

Cheers mate !!

[@genosackmpls6096]

love the moths!

[@garysprojects]

awww heeeelllll yawwwww

[@DiamondbackAxis]

wormbar! 😍

[@garysprojects]

Ayyyyy nice!! 😊

[@sorinpetrescu7574]

What stem is at 9.30?

[@garysprojects]

It’s a cook bros. racing dog bone stem !

[@MikhaelHausgeist]

Damn they wide... I search some info for long(not extremely, just 40km/~25m but still). Now I ride bullhorns and found that little bit nervous for long rides and it's thinness give me a headache to make the thicker. I've seen Surely handlebar, interested in it, but it is too pricey. There I kind a like Moth handlebar, but it be too wide. I take bullhorn handlebar because more typical MTB handlebar just pissed me off with going through doors and etc. Wish something with 30-45 degree sweep in horizontal plane and which I can push down to around 30 degree on vertical plane. Will appreciate any info even if it be links for forums where I can ask about. Thanks anyway for reading it. 👍

[@garysprojects]

mmm maybe try simworks “get around”” bars or nitto b802 if im understanding you right

[@MikhaelHausgeist]

Actually close enough even if it feels little bit wider that I wish. Really. Thanks.

[@THEBLACKANARCHIST]

Much appreciated 👍

[@garysprojects]

No sweat homie!

[@音姫soundprincess]

those long ass bars look super funky, to at all bad just a lil bit strange for me i guess i'm just used to seeing stock mtb bars

[@garysprojects]

Haha yeah probably need to see em fully set up on a bike that matches it ! Gotta be more comfy than the old 560mm flat bars though 😅😅

[@音姫soundprincess]

@@garysprojects for sure lmaoo

[@jeffreyrule8143]

Thank u.

[@garysprojects]

No worries!

[@AlexanderClark-zv9ne]

great exercise and great for pulling kids in a trailer

[@garysprojects]

Definitely!!

[@zachwalter8556]

Moto/bmx bars are the best bars

[@garysprojects]

Haha yes they are fun !

[@johnsmithers284]

Anything with too much sweep is just too slow, doesn't let me pedal efficiently. For relaxed bikes I go with narrow risers.

[@garysprojects]

Nice man do ya thing!! Narrow bars are also good for traffic

[@Wana-i9z]

love wide handlebar, great vdo.

[@garysprojects]

Thank you my dude! Wide bars are fun!

[@Паша-б6д]

Video bravo

[@garysprojects]

Thank you !

[@Паша-б6д]

@@garysprojects 👍

[@mutos82]

Have you ever try to bend a handlebar yourself to change any dimension of it?

[@garysprojects]

Not purposely haha! Only bent them when I rode too hard :/

[@geraldarcuri9307]

NONE of the available options in handlebars can make a claim to being ergonomically correct, especially not the sweeps. I cannot understand this. How difficult can this be? Sit on a bike, stretch your arms out to a comfortable position, and look at the natural alignment of the wrists. It is NOT the same as the angle of any of these bars where a rider's hands normally rest. At least in the case of a straight bar, a resting position for the hands is essentially horizontal, but a lot of weight winds up being placed on a bent wrist. An ergonomic bar would sweep back gradually, and then turn slightly outward again to meet the natural resting angle of the wrist. Currently available sweeps do not do that. And, as a result, they are not optimally comfortable, and they steer like a boat tiller. I could design a better bar in an afternoon. That bar would align with the wrist while not over loading that joint.

[@garysprojects]

I would like to try the bar you described to see if worked or not , sounds interesting

[@arden0]

🤜-----m-----🤛Magic Components is killing it right now, Worm and Moth bars look 🤌The Moth is an Albatross that likes to shred! I just started riding a set of Wald 8038 bars and they feel pretty great, really similar to the worm bar and super cheap, just hope I don't bend 'em. Thanks Gary!

[@garysprojects]

Awesome mate glad you were able to find something similar !! Yes they are !! Glad they are making great stuff for old mtbs!! Def a need for it in my eyes 😂