What Are Bar Ends For On Mountain Bikes – Why Do We Use It?

Updated on August 18, 2022

Bar ends on mountain bikes used for different reasons just like bar ends increase leverage, decrease the pressure by giving better hand position, boost bodyweight for uphill cycling, enable high speed on level grounds, bike customization purpose and provide a lift for the bike during maintenance and repair.

What are bar ends for on mountain bikes, if this is not clear then we will discuss it further in detail.

As an extension that has gained popularity over the years, bar ends are typically attached to straight handlebars.

They are called climbing horns by some bikers. Some bikers have them fixed permanently to the handlebars.

Early in the 1990s, bar ends rose to popularity until riser bars again took their place, driving bar ends to near oblivion.

Additionally, despite bar ends importance in cycling, their use is restricted in some countries by regulatory authorities due to safety concerns. On the following pages, we will examine safety concerns related to their use.

What Are Bar Ends For On Mountain Bikes – 6 Benefits Of Having It

Bar Ends Increase Leverage

It is always challenging to cycle uphill, and without anything to leverage a pull-up, it feels like uphill work. The bar ends play an important role here. By increasing leverage, they make it easier to ride uphill. By gripping the bar ends, pulling your weight up slightly, and increasing pedal pressure, you can gain a great deal of mechanical advantage.

It is important to note that cycling uphill causes cycling speeds to drop and heart rates to rise. Cycling becomes difficult uphill without handlebars because pedaling is difficult without Steady speed uphill.

Bar Ends Decrease Hand Position

Bar ends serve many purposes beyond simply positioning your hands however you want. Many cyclists report soreness or numbness in their hands after long cycling sessions, especially during competitions. It’s probably due to the pressure on the handlebars. There is a reason for the need for bar ends since bar grips can only minimize pressure to some extent.

Now that your mountain bike has bar ends, your hands are not under a lot of pressure. You can vary the positioning of your hands with them. With them, you can turn your hands 90 degrees, bend your torso forward, stretch your spine, or move your hands diagonally.

Boosts Bodyweight For Uphill Cycling

Cycling uphill isn’t easy, even if it’s something you do routinely. You will want to give up as your heart rate increases and your speed slows down. The situation is made easier by bar ends.

During a ride, reaching for the bar ends makes it easy to lurch your torso forward, increasing the weight on the front wheel.

By shifting the center of gravity forward, riding uphill becomes less strenuous.

The wheels won’t be able to grip the ground without shifting body weight to the front. Imagine how difficult it would be to climb a mountain on a light bicycle, with only handlebars for steering.

High Speed On Level Grounds

Installing bar ends also improves the aerodynamics of a mountain bike. This can be described as a faster getaway, especially on flat trails. Pulling your weight up with the bar ends and pedaling fast results in this kind of motion.

Although it isn’t comparable with the sprint in fast and furious, it is good enough to carry you across long distances. It begins to feel like cruising on a high-speed roadster when you assume a relaxed cycling posture.

Bike Customization Purpose

Some bikers are all about customization when it comes to fitting the bar ends on the handlebars. It’s important to realize that trends can change, even if they’ve become less popular.

The popularity of riser bars has been lost and regained over time. The same applies to bar ends. The fact that they are unique, stylish or trendy might convince you why you should add them to your bike.

Give A Lift while Maintenance And Repair

When repairing a bike, you might want to use bar ends as hooks.

Pick durable bar ends. However, their role will not be limited to this. At the same time, bar ends will prevent delicate bike components from scratching a surface or hitting the ground. Carbon handles are particularly useful for bikes with this feature.

Bar Ends For Mountain Bikes Back Then

A handlebar bar end was a bolt-on extension that attached to your handlebars outside of the grips.

Aluminum, titanium, and even carbon were all used by multiple companies to manufacture bar ends for bikes, especially mountain bikes. While most of the bars protruded forwards, some added extensions to the front and back.

During the 1980s and early 1990s, mountain bikes came standard with bar ends, 71-degree head angles, 640mm flat bars and cantilever brakes.

It is believed that bar ends provide a point of contact for your hands when climbing and increase leverage by engaging more muscles, specifically triceps, shoulders, and latissimus dorsi.

You can also shift your weight forward by moving your hands in front of the bar. Riders may also find their hands more ergonomic to be parallel to the direction of travel.

Shimano, too, embraced bar ends with their XTR remote shifter, which permitted rear shifting while your hands were wrapped around the bar.

The Reason Why The Bar End Loses

In the late 1990s, the internet was real, cell phones were common, and technology of every kind was flooded with money. As bike companies began seriously working on full suspension, riser bars rode that evolutionary tide. As a result spec lists no longer include bar ends.

The singletrack community found bar ends goofy looking, even though a rider could still slip them onto a riser bar.

Further, as bars grew wider, the chances of hooking a bar end on a tree increased, and riders began appreciating being able to use the entire width of the bar rather than having their hands tangled up at the ends.

In addition, a new riding style emerged and the terrain people attempted to conquer became more technical.

Mountain bikes (particularly full suspension ones) made it possible for riders to sit and spin up even challenging climbs as opposed to standing and hammering on the pedals (a common practice among roadies).