Do These Handlebars Make My Seat Look Big?
Finding The Right Size Handlebar
Well, friends, there's an easy way to figure out what size handlebars are the perfect ones for you. Our five step program takes no more than a couple minutes and requires the help of a trustworthy assistant. Alright, let's do this:
- Find a helpful assistant and ask them nicely for their help.
- Sit down in a chair that has no arms and let your arms dangle freely at your side. (Hint: Pretend your arms are the tentacles of a squid that has mastered the art of Zen and give them a gentle, jiggly shake before allowing them to relax at your sides.)
- Now, clear your mind, like a Zen-guru squid, and reach up as though you're gripping your perfectly sized and positioned handlebars.
- Next, have your loyal assistant measure the distance between the knuckles of your middle fingers to get your grip to grip width.
- Finally, have your assistant put a straight object, like a ruler, in your hand and estimate the angle that your straight object makes against the ground.
Now that you have your numbers, find your handlebars on the charts found on our Handlebars product page. Go and assemble your perfect ride!
Three Reasons That A T-Cycle Steering System Will Better Your Ride
It's important to start off with a good base, which is why there's the GlideFlex Folding Stem. The boost your bike's steering system gets from a GlideFlex is unparalleled in today's market*. Other folding stems bend a pair of arms that squeeze on a central pivot to produce friction. This bending yoke design is easy to make, but has numerous drawbacks: poor friction control, uneven feel, sticky adjustments, rapid wear, eventual sloppiness and a silly sounding name. If you've used a floppy, jerky folding folding stem, you know what we're talking about. Our GlideFlex uses a more advanced disk brake parallel squeeze mechanism. When you tighten this stem, precisely machined disks evenly squeeze special thermoplastic (Delrin) friction bushings. Besides sounding way cooler, our design provides a full 5/8" diameter pivot and completely eliminates metal-to-metal contact in the hinge, resulting in a silent ride with low wear that is almost completely unaffected by the weather.
Then there's the Handlebar Mast with Adjustable Handlebar Stem. A mouthful? Try miracle. Many stock handlebar masts are cut, welded, bent, glued or just plain stuck in one position. On top of that, they oftentimes have a fixed handlebar stem. This combination severely limits your opportunity to find the perfect fit. With eight distinct varieties of handlebar masts/stems, T-Cycle is here to liberate those stuck with stock. The possibilities, though, are limitless. Dialing your handlebars in to the perfect height is as easy as sliding the fully adjustable handlebar stem that comes with your T-Cycle Handlebar Mast.
Finally: Handlebars. Some bike companies don't stop at fixed handlebar stems. No, some go so far as to make one single set of handlebars to accompany their products. Common sense dictates that this is completely ridiculous. An economic idea, perhaps, but only providing one size of handlebars would be like a shoe company selling only size of shoes. Now, imagine you're a person who has purchased a pair of these shoes. If they're the only shoes you've ever had, you might believe that blisters and toe cramps were just a price to pay for not walking barefoot. The same is true for handlebars on a bike, especially for those who ride long distances. You may find that your shoulders aren't as sore, that your wrists don't burn, that you don't get off your bike and feel like a stiff-armed zombie anymore. In addition to size, TerraCycle also recognizes that the angle of handlebars can dramatically influence the feel of the grip. We offer four different angles and if your current handlebars aren't the right ones, the difference can be surprisingly delightful.
