Jones H-Bar Loop Handlebar | 6 Month Review & Opinion
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- Here's my opinion on the Jones H-Bar Loop after 6 months of riding everything from super technical single track to a nearly 300 mile bikepacking route. The Jones bars with SupaCaz tape and ESI grips protected my hands and palms on long rides but also felt a little out of the ordinary on technical trails. Watch for my full opinion and let me know how they are for you!
After a few more races (including the Vermont Super 8, video on channel) and a bunch of additional rides since making this video I still stand with my initial review! Great for long rides but I still dont like them as much on technical terrain.
Nice review. Thanks for sharing. Outstanding shirt, BTW.
music is too loud.
I ride 20-30 miles a day and my hands go numb on my mtb flat bar even with ergo grips on my commuter gravel bike. I’m still gonna get these been looking at them for a while and I do century rides and multiple events every year so I think I will give these a try I’m not too concerned with extra weight they add everyone I know that uses the h loop had nothing but good things to say, and honestly at the end of the day it’s just an opinion which could be the opposite of what is said here and is equal, and all preference and I am stoked to buy one and form my own opinion thank you 🤙🏽
Like you said, everyone's preference is different. Hopefully they work well for you!
I have the Jones H-Loop bar on a Lynskey Backroad frame that I built more for a commuter, gravel, and all-round bike than for touring. I like the swept back bars and am comfortable on them when in the position where the shifters and brakes are attached like Ryan demonstrated However, the bends in both front and back parts of the "loop" make holding the bars there awkward and uncomfortable, and there is only a small sectrion in the middle of each that is straight, so the result is there aren't really very many hand positions that work other than either close to the shifters or farther back toward the ends of the bars. Also, even though there are some options available, in general you can't use a regular handlebar bag on them. Jones makes a small bag that fits inside the H-loop and attaches to both the front and back bar (Revelate makes one too). It's helpful to carry a few small things things like a phone and snacks but it essentially eliminates use of the rear bar for hand positions other than laying your hand flat across the top of the bag. So, for me the Jones bar doesn't live up to it's billing as far as hand positions are concerned. I'm planning to try a Velo Orange Crazy bar next (waiting for it to be available again) and I think it will be a better version of what the Jones bar is advertised to be.
I agree that it does have an interesting feel to it. I know what you mean about the bends making it feel a little awkward but just to move my hands around I didnt mind it too much. That being said I think any part of a bike, especially those parts that see direct human contact (handlebars, grips, saddle, pedals and shoes) are very personal as everyone has a different body shape and feel. That being said I would be very interested to hear how the Velo Orange Crazy bars go once you get them!
In terms of bags, that was certainly another issue I ran into running these bars for bikepacking. As you mentioned Jones makes a small bag or two and a few other companies as well but last year most items were out of stock with long lead times. I haven't run a bag on these bars yet and agree that using a bag would most likely eliminate the hand positions which is the whole point of this funny looking bar!
@@RyanSarka Thanks for the reply. I'll definitely let you know how the Crazy Bars work when I get them. I checked and VO expects them to be back in stock in January. Another I'd like to try is the Koga Denham Bar. It's s almost identical to the Crazy Bar but without the rise. I might even prefer that but it's even harder to get. By the way there is a good review of the Crazy Bars on the Path Less Pedaled channel.
@@jfspurlin1 So many options and the only way to see whats best is to try them. Good luck with both, Im curious to know which you end up liking!
I'm also having problems fitting a large size handle bar bag. (Carridice type with zip/flap top). If you place one between the loops it ends up quite small and not that practical. (Maybe 2-3L max). Id like to use a 10Litre carridice bag but then it can't be top opening due to the loop bar getting in the way. If you attach it to the front of the loop it seems way out in front. Id like to have this style bag as a touring option.
When off road bikepacking I use a harness to carry my sleeping gear and that works well with the Jones Bar.
I have used the Jones Bar for a couple of years now and love it, however the loop does restrict the handle bar bag options.
that's how a review should be. outstanding!
Thanks so much! I hope they work out for you if you chose to buy the handle bars!
Good review. I have a surly krampus that I take on 20 mile rides on some pretty rough stuff so I think I'll keep my flat bar.
At some point I need to try those!
Have new 35 degree backsweep and riser Velo Orange Crazy bar.
Suffer from carpal tunnel and the swept back design really helped a lot with comfort on really long rides plus the bullhorn gives it more variety and aero with hand/body position.
Am also going to try out and get Wren Perseverance bar for my other bike sometime soon.
Im glad to hear that Velo bar is helping! I actually have a friend that has been using the Wren perseverance bar for a few longer rides now and he really like it, I have yet to try it but Im curious!
Great handle bars had my jones loop handle bar for 3 years bikepacking.
Great for me around town long distance every day riding.
Agreed, they are fantastic for long rides and tours. Im happy I started using them.
I have 2 different Jones Bars
Regular Jones bars on the Farley Fat bike
High rise Jones bars on the Yak cargo E-bike
Am older and have had some surgery on the right arm
Jones bars with Ergon grips are perfect for me
Glad to hear they are working out well. I haven’t used the bars with ergon grips but that’s what I use exclusively on my regular mtb handle bars, I’ll have to try them!
Great video. Would like to say, music was a tad loud. Thank you for the review, cheers.
Glad it was helpful! Hopefully they work out for you if you decide to go this route.
Thanks for the feedback, I will be sure to keep volume to a minimum from now on, unfortunately I cannot reduce it after being uploaded.
I went from curvy bars to flat bars to now a Ritchey Kyote with Profile Design Boxer bar ends inside of the brake levers and some cheap bar ends on the outside. This gave me multiple hand position and I've had far less numbness but it's still there. I may give these a go. Why not?
Bars comfort, like saddles are user specific and it takes time to find the right equipment. If that setup is working well thats great! If your looking for other options these do work very well. Good luck!
Thanks
As I am still living the
Explorer this was great
Input
Happy Bike Packing 🚲🤑👀
Same to you !
I have Jones bars on my Jones bike. Once you experience the whole package, there’s no going back.
And the Broadfork Banana Bag is my favorite bag for the Jones bars.
@@watertankhikes One day I hope to ride a Jones bike and really see how it rides! Thanks for the recommendation on the bag, that looks like a nice option. Do you feel like you can still hold onto different parts of the loop with the bag in there while touring? At least on smoother surfaces.
I'm getting those bars in Sunday for my Surly Bridge Club for my bike touring. I have carpal tunnel issues and had surgery on one wrist and want to avoid surgery on the other. My bike has a 100mm stem and wonder if I should shorten it for a more upright riding position.
I think it could help, I am using a 60mm stem. I like the shorter stem especially when holding on to the front and back loop portions of the bar. I hope these help you out!
Glad you’re diggin’ them for longer rides. Question: did you need to use a longer stem with the Jones bar than your regular flat bars? I currently run a 40mm stem with 10° backsweep flat bars on my bikepacking rig. But it seems that with the massive increase in backsweep would require a much linger stem so as not to feel cramped when pedaling in the “normal” position. If you used a longer stem, just curious the difference. Thanks!
Hey! Im still enjoying them, Ive actually been using them more and more on my "typical rides" (15-30 miles) mostly out of laziness not wanting to swap them out but Im always getting more used to them.
I cant answer your question with certainty because my bike is actually a little big on me. I normally ride a L but during the pandemic I could only get an XL; because of this I ride with a short stem and the large back sweep actually puts me in a slightly more upright position that I like.
Assuming your bike fits right out of the gate you may want to lengthen the stem. I do think that would depend on where you normally hold on. For instance if your holding on close to the cross bar you'll be more aero then at the end of the bars. Unfortunately I think the best thing to do would be to give them a try and see whats comfortable for you and your riding style. Sorry this not a concise answer!
MTB's ??? Try them on Commuter/ Touring e-Bikes! Tested: 660mm 2.5's; love them; too much rise; ordered flatties. Verdict: Massive SECURE area for display/ lights/ go-pro/ basket attachment/ Dx1 wireless shifter/ turn signals ...
Not sure why you can't use any grips you like? My full twist throttle and mirror all fit, beautifully. I'm installing a domino throttle on that beautiful, 200mm straight shot.
710's are too wide for City Work - doorways n' such.
Reading the literature I see the bars are NOT for 'hands on the outer grips, JUMP/ MTB/ ENDURO* riding.
I think Mr Jones struggles finding his place for this Cross Tour product. Genius is like that.
His MTB demos confuse the purpose: Cross-country, come what may travel and commute.
Of course I have a mere 100 miles - installing only this week - but setting the tilt to create the perfect position my hands WANT to be in, the sweep is just right.
The stress went to my forearms, a bit tight today. My neck/ trap pain is gone. My hands feel less stressed. I could go on; suffice; verdict: Bars are a bit wide. More leverage takes more force to control. With the added real-estate improvement, considering the comfort - even during/ after yesterday's vigorous 17miler - either improvement ALONE is sufficient to make these bars a "MUST HAVE" for commuter e-bikes, esp higher-end machines and certainly for rugged Cross Tourers. ... or one can buy heavy, steel moloko's.
Jones Manual * "The H-Bar is designed and tested to have the controls positioned just behind the crossbar junction. Riding the H-Bar with the controls farther back, so that the main hand position is at the end of the grip area, subjects the bar to more strain, and is not recommended. The position at the end of the grips is meant for upright riding, and the aggressive, downhill oriented position is farther forward on the grip area.
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Thank YOU Mr Jones, and thank YOU Mr Sarka!
Awesome to hear that these are working so well for you!!! I have not tried them on touring, city or ebikes but I would think they would work very well for that for the things you mentioned. I would think with some more rides your arms will get used to them as well and not be tight. Cheers to the ride!
Great review. Also had reservations due to extra weight with the 2nd cross bar. Gotta say those bugs are crazy loud!
Thanks I hope it was helpful. Haha yes it wasn’t the greatest day to record outside, oh well!
i was tempted but have heard similar things from others, so i'm gonna try the moloko's, thanks man
I hope they work well for you! They are on my list to try as well.
@@RyanSarka thanks man, happy trails
are you change the size of the stem when you switching from flat bar to jones bar ? , ill been using the ones bar for gravel rides and work good but have to change my stem from 50mm to 70mm to feel comfortable
I didnt swap out the stem but I have been using a 60mm with my regular bars and felt comfortable using the 60mm in conjunction with the Jones H-Loop. I think this would mostly depend on your overall bike fit, some would need to change out the stem while others might not. Thanks for watching!
Thanx 4 share, im still considering that jones bar, even I'm not doing any super long riding. That back swept and some of grab variations are just interesting.
Agreed! its certainly nice to rest the hands in different positions, doing that really moves your whole body allowing you to feel better riding.
Have the Jones Bar on my Surly Long Haul Trucker, they're quite a deviation from the typical drop bars on touring bikes, but LOVE them. Lots of hand position options not to mention tons of real estate for doo-dads on your bars. That said, agree with you, for a true trail bike, beating up some single track for a few hours, a traditional "flat" MTB bar is preferred.
Yup, but they certainly are great for those long rides ! Thanks!
OMG I love your t-shirt. Where did you get it?
haha thanks! thats an old one from the Rocky Mountain Endurance Race series
Just go with a wide 46cm ergonomically designed drop bar, the diversity of hand grips is much better and much more comfortable....
I have the Salsa Woodchipper bars and I agree for certain types of rides but for tours that lean mtb and more technical terrain my preference is the Jones. To each their own!
@@RyanSarka agreed, to each there own 🙏
How difficult are they to install?
Not hard, they install into the stem with 4 bolts just like regular handle bars. You can adjust the angle how you wish, the hardest part of the install is if your are wrapping bar tape vs using grips. Still it’s not too bad.
At some point I want a set of the 2.5 rise h bars they look more useful than my Surly Sunrise 38 mil riser set there's a huge price difference between them too tho 😆
Its all preference!
@@RyanSarka yeah and for some of us they are needed I have to be sitting up I have an abdominal hernia and need the higher riser and all the extra mount points are needed since I am going to be adding a bafang mid drive to use it to bike pack
@@heathenshaunt681 these could be a great option then. They seem to be the go to in the Bikepacking community and after using them on a bunch of long rides I see why. Hopefully these or something else meet your needs!
@@RyanSarka I have get a few things before I try these out every review I have saw points towards these for my purpose for sure
Got 2.5s on my 'one bike to do it all' hardtail. Seeming as I'm a party pace rider (love a bit of everything, but not in a hurry) the loop bars are perfect. Comfy, stable, sturdy, variety of grips,... I used to run 'normal' risers but six months of these, I'm converted. I'm never going back. There are cheaper clones of the standard H bars but only Jones offer the riser version.
put a longer stem,cross country mtn bike stuff!
too much muscle memory from starting on the standard mtn bars. Patience
Vs Surly Moloko?
Ive yet to try the Moloko but do hear good things. There are so many different bars now, I need to get my hands on a bunch and get some miles in.
Music and bugs.....
Turn the music off so I can hear what he is saying.
Be careful with how extensively you use those.
Swept back positions put your wrists in a very un-natural position.
Probably ok for a 5 minute ride on a beach cruiser, but definitely not longer.
Ouch!
I thought that at first too but I’ve been very happy with them on 10-300+ miles rides. Generally on easier terrain, I still prefer a normal mtb bar on single track.
@RyanSarka
I was fortunate enough to spend a day with a professional bike fitter in San Tropez, France.
He taught me more than I could've ever imagined, including the physiological aspects of choosing the right (and avoiding the wrong) aspects of a bike.
One thing I clearly remember him saying was to avoid back-sweeping handle bars as they are ergonomically opposite to your wrist's natural positioning and cause damage to your radiocarpal joints.
To explain: He had me hold out my arms directory in front of me in a relaxed position.
As a result, I had a slight bend to my elbow and my hands were angled inward (280° left hand & 80° on the right).
He said "This is the arms' central point."
i took this advice (and much more) back to London and immediately purchased a 460mm flat-bar with a subtle slope.
I then fitted it to my bike with the bar sloped forward (opposite to the normal inward) and slightly down.
This man is an absolute genius!
Not only did my steering, control and overall performance improve exponentially... My entire body felt like it was integrated with my bike regardless of the terrain.
I gained 10 watts in output and about 10km in endurance on road and 6km on trails.
What's more, I now feel so much better after long rides. Stronger too.
For the abovementioned reasons, I will never use a wide (over 500mm) and/or back-swept bar again.
Things I wish I'd known a long time ago...but we don't get the chance to spend the day with a world renowned bike fitter every day now do we...?
@@TenFalconsMusic Thanks for letting me know and giving some additional info on the topic! Thats very interesting, I will absolutely give it a try. It does make sense, its just strange that its opposite of everything on the market. Does anyone make something like you are talking about or do you ride with a bar mounted "backwards"?
I have the great bars myself. Very comfortable. Struggles hearing your voice buried in the annoying 'music' for the first 3 mins 😉