Other Handlebars

Velo Orange's Milan bar is so named because it's a great bar for converting an old Italian racing frame with a short top tube. Actually, it's great for converting any frame with a short top tube into a city bike. Folks who like a more aggressive position on a city bike will like it, too. The width is about 570mm and reach is 110mm; there is around 25mm (approximately one inch) of rise. The grips sweep back about 35 degrees, and the grip area is about 170mm long. The clamp area is 25.4mm. The material is polished aluminum alloy. Milan bars work with regular MTB (22.2mm) grips, brakes, shifters, 22.2 inverse brake levers, etc., but not bar-ends.

Remember those great Belleri Porteur bars from France? Of course Belleri is long out of business, but those handlebars are still sought-after. So, Velo-Orange decided to make their own Porteur bars. They are 480mm wide; reach is 140mm. The grip area is about 130mm, and they have about 15mm of rise or drop. The clamp area is 25.4mm. The quality and polishing are very nice. The transition from the grip to the curve on the originals was a bit abrupt; The Velo-Orange version has a gentler transition. The curves on both versions are fuller and, we think, prettier than the somewhat similar Champs Elysées bars used on the old Herse bikes. These bars are available in two tubing diameters, 23.8mm road-sized and 22.2mm mountain bike-sized (clamp area is 25.4mm on both): - 22.2mm diameter (MTB-size) bars accept MTB brake levers and clamp-on shifters. They do not work with bar-end shifters. The only inverse levers that work are Dia Compe levers in the 22.2mm size. - 23.8mm diameter (road-size) bars accept standard inverse brake levers, standard bar end shifters, and 23.8mm city brake levers. In short, anything made for road bars fits. They do not accept MTB levers or shifters.