BAR ENDS OR RISER BARS
Why Should I Use Bar Ends?

Today most Mountain Bikers fit bar ends, and you may ask yourself why?
There are a lot of reasons but the five most important ones are:

1. Extra leverage for climbing power
2. Stretched-out position during long rides
3. Hand protection against trees and rocks ( Now I know why!!!)
4. More aerodynamic for the road
5. Additional hand positions for comfort.

The next question is what kind should I buy?

There are many shapes and sizes and lenghts to fit each individual rider's spesific needs.
The minimalist: Short 6 to 8 cm extensions (like Stubby Stix from Control Tech). These are barely enough to wrap mediyum size hands around. So use these if you are interested in carring the minimal amount of weight while still reaping most rewards of more powerful climbing and sprinting. Though they are not very good for hand protection.

The Standard: Straight or curved ends about 10 to 15 cm are the standard size bar ends. This category is the most commen recommeded bar ends and you'll find it made from any possible material from cheap no name aluminium to very pricey composites ( such as Welded titanium extensions from Airborn).
You'll find that these medium sized ends provide a good upper body extension as well as solid grasp and decent hand protection. The price range may vary from as little as R 50.00 up to a few hundred Rand depending on the material and craftmanship. Realisticly the cheap alluminium bar ends are not a bad choice becuase the weight savings between them and the more expensive models are nominal and at least during a catastrophic bar-end-breaking crash won't let you crying crocodile tears back to the bank.

The overkill: These ends are normally 20cm & longer. Some even curve back to your handle bar. These bar ends are really an overkill becuase of the weight factor and tremendous leverage which cause the destuction of your handle bar more easily. So please don't go buythem you'll be sorry forever. Then rather go and buy tribars to rest your arms on.

How to set them up:
1. Remove the ends of your grips with a sharp knive.
2. Slide grips, brake levers and shifter controls in toward the stem about 2 cm
3. Slide the bar end over the exposed handle bar and lightly thighten it
4. saddle up & adjust both bar ends to provide solid platform to lean your seated weight on - about 45 degrees. Adjust them untill you find the right angle for you and tighten.

NOTE: Don't tilt the bars mor ethan 50 degrees upward. This not only makes standing while climbing more stressful on your wrists but also gives a greater risk for abdominal injuries durng a crash should you fly over your handle bars.

Bar end Mistakes:
1. Bar ends are installed straight or towards you.
2. Brake shifts or gear controls  are mounted on the bar ends.
3. The longer the bar end the better. ( Wrong: The medium size is best.)
4. Price reflects function. Cheap models are often just as light as the more expensive models. More expensive models also get damaged more quickly.
5. rips are installed on the bar ends. Most people leave them naked but hey this is a free country...

So there you have it in a nutshell. Bar ends are better for you bike.