Mandrel-bending handle bars

Jan 30, 2004 3 Replies
M

I'm looking for an elegant solution to what is probably an odd problem with my bicycle. I'm in Houston, and the bike is a hybrid.



Here's the deal -- I was born without a left hand. I have my wrist, but the umbilical cord had wrapped around, just outside my wrist, so that part got cut off from blood flow... Anyway, lately I'm doing the old guy thing & riding for exercise. Now that I'm putting more miles on, the difference in my reach --about 1.5 to 2 inches-- is being felt in my back. I need to make up this difference, so that my shoulders are squared back up. But I don't want a clunky solution of using tape or a riser block....



So far, I've just mis-aligned (cocked) the bars to favor the left side. That's certainly simple & elegant, but is looks & feels wrong -- two guys have even offered to show me how to properly align the handle bars to the front wheel. Sigh.



So, where might I go in Houston to get someone to work with me on mandrel-bending the handlebar, which I figure would be easier & neater than cutting & TIG'ing it. I'm assuming the bars is aluminum -- the bike is a Motobecane hybrid, purchased about a year ago.



Many Thanks,



--M Powell



(I'm cross posting this to Rec.bicycles.misc)


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B

I have seen electrician bend conduit is many ways install machinery in machineshops that I have worked in. Contact an industrial electrician or someone that works with tube bending.

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L

I can't remember what they're called, but I have a pair of extra handles clamped to the ends of my handlebar, used mainly for hard pedalling uphill. (They clamp onto the end of the handlebar and go forward and then in.) I wonder whether one of these, properly positioned, would give you the offset you need. It might be possible to make or modify one to give you a perfect fit. The advantage is you can play with trial and error, without having to tke everything apart each time you want to fine-tune it.

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N

Check a race car fabrication shop, a web search came up with

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They might have tube benders with the necessary mandrels, and also may have 4130 tubing with enough wall thickness and strength to work without bending, like I suspect conduit might.

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