Bike Friday offers a variety of handlebar choices that can generally be fitted to most models according to your riding style and preference.
Certain shifters, e-controllers, brakes, and stem styles may limit compatibility—your personal bike consultant will help guide you to the right combination.
Most models come with bars that split in the center for easy packing into the TravelCase, and most bars can be cut down to suit different shoulder widths.
See component compatibility charts for details.
Flat bars for mountain bike and recreational riding.
Some models come with flat bars un-split for lightness and simplicity. Flat bars accept twist shifters like SRAM Grip Shift or thumb shifters like Shimano RapidFire click shifters.
“H” Bars Bike Friday’s unique design for touring and recreational riding.
Gives 2 hand positions. Many widths. A very popular choice, particularly for the touring models. “H”-style bars accept twist (Grip Shift) or thumb (RapidFire) shifters.
Packalope Bars were invented at Bike Friday to accompany the All-Packa but can be used on a variety of models.
Great multi-position bars, especially for touring on rough terrain. Compatible with Grip Shift and Tapid Fire shifter styles only.
Drop Bars
For road riding and touring. Provides the most hand positions and is available in many standard widths. Drop bars accept bar-end shifters (barcons), STI, or Campagnolo Ergo lever shifters.
Salsa Cowchipper Splittable Drop Bars
Wide, flared drop bars designed for adventure and gravel riding. The flared drops provide extra control on rough terrain and more clearance for bikepacking bags.
Splits in the center for easy packing. Compatible with bar-end shifters (barcons), STI, or Campagnolo Ergo lever shifters.
STI Touring Bars
Another Bike Friday invention, designed to take all kinds of shifters. A combination of the “H”-style bars and bullhorn bars. Specially designed for Shimano STI lever shifters.
Bullhorn bars
Also known as bullhorn stoker bars, this bar is rather like a drop bar with the drops cut off and the bar turned upside down. It is a popular choice for the stoker (rear rider) on our tandems.
Child stoker bars
A special, recreational handlebar with additional extensions for small children. A popular option on tandems.
Stems
The handlebar stem is the tube that connects the handlebars to a bike’s headset, built into the frame.
For custom Bike Fridays stems are sized according to your body measurements or alternatively, to the dimensions of your existing bike if that is what you ask us to do.
There is some choice available although our bike designs work best with the stems we have specified, and would recommend you sticking to that unless you have good reasons to deviate.
A Bike Friday stem can be fixed or adjustable in length. A fixed length stem riser (the vertical tube) saves weight, and most people do not alter the height once it is right. An adjustable stem is heavier but allows the flexibility of having different riders or riding positions.
Apart from stem adjustability there are three types of stem design:
* Quill Used on the basic models, this is a heavier, traditional stem which inserts into the stem riser and is tightened down by a top bolt. Adjustable.
* Aheadset-style The new standard, a clamp-on stem seen on most standard bicycles in bike shops these days. Generally found on the lighter, higher-end designs of the all-around models like the New World Tourist, Crusoe and Pocket Llama. Unsplit drop bars can work with this stem too. Fixed and adjustable riser available.(Fixed required on front suspension models)
* Bike Friday Custom Adjustable stem A Bike Friday innovation that supports all handlebar types. It is a curved stem riser that looks rather like the neck of a swan. The extent of forward curve provides the level of extension required. Generally found on drop-bar road models like the Pocket Rocket, Pocket Rocket Pro and Air Friday.
* Custom Ultralight stem This style of stem is custom-made by the same hands that procure the Custom Adjustable stem and is equally compatible with all handlebar types. From a distance, they can be a bit difficult to tell apart from each other visually. But by using different tubing and making the stem fixed rather than adjustable, we can make a stem that is nearly a half-pound lighter and yet noticeably stiffer. This is the stem for the high-performance-minded cyclist and it ensures a perfect fit. This comes standard on the Pocket Rocket Pro, and Air Friday. It’s available as an upgrade on the Pocket Rocket, and other models.
The process to attain your new stem starts by supplying you with a “fit stem,” which allows you to adjust it for both rise and reach. You ride it for 30 days, get it set up where you like and send it back to us in a provided pre-paid FedEx box. We then use it as a template to make your new stem and send it back to you at no additional charge. This program is currently available only in North America, but if you live in another locale, please inquire. Maynard Hershon likes it!