Good Grief Bikes' Nice Bar: Review - The Bike

 Note: Guitar Ted purchased the Nice Bar at full retail for personal use and review from Good Grief Bikes. Good Grief Bikes has no input on this review and all opinions are Guitar Ted's.

Yesterday I introduced the Good Grief Bikes' "Nice Bar" handlebar. Today I am going to share with you dear readers how the installation went and what my first ride impressions are. But first, I want to share my intentions for this handlebar and why I wanted to use it with this particular bicycle. 

As I contemplated purchasing the Nice Bars I was struck by how their shape reminded me of a certain "alt bar" made out of titanium that was popular with some early 2000's endurance racers and ultra-MTB folks. That reminded me of the bicycles first used for gravel events in the mid-2000's and up until about 2013-2014. 

It was not uncommon to see mountain bikes, and especially the then new 29 inch wheeled versions of mountain bikes. These bikes, besides their rugged, durable nature, had 700c wheels, good geometry for gravel roads, (not the now current slack angled, long forked type), and early 29"er tires were right about where the now cutting edge widths for rubber are at, or in other words, 45mm - 52mm in width. 

This made me think about my 2003 Karate Monkey and how that bicycle was my first "gravel grinder". What if I tried recreating a "first generation" gravel grinder bike? I could use the Nice Bar as a sort of 'throw-back' to that long out of production "H-Bar" that many riders used back then. My Karate Monkey utilizes several parts that would be considered 'period correct' and has several parts that are actually from the period. So, I decided to start by putting the Nice Bar on the Karate Monkey and use the bike as a flat bar, throw-back gravel bike.  

The 2003 Karate Monkey with the Good Grief Bikes' Nice Bar

To briefly give you an idea here of where this is and will be going, I will give a rundown on the build. This is a first-run 2003 Karate Monkey in Camp Stove Green purchased in March of 2003. I am the original owner. The head set is a Race Face threadless head set from 1996. The stem is a Thomson from the 2000's. The seat post is a Ritchey from the 2000's. The saddle is a Brooks B-17 which I received as a gift from one of this blog's readers, so I don't know the vintage there. The wheels are Shimano XTR rim brake hubs laced to Salsa Delgado Cross rims, circa early 2000's. The bottom bracket is a 1990's era Shimano UN-52. The crank set is a White Industries 180mm crank from around 2010. The chain wheel is a Home Grown Industries circa 2010,(company is defunct) and the pedals are Fyxation Mesa MP's from about ten years ago. The rear cog and spacer set is from Surly and probably around 12 - 15 years old. The tires are more recent, around 2017, and the water bottle cages are 1990's survivors. Brakes are recent Tektro linear pull and the levers are early 2000's Avid levers. Grips are a year old or so rubberized cork. The frame pump is a 1996 Blackburn frame pump. 

So, a lot there is staying. Some will change, but there is a bike that pretty much is representative of what you'd be riding mid-2000's in a gravel event. 

Installation: Back to the handlebar. These went on the bike very much like any other handle bar would. I did note that my brake levers, which were always loose on the slightly undersized Velo Orange Utility Bars, were 'normal' on the Nice Bar. No problems affixing them to the handlebar at all. 

The grips also were normal installation fare. This may seem silly to even point out, but you might be surprised how many times handle bars are not in spec with regard to diameter. 

My test ride showed me that I had things in the ballpark as far as tilt of the extensions and height of the bar overall. The stem length seems close, if not spot on. I suppose this is as good a place as any to address stem length. 

I've seen a lot of assertions to the effect that a swept back handle bar requires a longer stem than you usually would use. To my mind, this is far too simplistic and doesn't account for how a handlebar like this alters your entire approach to riding. First of all, there are so many varying ways to grip a bar like this that approaching the problem by trying to match your standard flat bar grip position is a big mistake. Those extensions reach forward a bit, and you will want to be able to actually use them to ride for miles, if you'd like. So don't get caught up in the traditional knee-jerk reactions when it comes to "alt-bars" because, like it or not, experimentation is going to be necessary to achieve the 'perfect-for-you' riding position. 

So, I may end up with a slightly different stem length, and I may tweak the way the extensions point downward, or maybe use them pointing slightly upward, if that ends up becoming a good feeling way to ride. My goal is to get to a place where I have multiple different hand positions and have the ability to ride hand-pain free for several hours at a crack. 

Ride Impressions: More soon, but right now this handle bar is promising. The ride is not harsh, the angle of my hands on the bar is very agreeable with me, and the handlebar looks great on my Karate Monkey. At least I think it does, so that is all that matters, right?

The extension junction with the center crossbar is a hand hold, hand resting spot, and a place to get a bit skinnier in a headwind. I found that this might be a relaxing place to ride while grinding out longer flat sections or for longer climbs, but I won't know for sure until I can get out into the country for a long ride. 

One thing to note here is that the Nice Bar does not come with handlebar plugs. You'll need grips that cover the ends of the extensions, as mine do, or four plugs of some sort. The plugs go into the ends of the extensions as well as the handlebar ends. Tip: You can fashion great, lightweight, good looking end caps for handlebars from wine bottle corks. Use the real cork ones, not those fake plastic ones. 

Stay tuned....