Reviewed by Kyler George

I’ve been curious about some of the Velo Orange products. Their website claims: “Most cyclists don't race, yet they ride uncomfortable racing bikes and try to go too fast and so miss much of the world around them.” Sounds like something I could relate to. I’ve been wanting to check out some of their gear so I gave their Montmartre handlebar a shot. It’s an upright city bar that doesn’t seem too cruiser-ish and clunky. It’s also super cool looking, narrow and swept back at a 90-degree angle with rise. I installed it on my city bike, a 1972 Raleigh Super Course that currently had flat bars. At first I noticed it sure was upright feeling, good for a relaxed ride around town, not so good to keep up with most people riding a typical road bike. Although, I did find a more aggressive position riding on the flat part by them stem (but no brake lever accessibility made this seem a little sketchy in the city). I had fun with it for a few weeks before trading it for Soma Sparrow bars I figured I’d try. Overall, I thought it was a cool bar that made my bike look awesome but was a little too relaxed for me, as I often leave my house too late for the three minutes it added to my commute to work (sounds a little silly).

I installed the Sparrow bars in the positive rise position (so the logo is upside down) and think they’re great for getting around town. Only one hand position, but it’s the one I want for city riding. Relaxed, but not too relaxed, with the hand position spept back just a bit from the end of the stem and with great brake lever accessibility. For longer road rides I would consider the negative rise position (my touring partner has them installed this way on her touring bike and they look and feel awesome). And these bars come in three different widths, which is super cool. Oh, AND they are bored out at the end to accept bar-end shifters while still accepting MTB levers!