Quietly, I revive a dead blog.

Roughly a year ago, I installed a set of Velo-Orange Porteur bars on my fixie. Prior to that, I had been running a set of Origin-8 bullhorns that I had installed when I originally built the bike. I had not originally planned to run such an aggressive bar on the bike, but I was in the homestretch of the build and I bought what the shop had in stock. Since then I had silently pined for a set swept back bars. When I found the Porteurs in-stock at Portland Velocipede, I snapped them up and I was sure I'd never look back. I installed them with a slightly longer stem than I normally prefer, reasoning that if I put my hands on the bends I'd be in roughly as far forward as the horns on my previous bars, but with the added option of riding upright with my hands further back on the grips. It seemed to be an ideal solution for a troubled back and a craving for vintage aesthetic.

As of this weekend, however, I'm back to the bullhorns. What went wrong with the Porteurs? Honestly, I don't know. I know that I really wanted to like them, and I did like them. What I didn't like is what kind of cyclist they made me. The bullhorns pushed me to challenge myself, they put me in riding positions that encouraged sprinting and leaning into the wind. The Porteurs allowed it, but they made it clear that it was not their purpose. With my hands on the bends of the Porteurs, my wrists extended very uncomfortably with my palms straight down: A passable hand position for some instances, but not one that lends itself to intense riding. And on the grips, comfort abounded but the posture was far too relaxed. I never wanted to get out of my saddle. I found myself riding contentedly at incredibly sluggish speeds, feeling no inspiration from my bike to aspire to anything more.

I rode my bike today for the first time since switching back to bullhorns, and it felt like a completely different machine. I feel pretty secure in my choice. The Porteurs will find a new home soon (in fact I think I have one in mind already), but for my everyday ride, I'm glad to be back on a set of bars that inspires me, that welcomes a style of riding that excites me.