Two and a half years ago, I wrote a review of the On-One Mary Bars. In that review, I criticized the width of the On-One Mary bar, stating that they were a bit narrow at 645mm. And, with the extreme bend, the width accentuated the narrowness that much more. I sold those handlebars with a bike, so I had the opportunity to try them out, however, I don't think I would've kept them long before switching back to standard risers.
Transforming (once again) my Leader 510H into an urban/commuter style bike, I decided to go with an alternative handlebar with a pleasant bend. I know I didn't want to go with a Mary bar again (because of the width), so I sought out my options. And, after some internet digging, I came to discover On-One came through again with their Fleegle handlebar for only $21!
The Fleegle appeared to have all the features of Mary, only at a much wider stance of ~720mm - just what I was looking for.
I first impressions were:
- Perfect width - much better than the Mary
- Very cool graphic that indicates the center of the handlebar
- Less extreme bend puts less tension on the elbows and shoulders
- Bends right where I want it
On-One specifications:
- 15 deg back sweep
- 20mm forward offset - to negate the "stem shortening" effect of the big back sweep
- 105mm straight centre section - for clamping lights and stuff on in the middle
- 716.7mm width - designed to be cut down as you wish
Flat out land speed was neutral. The Fleegle bar sits very comfortably roaming around flat sections, but, for obvious reasons, has no aero properties whatsoever. Lifting the front wheel posed no problems to get up-on-top of curbs, so I can't imagine dirt riding with the Fleegle would be problematic. Descending was as fast as it was going to be on the road without drops - however, for a comfortable commute, I wouldn't see this being an issue.
The real impressive feature of this handlebar was standing and mashing hills.
The Leader is set-up 1X8 @ 36T X 11-30 with 29'er wheels, wrapped in 700X35c commute tires, stuffed onto a 26" frame. For some of the steeper climbs, there are sections I had to stand and mash up. Standing up, the hand position felt perfect. To me, this indicates is that the Fleegle would be a great singlespeed handlebar - the bar just about "came alive" when I stood up to climb.
My first impressions of the Fleegle bar is that it is a step up from the Mary bar. In all aspects, from fit, width, feel, and looks, the Fleegle outshines the Mary in all aspects.
Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2013/01/first-impressions-of-on-one-fleegle-bar.html
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