Handlebar extension
I was challenged to produce a handlebar for a girl that was smaller and closer to her body because she liked to support her hand on the bar. The original handlebar was smaller than a normal bike handlebar in diameter so I had to create the correct size brackets to fit the bar and also make them adjustable in length and rotation.
The solution
I produced two brackets out of a steel square tube, these were then drilled through for the correct size and capped off at each end to reduce sharp edges and increase strength. Once this was complete I cut them along the length and fitted riv-nuts in order to increase the thread length, and stop the use of nuts (keeping the sharp edges to a minimum not to catch clothing on). I also made an elbow joint for the handle bar itself with a thread in the end so I could attach a bigger washer to remove any risk of injury from the end of the bar. All open ends of tubes were capped off so fingers couldn’t get caught.
All created from steel or EPDM plastic, painted and handle covered with heat shrink plastic.
The benefit
The little girl will be able to ride a bike for the first time, and hopefully become confident enough to move onto a larger two wheeled bike in the future.
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