To be honest, when I first saw these handlebars, I thought they looked a bit odd.
I mean, think about it: they extend straight out from the clamp area held by the stem, with just a single back-sweep halfway through. And with no rise, it’s a simple construction. Actually, maybe a bit too simple…
While other handlebars—riser bars, promenade bars, mustache bars, and so on—vie for attention with elaborate bends, curves, and angles, the Little Nick stands out with its solid profile. Honestly, I thought it was just too simple, and therefore a weird set of bars.
But you know, once you actually use them, they become addictively comfortable.
Because they are such simple handlebars, if you mount them on an upward-facing stem, they let you relax and lean back for city riding or an old-school MTB. Conversely, if you set them up with a downward-facing, longer stem, you can achieve a more aggressive position. They really are all-purpose.
One of the reasons they feel so good to ride is this exquisite bending angle. When you sit in the saddle and reach out, the bars fit your hands as if they were made for them.
There is plenty of length in the grip area, so there’s no issue with mounting shifters. If you’re riding a single-speed, it also looks cool to just pop on some long, BMX-style grips.
Beyond the exquisite shape, they pair perfectly with the chromoly steel material they’re made of.
This linear profile creates a rigid and powerful handlebar, while the softness of the chromoly steel dampens the vibrations from the road.
In short, the combination of shape and material results in a handlebar that possesses both suppleness and stiffness.
Besides the chromoly version, there are also aluminum and oversized clamp versions of the Little Nick, which I recommend if you’re pairing them with a more modern bike.
Whether chromoly or aluminum, the shape is so simple that it might be a bit different from recent handlebar trends. However, there’s an ageless appeal packed into these simple bars that have been a staple of the SimWorks lineup since the very beginning.
That was my story about the Little Nick, which I love dearly.
