SQLab Innerbarends are exactly what you might think, based on the slightly confusing name — they’re bar ends mounted on inside of your grips, creating an alternative hand position to add comfort on long days in the saddle.
With many riser handlebars offering additional degrees of sweep, placing the alternate hand position closer to the center of the bar makes a lot more sense. Besides the ability to change up ones grip, the inside “elbows in” position created also lends itself to creating a more aerodynamic riding position.
The SQlab Innerbarends are available in three variations. I went with the 411, which seemed to be reasonably priced at $.
Features
- Clamp: 22.2mm
- Material Fiber-reinforced plastic
- Listed weight: 108g
Gravel bikes are popular these days, but we find the riding experience heightened when we can enjoy attacking technical terrain and single track in the midst of a long, multi-surface ride on more traditional flat/riser bar. (paired with an adjustable height seatpost)
On the trail
Bar ends have been around for a while, and when I started riding, I ran them on my XC bike until one day they got hung up on some blackberry bushes and I slammed into the ground. I took them off before the next ride and haven’t run them on rise or flat bars since. (Ok, I did dabble with the Cane Creek Ergo Control bar ends for a minute – I might actually drill them out and try running them like the SQlab 411 at some point down the road) Running a bar end on the inside of the grip isn’t just safer, but it also means you can run your hands at the outside edge of the bars for maximum leverage.
We’ve been experimenting with solutions for achieving an additional hand position for our MTB-to-gravel conversions, ranging from the Jone “H” bar to rise bars with a bit more sweep than normal. Having an additional hand position really does add to the level of comfort while doing longer rides, and the SQlab Innerbarends have been an interesting addition that is our favorite to date. The placement of the bar ends on the inside of the grips offer a hand position that is not so far off the position one’s hands would be if placed on the hoods of an dropbar setup. However, keeping the ergonomics of the flat bar means its still fun negotiating technical terrain and single track.
Our mountain bike to gravel conversions result in what’s essentially a high-end hybrid of mountain biking and gravel riding.
We’ve taken to converting our 29″ XC hardtail mountain bikes into an iteration of the flatbar gravel bike, swapping out 2.1″ XC tires to narrower gravel specific treads. In addition, we’ve changed our front chainrings in order to keep the pace with drop bar bikes during fast paced stretches of pavement. Turns out it works pretty well, and with a quick swap of wheels & tires it’s like having two bikes. (though if I continue to do the wheel swap I do need to find a compromise on an all around chain ring size.)
After trying a number of different alternative grip setups (including the TOGS Flex Thumbgrips, read our review here) The SQLab 411 innerbarends remain my alt grip of choice for multi-surface rides. I find them useful for any style of riding that utilizes a flat or rise bar, whether its XC mountain biking, commuting, or a flat bar gravel bike. Not only can you still access your brake levers while using them, they’re easy to install, light weight and offer a nice alternative riding position. You won’t see me running them on my enduro or all mountain trail bike due to the… shall we say “unique” look, but I find the aesthetic to be “all business” on my XC bike. The basic 411 model will set you back around $40 or so, so if you’re looking for an alternative grip position, they’re certainly worth giving a shot.