Expansion bar for mounting stuff?

[eck]

Possible blinding glimpse of the bleedin' obvious dept: does the extension bar have to be horizontal?

If you canted it up, or down, say about 45 degrees, there would be room ahead of the bars. No? 

[LittleWheelsandBig]

If you don't use additional brake levers, then bin them. People pay lots to reduce bike weight by that much.

[andrew_s]

I think you're talking about Paul Metcalfe's photos, mine are much closer to the stem. It may be that a pair for a narrower bar (or with shims fitted) would be the solution although in fairness I couldn't tell you the last time I used them, other than to stop a wheel turning while I was carrying the bike.

I was indeed. As your levers are mounted on the central clamp section, a new pair with smaller clamps would work, but if you don't use them it's not worthwhile and you may as well just take them off.

[contango]

Never seen the need for either of them to be honest.

If my hands are on the tops then I'm either hauling up a steep hill at walking pace or pootling about slowly.  I'd much rather have the space and less complexity.

OK, update.
 I just took delivery of the Minoura Space Mount SG 400 http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/minoura-space-mount-sg-400-short-extension-prod32043/

First impressions are very good.  A big improvement on my old Minoura Space Bars.  The clamp is a much more elegant solution and takes up 16mm or bar space. 

Will post a photo later today when I've fitted it and when it has some gadgets attached

Any chance you could measure the width and thickness of the part that attaches to the handlebars? That will hopefully let me know if they will fit between the existing levers and the stem, or if I can wiggle the levers along a little without having to take them off completely.

The steerer tube mounted things would mean I'd have to adjust my handlebars - at present I've got less than 27mm of spacers below the stem and I'd rather not raise it. Still in two minds whether to just have the levers taken off completely or add a bar. The bar would be cheaper and looks like it would let me just take the bar off (and thereby take the GPS and light at the same time, rather than faffing disconnecting different things), but adds the possibility of a single failure dropping an expensive GPS and a light into the road at once.

[Greenbank]

If you don't use additional brake levers, then bin them. People pay lots to reduce bike weight by that much.

And if you do use them, get a bike shop to move them further out for you, there's no reason they have to be that close to the stem but (as mentioned above) it's probably a job for a bike shop unless you're happy messing with and shortening brake cable outers.

I used crosstops on my fixed for a while (whilst it still had drop bars), it was much more comfortable for descending where I had to trail a brake to stop my legs from getting ripped off with long periods at >190rpm. Since changed to bullhorns and aero brake levers.

[contango]

If you don't use additional brake levers, then bin them. People pay lots to reduce bike weight by that much.

And if you do use them, get a bike shop to move them further out for you, there's no reason they have to be that close to the stem but (as mentioned above) it's probably a job for a bike shop unless you're happy messing with and shortening brake cable outers.

I used crosstops on my fixed for a while (whilst it still had drop bars), it was much more comfortable for descending where I had to trail a brake to stop my legs from getting ripped off with long periods at >190rpm. Since changed to bullhorns and aero brake levers.

Moving them further out might make a small difference but it seems like a fair chunk of change to spend to get them moved by no more than an inch or so. Any further than that and they'd encroach onto the space I hold on the rare occasions I do use the flats.

I really wish that Thorn extension bar that replaces a couple of spaces on the steerer tube wasn't so thick. It's really hard to see why it needs to be 27mm thick, I'd reckon it should work just fine at half that thickness.