The bar ends aren't exactly crimped shut. The top of the bar has the foam and to keep the bar circular despite having the foam on there, they kind of squish the bar down so the entrance is no longer round. This is how it looks without the bar end plug:

The white stuff you see is the foam, the bent looking thing is the bar and around that is the grip..

I can't find the Titec bar you mentioned anywhere on sale.. I guess it's no longer produced. I did consider the Jones bar.. But I don't think I'd wanna get it without trying it. For now I think I just want something that has a similar profile and dimensions of my current bar.

My commute is very short and easy (20 minute ride). However, I have started riding longer distances (20-30 miles) just for fun. The primary reason I wanted to get different bars was because I wanted the 45nrth Cobrafist pogies for the coming winter and they don't fit on these handlebars because of that bent bar end.

I wasn't exactly looking for more hand positions but maybe I should because my right wrist hurts on the radial side (I feel like it's related to the way I shift gears?) after longer rides. I started riding in late August so I'm pretty new to biking.. and I don't know much. I'll check out some used bike stores and see if they have bars that work for me, thanks for your advice!