Go On, Show Me Your Drop Bar MTBs*

I have a passing interest in dirt drops but most of the bikes they’re on tend to be hideous. Is there a drop bar MTB that doesn’t have a ridiculous stack of spacers under the stem?

And what’s the deal with running drops and suspension forks/ full sus?

Does someone want to get Tomac out of the way early so we can concentrate on more modern bikes…

*any wheel size, I’m not prejudiced…

Here’s me on mine:*

*technically not really true.

Just building mine at the mo,

Singular Swift,
On one midges
Campag centaur.

Can’t wait

Pics when you’re done Shep please.

It seems to me that the biggest hindrance (aside from making the bike look terrible, mostly) is that you can’t run hydraulic brakes without a stem-mounted adaptor. And they’re not widely available yet.

I like the idea of them as I like the hand position on my road bike because it feels more natural.

It’s all academic really as I can’t afford a complete new bike and don’t want to take a punt on swapping over on my MTB just yet.

Wouldn’t it be easier to put a 29er fork on a cx bike and just have cable discs? HT only obviously.

CX / MTB cross over.

Is there a drop bar MTB that doesn’t have a ridiculous stack of spacers under the stem?

Yes, but not this one – my Inbred:
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It was a bit long and low and eventually I swapped to Jones bars instead. Now got the Midges on a Roadrat:

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More of a 29er hybrid than a true mountain bike, but it’s pretty capable, if it’s wheels mainly on the ground stuff:

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2008_05_19_Solitude 001[/url] by miketually[/url], on Flickr

Had Midge bars on my Solitude for a few years. I really liked them, but I currently have flipped Mary bars which look loads better and give a very similar position.

It’s still not a pretty bike, though I think a Salsa fork would fix a lot of the ugliness and it looks better with MTB tyres.

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Solitude – now with flipped Mary bars[/url] by miketually[/url], on Flickr

I have recently been riding a Singular Gryphon which I am liking quite a lot. Whether that is the novelty of the new or a permanent preference I am not sure.

Sadly I have borked my access to the one place I can use from work to host photos so either look on Singular’s site or just engage your fetid imagination 😉

Does this count?

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Singular_brown[/url] by ir_bandito[/url], on Flickr

Bazz, maybe, but what about having sus on it? That’d be my aim – more natural hand position but without sacrificing the comforts I’ve become used too…

Like the Inbred actually, and the Singular Peregrine (is that what that is?)

Looks like you compressed the pics on the Solitude Mike! Too short and tall for my taste.

that road rat is the only pic so far that hasnt made me want to rip out my eyes and stamp on them.

oh the sheer horror

when you’re on the drops and your sus compresses at the bottom of a slope.. well i wouldn’t want it to be me! balance over the front is always the problem when i go downhill on my cx.. and that’s where the brakes are.

Gryphon.

Peregrine.

Not a MTB by any stretch, but kinda just sayin’ the right bike is at least sometimes the one you are on … Condor Fratello.

All on Midge bars, and all Cane-Creek cross-top lever’d too – The Jones bars feel a good alternative to Midge – I can get a great level of comfort from both / each – way more so than on anything else I’ve ridden on (and I’m super picky over bike ergonomics).

Looks like you compressed the pics on the Solitude Mike! Too short and tall for my taste.

In the drops, my feet, arse and hands end up in pretty much the same position as my mid-90s flat-barred Kona.

Mike, I just mean that the pics look a little squashed… 🙂

I thought the whole point of dirt drops was not to be any lower than a straight bar, but to have a more ergonomic position, hence the tall front end, so there shouldn’t be any extra weight over the front end over and above a “normal” setup.

I do like that Peregrine… <counts spare kidneys>

Mike, I just mean that the pics look a little squashed…

It is impossible to take a photo of the bike where it doesn’t look especially odd. In the ‘flesh’ it looks surprisingly normal, especially if I’ve got the big tyres on.

Un-borked the hosting, so (those of a delicate constitution should look away now):

A mate recommended one when I was looking for a commuter sort of thing. I admit my first impression was “bleurgh!” but then I become clown-bike-curious. Priced it up but couldn’t do it.

Met Sam at last year’s Weekender. Tried one around a couple of bits of Lee Quarry. It managed the PT fine, in it’s fashion (note to Mark – it wasn’t a CX you heckled ;-P). It rode over, around and up some stoney bits quite enjoyably. I tapped Sam up and he did me a deal 😎

Other stuff happened including a crank fitting/buying debacle that stopped me getting it built but I finally wrapped the bars and rode it in early June.

I like it and being lucky enough to have a few bikes I like it even more because it’s different (to ride) in a good way. It’s nice that one of the several isn’t just differentiated (if they are at all) by some minor variation on the theme of Long Travel Hardtail.

omg, worst set of photos stw has ever seen… haha

Singular Sam posted a pic of my Ti Gryphon on his Flickr page.

Anyone now how to post the picture on here as i’m loving the bike and want to show it off! 😆

I don’t get it but I’m open to new ideas.

What’s the benefits?

The perfect fire road bike?

Was that Ti Gryphon a one off? And what bars are they?

For pictures, right click over the image, select Properties and then copy the url address address shown in the pop up box. Paste this between the {img}{/img} tags and it should show the picture in your post. The brackets on the tags need to be square ones, not what I’ve typed.

NB: there maybe quicker and easier ways but it’s the only one I know 😎

Billy: as usual it’s easier if you ride one than trying to exxplain it IMO, plus different strokes for different folks and all that. Certainly the Gryphon is sufficiently good (and I’m sufficiently carp) to ride the singletrack around me. It probably wouldn’t be first choice for Stainburn but it’s great for lots of other stuff.

My prototype Gryphon.

Great bike for all sorts of riding.

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2009_0423clent0036[/url] by singlespeedstu[/url], on Flickr

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2008_1102penmachno0026[/url] by singlespeedstu[/url], on Flickr

nedrapier – love that. Looks ace. Makes me want one.

cheers omitn, similar pictures made me want one!

You’ll probably like this too:

This thread has made me a little bit sick in the mouth 😯

Feel free to vomit getony but I have to agree that some of ^^ are definitely function over aesthetics 😉

Redline Monocog 29’er f+f
.

some lovely lookin bikes. SSstu that video is obviously faked as everyone knows that you can’t ride a “trail” on anything other than a 6″ travel skill compensator in full storm trooper attire

I’m currently umming and arrring over a Salsa Fargo… anyone got any experience of them?

You can ride what you like on drops, perhaps not as fast on everything, but probably in more comfort and style 😉

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Mini Monstercross – 650b XS Peregrine[/url] by Singular Cycles[/url], on Flickr

Oh, and here’s the TiGryphon

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Chris’ Ti Gryphon[/url]

Was a one off at this stage, hope to do more in future but I have currently put further Ti work on hold.

that gryphon is lush!

Cheekymonkey: the bars are ragley Luxy bars. Really nice to ride with. Plenty wide enough at the ends and they have a fare bit of flex in them which is nice on long rides. They suit the bike well as it’s being used for some long distance off road touring.

Sam: cheers for posting the pic. Must get back in touch about that hummingbird…

Chris

Ooh dear, I should have gone to bed. Those Singulars look perfect for my commute. Bugger…

Luckily I’m a short-ass and won’t find a 700c-wheeled bike to fit me 🙂

Glad I started this. 🙂

I love that people are looking at the pics despite hating the concept and still being disgusted!

I still want a bit of reassurance on the drops and suspension combo tho…

One from a while back long gone now, but I did race at Trentham on it.

Some ugly things above.

The arm flab wobble in singlespeedstu’s video just made me a little sick in my mouth……..

Ain’t no flab on my arms.

You try riding a rigid bike fast offroad and see what your arms look like. 😉