I'm building up a Specialized singlecross. Bought it off the classifieds on here for my Dad, but it's too small for him. Conversely it's a bit long for me in the top tube, so I'll be running a short (80mm) stem. The headtube is also plenty high enough for me, even with the stem slammed. I'll basically be using it as a 29er for easy trails rather than any actual cross racing.
With the above in mind, would I be better off using some flared shallow drop bars (i.e. an [url= http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/HBOOMI/on-one-midge-handlebar ]On One Midge[/url], unless there are any others about..?) or a wider flat bar?
Midges are not the most comfy,IMO. Woodchipper are the biz for me,Bell laps a close second,or Nitto dirt drops,or WTB dirt drops,or,or....
Thanks Keef. Would you rather ride any of those offroad than a flat bar though? What are the advantages if you're not racing?
Im a midge fan myself.
Ridden thousands of miles on them.
yes mate,I would,I can't use a flat bar any more (Arthritis in thumb joint,neck,and shoulder injuries...)I'm an old duffer 😉 and just find the Woodchipper uber comfy on my Crossfixi.Also just changed from bull horns to Bell laps on my (cough) road (cough) fix.
make you think you're going faster as well 😉
just realised you're building a Spesh Single cross,that's the same bike as my cross fixi.
tried Midges twice,they are just too short for me,felt like my hands were slipping off the ends of the bars all the time,nasty feeling ! couple of people have said the same to me,but each to their own,eh ?
this is what I had to say about riding off road in drops:
[url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/route-guideride-report-france-tarn-cevennes-big-post-pic-heavy ]
[/url]What became clear (and Im sure Ive read this somewhere else, shiggy's site maybe?) is that descending in drops [Midges] is surprisingly stable and confidence inspiring. Your pivot point around the steerer is obviously a long way forward, akin to say a 180mm+ stem so that as you descend and "compress" forwards, you effectively stiffen up the front end steering, preventing much of the wheel deflection you expect otherwise. You also get "rammed" into the drops giving you a very secure feeling, and in conjunction with the excellent modulation of BB7s I was able to ride just about any descent and many of those would have made me think twice on the HT MTB, but not on the Pomp.
EDIT
,felt like my hands were slipping off the ends of the bars all the time
Ah, we have very different styles then Keef as I rarely ride with my hands on the flat sections of the drops - mainly on the hoods unless descending and then my hands will be at the front of the drop curves covering the brakes.
make you think you're going faster as well
Ha, well, thanks - I like the sound of that!
Have you got a pic of your Singlecross you could post for inspiration please Keef?
Stoner, that's a great write up, ta. Some of those descents and trails look ace! Did you do any jumps on it? That's the main reason I'm erring towards flat bars to be honest, I can't imagine getting air with drops (although I'm sure somewhere there's a vid of Sven Nys that will make me feel inadequate 😆
Air? With Drops? Are you mad?! 🙂
Not a chance - I get giddy on a ladder!
Yes, they are Midges.
They were originally fitted on my Pompino and used on a long tour.
http://pompinos.blogspot.co.uk/
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I shall work on it ! (pic that is,not getting air on a fixed drop bar bike)...
I've cowbells on my Vaya, and love them, I've Woodchippers on my Fargo, and love them too..
I'd say try a few, and see what works best for you..
Stoner, my style is classed as 'old bloke going really slow,who should know better as his age'.... 😳
Mine will definitely not be fixed! I think I'm going to try building it with flat bars to begin with (as I can almost do that for free out the spares bin) and have a go with drops if I decide to do anything daft on it like the SDW or touring.
One more question while I'm here - mini vees? Are they necessary for narrower road rims or will MTB v brakes (with mtb cable pull levers of course) work nicely?
I went through midges, woodchippers and finally settled on Cowbells. The angle of the drop on midge/chippers just didnt suit me at all, the cowbells flare out but stay parallel which suits me much better. Depends what you think you'll like really, best try a few really.