[Closed] Drop bar karate monkey..

Consider a cyclocross bike perhaps, at least then you know that the bike will ride properly with drops, just a though

I'm sure Mick ( Firestarter) has one... IIRC..

Looks nice, in a weird kinda way.. 8)

It has been done many times.
www.mtbr.com has a good subforum for Surly and pictures crop up there. They have been set up as SSCX'ers or road use commute/race.

I may venture there myself, got a riser bar V brake set up right now, all i need is a new drop bar, V brake hooded levers with cable runs attached and i can swap bar set ups at my lesiure.

At the moment i run SS, if/when my knees decided i need gears then a thumbshifter or rapidfire pod that has a hinged bracket will come into play as well.
I could keep my 40mm stem riser bar set up for off road use, and just unbolt the brake cable at the caliper/v brake, remove riser combo and then just swap to a longer stem, drop bar brake lever set up all pre-cabled.
Why i hear some of you cry out ? i can't have a bike for everything so make what i have fit what i want to do. It can be done.

Ask charlie what year the frames are ! 2011 spec frames have canti studs frame and fork. 2012 spec frames are disc only but the fork is ment to be not as harsh (i reckon the 2011 is why on special)

On-one midge (or similar) bars are the muts nuts. Feels much more in control and natural than full drops. Look so wrong feels so right.

I've got one in the garage on studded tyres for the snow that never came :cry:. Goes back onto WTB pathways at the weekend. Also got some 2in knobblies in the garage for when I want to terrify roadies (once you get a Karate Monkey up to speed they tend to stay there, god bless 29ers).

I built it up with Midge bars and a short 50mm stem. There is also quite a lot of steerer tube showing which would upset the purists on here. I used Midge bars as they give you a nice wide hand hold on the drops when descending off road. As I'm also running V brakes with bar end shifters the wide spread of the bars mean I'm not always banging my knees off the shifters.

I find it a comfy setup. Not the most attractive machine but certainly a bike I can ride all day on any terrain. Mine is based on a 2010 frame. Don't have any pics but what with this thread and the Monstercross one of a few days ago I may have to take some.

Drop handlebars place your wrist in a more natural position which is probably find your carpel tunnel problems don't seem to be an issue on your road bike.

The KM is a great frame. The Cross Check is also very good and in my experience a bit faster on tarmac. It also takes quite wide tyres and is almost as versatile.

I'm just in the process (literally just, off into the garage in a sec to fit the wheels I've just finished building) of building a similar sort of bike. A 'not a CX, not a 29'er, not a MTB' thing, Kona Dew frame, discs, Midge bars, STI's, etc.

I'll take some photos if you want.

I'm interested to see how I get on with the midge bars as I'm still not totally sure how to set them up regards positioning - its my first ever non-MTB bike, so all new to me. Hopefully its going to be a good, strong, comfy commuter bike though.

A bloke from New Zealand Jeff who blogs at Jeff's Bike Blog runs one and has a good write up plus pics (sorry no link i'm rubbish at this stuff )

Big Dave, "get up to speed they tend to stay there" 🙂

Kinda like turbo lag, thats how i would try to describe it, found that out at last years SSUK, get the thing wound up and it would just go, i could back off the power and maintain speed with ease.

However, not being able to find my bike at the start, then being stuck behind 100+ mincers, by the time i wound it up i had to brake/stop/ride over a bikemonger etc etc, nearly killed me all that extra excercise. Was nice when up to speed though.

Got some old aero bars for when i ever get round to drops, bit of fixed wheel time trialling as well 🙂

I run a Kona Big Kahunna with a 6cm stem and Woodchippers, I'd love it to have a 3cm shorter TT but I didn't want to spend on a Gryphon etc (I got it £170 SH).

TBH I think the short stem works well on the descents.

I have a Karate Monkey. Buy one you'll love it. And at an amazing price.........lovely jubbly.........

Surly troll or ogre would work
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrogringo/6596011109/ ]P1080689[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/pedrogringo/ ]PedroGringo[/url], on Flickr

RD - gotta ask, and didnt on the other thread. WTF is that yellow ice cream scoop hangin' off the back of that thing?

On the subject of ogres, here is a nice drop-bar build: http://www.salvagetti.com/2011/12/14/surly-ogre-winterproofd/

A monkey can work with drops, but be prepared to make it shorter with an inline post and hi rise stem.

Salsa Fargo is deigned for drop bars and is incredible.... Great handling bike. The wood Chipper bars are also great.

And I have a demo Fargo if you fancy throwing your leg over one. [url= http://www.charliethebikemonger.com/demo-bikes-14-w.asp ]Demo bikes[/url]

This is why the Fargo woodchipper bars work so well.

i'm just building a 1.9 rigid drop bar mtb at the moment.. will post up pics when it is finished (just waiting on the forks to be delivered).

the spec will be:-

Cannondale Caad5 h/t frame
Exotic carbon 42.5cm rigid fork
One One 45 deg stem with Midge bars (brown tape to match spoon saddle with Cinelli gel inserts at drops)
Tektro RL520 drop-bar levers with Avid BB7 mtn cable discs
Blackspire FR crankset with 34t Uno Veloce unramped chainring
Superstar upper chain device
XTR rear mech with Dura Ace bar end shifter
Sram 9-speed cassette and chain
XT hubs with XC717 disc rims (running tubeless with Joes No-Flat system)
Alligator rotors
Michelin Wild Race'R Advanced tubeless tyres (2.25 front, 2.00 rear)
Carbon seatpost with Spoon saddle

should be quite a giggle when it's done... looking forward to it.