Drop bars? Any good off road?

Inspired by threads here and elsewhere about drop bars off-road, I've fitted them to my bike (rigid single-speed, 29").

All is not well though.

I've got Midge bars, a hi-rise stem and Avid BB7s from the classifieds.

They're fine most of the time…. but going down a couple of reasonably bumpy descents I found that my hands started slipping backwards down the bars and away from the brake levers.

Is this normal? Do I just need better bar tape? Or should I just get some proper wide risers?

Have you got any piccies?

h-h-h-h-a-a-a-a-n-n-n-n-g-g-g-g-g-g o-n t-t-t-t-t-ighter.

might get a bit bumpy though.

'proper' drop bars seem to be generally ok off road (other than making speech difficult) as you can wrap your hand aroudn the hoods on the brake levers.

Worked for Mr Tomac.

You just need John Tomac riding it.

Bollocks! 🙂

Riding a Yeti I believe… 🙂

Strange I have never found that on my cross bike – but then my gloves have very grippy palms? Perhaps its a glove thing rather than a tape thing?

Mr Tomac has suspension forks (and a load more actual talent).

On my other rigid bike – which has riser bars – I hold the bars really loosely when descending bumpy stuff, so that I don't get shaken to pieces. Works fine. I can steer, brake and maintain consciousness all at the same time.

Seems like with drop bars I may have to choose two of those three.

(Pictures to follow).

Inspired by threads here and elsewhere about drop bars off-road, I've fitted them to my bike (rigid single-speed, 29").

All is not well though.

Correct.

Hang on a cotton-picking minute…29" wheels, drop bars, rigid forks, off road…er, cyclo-cross anyone? 😉

If you tried that set of manitous now, you wouldn't call em suspension 🙂

Only one side has bar tape on at the moment, but it was the side with the bar tape where I was slipping towards oblivion!

Maybe I'm just inept….

mmmmm lush!

it's quite shiney bar tape – try something a little more 'suede'

My eyes!!!

*fetches bleach*

Whaddya mean tree?

Looks just like your commuter to me.

So, even if I could make it work, I shouldn't ride it as it would be very hazardous having lots of other people laughing themselves stupid and collapsing in front of me?

skateboard grip tape? do you get a nosebleed holding the bars in that stem?

Have you sorted out the saddle angle?

Your bars might be a little high. I have the top of the bars a little lower than my saddle, I think. It also takes a while to get the angle of the bars right so you might need to experiment with that.

The drops on mine point much further down than yours, and my brake levers are further round the bar.

cynic-al – Member
Whaddya mean tree?

Looks just like your commuter to me.

You know the answer to that one…

brake levers are further round the bar

I thought this when I saw the picture, and then I scrolled down and someone who knew what they were talking about thought the same. 🙂

Use proper handlebars designed for off road riding.

Drop bars? Any good off road?(

IMO no, flats/risers are way better, however some still seem to like them, suspect not for the most gnarly of riding.

skateboard grip tape? do you get a nosebleed holding the bars in that stem?

I've now got some cork/gel tape on order from CRC. That might help. Not noticed the nose bleeds.

@miketually – the saddle angle feels fine; I think my photo has a somewhat skewed perspective on it. The tips of the drops are about an inch below the saddle.

When you say further round- do you mean towards or away from the tips?

The tips of the drops are about an inch below the saddle.

That sounds far too high to me; the top of my bars are about level with the saddle.

When you say further round- do you mean towards or away from the tips?

Further from the stem.

I am about to post photos of my drop bar bike. These are not for the faint-hearted. If you've just eaten, look away now.

You were warned…

The bars aren't as high as they look in this shot, but it gives a good viw of the bar angle and lever position:
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This probably best shows the bar height:
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Salsa Bell Laps are pretty good.

Those bars above..how on earth do you ride on the hoods? And is there any real point in having any kind of drop bar if they are going to be higher than the saddle?
Edit; If youre using those bars then I'm not surprised youre slipping as the ends pont downward. Off road you want your hands to fall into the bars.
Imagine hanging from a vertical bar and how hard that would be compared to a horizontal bar.
Edit again! what about TT levers just an idea I'm throwing in?

The bars aren't as high as they look in this shot,

Eh? It's leant against a wall so you can see the height of the bars and saddle relative to the pointing!

What olgit said – they're just like Marys etc with more sweep.

Funnily enough, the only MTB (I use the term loosely) I've tried with drops was also a Singular – Sam's own one, which I think had WTB dirt drops on. It felt surprisingly "right" in the drops – very secure. I suspect if your hands are slipping down the bar, then I would think that it's a bar angle issue – surely you'd end up slipping further forward into the bend?

Anyway, for my riding style and purposes, not something I've a desperate desire to pursue, but each to their own.

Another picture, slightly better angle.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try pointing the tips up a bit more, and some grippier padding.

Just spend a bit of time experimenting with the height and angle of the drops and brake levers. The centre of the stem clamp on my midged Inbred is about an inch above the top of the saddle and the drops point to somewhere above the rear wheel. No problem with slipping off the hooks yet.

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you're all dirty perverts.

why not just get a cx bike? surely it would be a cheaper build for a similar ride?

Those bars above..how on earth do you ride on the hoods?

I don't. I ride in the drops 🙂

And is there any real point in having any kind of drop bar if they are going to be higher than the saddle?

The drops are below the saddle.

Eh? It's leant against a wall so you can see the height of the bars and saddle relative to the pointing!

It's a curved wall… 😉

I must ask and probably offend, but is there any point with those drop bar set ups?
All seem to have loads of stack and rise, and the levers look more than awkward to use. Couldn't you do away with all that and have a set of flats.
And here goes 😐 it looks like the bikes have been set up to fit the bars at all costs.

Turn the bars in the stem (rotate clockwise when looking at the bike from the driveside), try better bar tape. I'm not sure I see the point of those bars though – maes bars have enough "hook" on the bottom that there's no way your hands are going to slide round.

oldgit – the stack and rise is there to try to get the drops at the same height as proper bars. If you had a frame designed for drop bars, it would look a bit more sensible.

The levers, at least to me, don't seem any more or less awkward than regular flat-bar levers.

EDIT: not offended though…

luked2 – you're wrapping your bar tape the wrong way I think. You should wrap from the bottom of the bar towards the centre – that way your weight on the bar has a tendency to flatten the tape rather than rolling it off.

Why: http://twentynineinches.com/2010/03/04/drop-bars-for-off-road-why/