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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.
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Worked for Mr Tomac.
You just need John Tomac riding it.
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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 🙂
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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...
[i]brake levers are further round the bar[/i]
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 [i]top[/i] 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 [i]were[/i] 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:
[url= http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2093/2505996977_e3f639df96_d.jp g" target="_blank">
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.
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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 [i]are[/i] 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.
Any reason why you don't want to fit 'proper' wide and shallow cross drop bars?
The lack of flare means it's harder to climb or ride technical stuff in the drops.
Fair enough. It's quite a specific position though isn't it. I geuss you ride most of the time in the drop looking at the tape.
Know what you mean about flare though. My bling bars went onto the hack and I've put my heavy old Bell Laps on my race crosser and it gives me more time in the drops. Oddly I've never seen another racer with bell laps.
Edit'
In after season training guise with cage and spacers (Bell Laps fitted)
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I geuss you ride most of the time in the drop looking at the tape.
I spend pretty much 100% of the time in the drops. Flat bars with the same sweep as Midge bars would probably work the same, although I think they would feel subtly different. There are slightly different places on the drops that I hold and these might not work on swept flats.
Think everyone has covered all the points, I used to run a rigid Kona with some WTB drops, worked pretty well except on really steep stuff where it got a bit sketchy.
Google Jaquie Phelan - she has been riding drop bars on mtb pretty much since mtbs were invented, by her husband and a few other people in marin County.
[Just for the record in case anyone else comes upon this thread.]
Great for going up hills or accelerating - the hooks are much better for that kind of thing than risers, which in comparison are a bit rubbish.
Pointed the bars up a bit this morning which helps. Same bar tape (new stuff not yet arrived). But still slipping off the end of the bars just on flat - but bumpy - bridleways.
I also suspect the bars are not quite high enough. Stem is 90x35.
Children are not terribly impressed but who cares what they think?
Try tilting the nose of your saddle up a bit. They way you've got it set up now, you're probably sliding forwards and putting more weight on your hands, which means you're sliding off the hooks. You may need to lower your saddle slightly to compensate for the change in angle. I doubt you need to get the bars any higher.
Not got anything else to add about setup as most things seem to have been covered.
This gives a good view of my setup though.
[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3144/3083218444_afce122168_b.jp g" target="_blank">
and being ridden.
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not much to add really i found bell laps to not flare enough (tho i had the 42cm ones to still comply with 3 peaks bar width rules. They did just ) and the midges have too much flare for me really. Something in the middle would be nice to try. I now just use wide shallow standard road bars.
I found drops ok offroad, especially smoothish singletrack. The Midges below were good except my hands are too fat to be comfy on the drops. Now for sale in the classifieds [url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-midge-bars-1 ]HERE[/url] if anyone wants to give them a go.
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Hmmm
I can only speak from a cross view. It does seem a shame that the traditional hood position is lost with those bars. So surely an idea would to have a very wide shallow bar, but with a dog leg in the flare?
Edit; You wouldn't ba able to reach the lever in the drops would you 😳
oldgit - Member
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.
What I like about them is that I can ride with a looser grip on rough stuff (no suspension) so my wrists don't take a beating.
There is more fore and aft handlebar which helps with weight distribution. It also seems to help me with climbing. When I first tried them I reckoned it was worth a tooth on the back cog.
I think I have worked out why. Try this - hold your hands out in front of you as if you were gripping a drop bar, now rotate your hands as if you are holding a flat bar. You'll see that you would need a wider flat bar to have the same width of hand position.
I don't tape the top of the bar because I never use it.
Possibly a flat bar bent so the handles were in the same place would work - and also allow the use of hydraulic brakes.
It doesn't concern me that none of the top racers are using them because they work for me.
Definitely seem better for going up hills.
They do look daft though (unless you've got a bike designed for it with a longer head tube).
They do look daft though (unless you've got a bike designed for it with a longer head tube).
And shorter toptube.
Just like my gryphon up there^^^^
Yes - the drop bars look good on the gryphon.
I really, really want a Gryphon..
It does seem a shame that the traditional hood position is lost with those bars.
Agreed. That's why I have bell laps on the Pompino.
old set up with midges
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now swapped for a karate monkey
Brant's working on a newer betterer version, the D62 (Luxy): http://www.shedfire.com/2010/04/23/da062-luxy-new-handlebar/
A few additional points;
1. the Midges are noted for having a very short flat section on the drops. This exacerbates any tendency for the hands to slip off the ends.
2. You don't have to lose the 'hoods' position. I ride my hoods regularly, just feels different from on the road/cross bike.
3. A well set-up drop bar mountain bike is a very different beast from a 'cross bike.
4. Tape the bars fully (and in the correct direction with some decent tape) before making any dramatic changes.
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rad to the power of niche 
If you have a read here - http://www.63xc.com/mattc/midge.htm - you'll get loads of advice on setting up a drop bar on an MTB.
Sam, is that you in that pic?
And yes I also thought the point of midges etc was to enable a low position when using gert big wheels.. so makes me wonder about having them witha high rise stem...
Class photo Sam. An expert at work there.
I just don't get why you 'need' flare, I ride stuff fine on std drops on my CX. I find that bar position massively secure and confidence inspiring, you get 'into' the bike and let it batter down just about anything. No need to hang on for dear life, I keep my hands pretty loose and never seem to have an issue with my hands shifting.
Sam, is that you in that pic?
No, it's Jacquie Phelan at SSWC '07 at Aviemore. It was taken by Trina Ritchie (aka Mrs dRj0n), she definitely takes some nice pics.
And yes I also thought the point of midges etc was to enable a low position when using gert big wheels.. so makes me wonder about having them witha high rise stem...
No, that's not really it at all. Most people who prefer to use drop bars off road do so because they like the comfort of the primary hand position, as well as the possibility of multiple others.
I just don't get why you 'need' flare
It's mostly so that your wrists don't hit the bars when you are climbing out of the saddle.
Again, just for the record if anyone else is trying this.
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OK, seems better today. Cinelli cork/gel bar tape, bars angled down less. Saddle moved forward a bit. And no more slipping off the back of the bars! Yeah!
Still not totally convinced drop bars are going to work for me though; feels a bit as though I need either longer arms or a shorter stem. Maybe I'm just too short, being almost at the bottom of the range of heights Sam suggests for this frame.
I should say that aside from struggling with the bars, the bike is lovely to ride. Very happy with it!
EDIT: in case I forget, thanks go to Sam himself, and Roger at Head for the Hills for this bike. Plus a number of people on the classifieds selling me other random bits (including one item which still had the original free packet of sweets and was practically brand new, and another which came with a free waterbottle).
Loooks nice Luke! Let me send you some black headset spacers 🙂
Sam - thanks!
I actually kind of like the silver spacers. They look better in the flesh than they do in the picture.
Cheers!
Luke
I went riding with italspark and Jacquie P in Marin. She was awesome riding on dropped bars.
[i]Salsa Bell Laps are pretty good.[/i]
For sure. These would be my recommedation for offroad riding on drops. They have a little nudge in the drop which stops your hand sliding down the bar and onto the bottom bar. Extremely useful for keeping your hand right on the brakes. I laugh when people slag them off, try some proper rocky descents you errmmm, discenters.
I know it's a different shape bike, but I ride my Peregrine on all kinds of surfaces on a set of Midge's. I use cross-top levers too, which give me options (and it's geared).
I've only ever found things difficult, when I've underbiked myself anyway - by which point the fact I'm on drops has become irrelevant - and 90% of the time I've put myself in that position is because I've had my road tyres on, and not *quite* stayed on the road. I can't recall slipping off the bars tho' ...
If I could find a remote reservoir operated brake levers to fit drops, I'd had a set on my SS too.
Well, there must be something to this 29er drop bar thing.
Went to Brandon Country Park with my eldest son last night. After swapping bikes he thoroughly crushed me on Plumb Buster. Normally it's the other way round.
Saw a badger though, so that made it all right.