Got a strange longing for some drop bar action in my life and love the look of the singular. Can I have a look at how folks have them set up and are there any hydraulic discs for dropbars or is it a case of using the road version of the BB7?

any other suggestions for a monster cross/cyclo cross ish bike would also be welcome (not a massive fan of the surly cross check it just looks a bit duff)

cheers

I want one as well, people will start talking taz about our strange taste in bikes

I guess you’ve found this Tazzy?

Here’s a nice build I saw earlier.

Be careful taz. You will want a road bike next!

Yep looking at those pics confirms I want one, I have a spare set of wheels etc,

no thanks picto, cars scare me! strictly silly bars off road.

same as ringo I have all of a bike except a frame of some description just waiting for me to decide what I’m going to do

Tazzy, can I put myself forward for the “fleet managers” job please? 😀

cheeky bugger, I’ve slimmed the collection down massively!

Just run rc31’s and run whatever tyre up front takes yer fancy. Fattest cross tyre you can it at the back and you are away. Gives you a bit of scope to try out the plan.

The major with a decent tyre up front rolled extremely well.

Hows about a van dessel wtf- nicely understated 😉 and available in the beardedman sale!!

Salsa Fargo? or Vaya if you want a more “gravel road” bike rather than an MTB with drops? Just got a Vaya and the sense of liberation is awesome!

Tazz.
You’re more than welcome to take mine out any time you want.

2011_1105fatskinny0015 by singlespeedstu, on Flickr

cheers stu, but it will then mean I have to give it back or offer you my body to pay for it and I couldn’t handle the rejection

will definitely take you up on the offer though!

Will you love me long time?

BTW My jobs safe for now. 😀

Tazzy, you know something like this is what you really want…

(C’mon Sam, we want a Singular fatbike 🙂 )

Will you love me long time? BTW My jobs safe for now.

POSTED 29 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST
Good news beers on you 🙂

top news stu, I’ll pop that 35T wonky ring in the post for you to play with on the fat bike

I’ve got a shiny middleburn unoesque proto to play at the moment, it looks ace and is 80g lighter than a ring and spider 😀

Cheers tazz, ringo. 8)

I love mine.
I use the MTB version of the BB7’s with Cane Creek Drop-V levers (so there is enough pull). If it gets geared, it’ll be on bar-end shifters, but this one is almost certain to stay as single-speeder.

It’s not a great picture for resolving build details, but nevertheless…

Other options could include say … a Peregrine?
I love mine (etc). 😉

(I did wonder about trying to sneak my Swift in as well, but he’s got Jones Loop bars, so it would have just been too much of a contrivance).

Sam, if you are going to do a fat-bike … where am I going to put it?

Not that I don’t like the Gryphon, but quite frankly the Peregrine is the best looking bike I’ve ever seen.

Peregrine is very nice,56cm out of stock though

I’ve got the road BB7’s on mine. Superb fun 😀

EOS-60D_0055 by GavinBelton, on Flickr

EOS-60D_0056 by GavinBelton, on Flickr

Singular Gryphon by GavinBelton, on Flickr

Uninspiring photo but…

P1020569 by BillyB29, on Flickr

BB7 and Shimano R600 levers on mine

is a 56cm not a bit big anyway for you ringo? you’ve only got little legs

Surly Cross Check a bit duff! What the hell?

Suggesting Orange Fives are for numpties then voicing consideration for a mountain bike with drop bars smacks of someone who doesn’t know how a mountain bike should ride.

smacks of someone who doesn’t know how a mountain bike should ride

yep, that’ll be the 20 odd years of riding mountain bikes in all guises all over the world then 😆

EDIT: i didn’t say they were owned by numpties, i said that they were usually owned by red faced gentlemen of a larger girth who ride slowly around trail centers.

see there is a massive difference between the two statements.

Surly Cross Check a bit duff! What the hell?

I said it looks a bit duff, as in for me, it looks a bit like an orthopaedic shoe. It does a job and does exactly what it was designed to do, but i don’t lust after one or want to be seen using it 😀

Taz I think it would be right size for me, my indy has a 24″ toptube and its perfect, reason I sold my miner was medium was too small and large too big. I really need a play on a gryphon or peregrine

ha tazzy- thats you told!!

You must stop your orange 5 baiting or they’ll open up a 6 pack of gnarr on your sorry ass 😉

or they’ll open up a 6 pack of gnarr ginsters pasties and then biffle in a comedy manner to try to catch on your sorry ass

Peregrine is very nice,56cm out of stock though

I forgot that I had a frame which went off for a studio shoot – can’t precisely recall whether it’s a 53 or 56, but it’s one of the two…

Another bike shot through from a fella in NZ – nice geary build.

whats the reasoning for drop bars off road?

whats the reasoning for drop bars off road?

From drop bar zealot Shiggy.

My research consists of 21 years of riding dropbars off road (since 1985) for everything from XC racing to trials to DH. I have tried many other not-straight bars over the years and test ridden bikes with various straight bars.

Why it works for me:

My wrists, elbows and shoulders are in a position that allows my arm to effectively absorb impacts and reduce shock transmission. With straight bars my joints lock out. Straight bars hurt me. Drops do not.
Because of the mobility of my upper body I can adjust to impacts and maneuver more easily.
Most of my riding is done deep in the hooks of the bars. Impacts and bumps drive the bars into my palms increasing my hold on the bar without needing a vice-like grip. On a straight bar the same impacts try to rip my thumbs off as my hands move forward.
I can easily use one or two fingers on the brake levers with ZERO reduction of grip on the bar or control loss.
I have a greater range of motion in the cockpit. Not locked into one position. More mobility = more able to shift body weight = more control.
Stability, carving and flickablity. I feel like I am riding IN the bike rather than on top of it. Much easier to control.
Flared drops increase comfort and control compared to road drops.
Flared drops have better tree clearance than wide straight bars.
Drops give me a couple of other hand positions for climbing and just cruising on the flats. Not relevant for this discussion.

For off road use drops MUST be setup properly. An off road drop has less reach and less drop than a road bar. It is wider with the ends flared at 10-30 degrees. Made with thicker walled tubing.

A short reach, high rise stem is usually necessary. The hook of the drop should be in about the same position as the grip of any other bar (use the location of your thumb and index finger as the reference point). It does not matter how the hand gets there. Just matters where it is.

Disadvantages for me? Just a couple:

High center section reduces clearance (I do have a full face helmet and a stem pad).
Generally heavier than a straight bar setup
More limited brake choice (though I have no complains with the Avids).
Not a setup for everyone. I do not claim it to be.

Most parts used on mtbs were used in the beginning because they were available.
Swept-back cruiser bars were not strong enough in the late ’70s. BMX bars were too tall. Motorcycle bars were available and strong. Other choices are available now (Jones HBar, On-One Mary) as people realize mtbs are not motos.

Most riders use what they learned with and what is widely available. Rarely do they try anything other than minor variations on the theme.

My personal view pretty much echoes this, though I’d add a couple of things.

– your arms are pulling from a much stronger position – it’s like being on your bar-ends but a position with much more control than bar ends.
– he does mention it but it’s worth repeating – having a wide variety of hand positions which change your body position makes a huge difference to comfort when riding long distances.

That’s fine Sam but your website clearly states (or used to) that your bikes are designed around xc riders and if you huck or ride all-mountain (or whatever it’s called this week) then your bikes are not the bikes you should be riding or buying.

Your views on drop bars off road and bars in general echo this type of thinking.

If you want to ride fast, downhill in the Lakes, Peak and big rocky mountain terrain in general, then drop handlebars, flat narrow handlebars and rigid forks are not the right components to have.

If you ride at Thetford or on the south down you can have these components and ride fast on that chosen terrain.

The italicised section above is not from me, I thought I’d made that clear. My views of my bikes in general (I guess will need to update with the forthcoming Buzzard)is as you say – though I’m not sure how it’s relevant here. I don’t think there are many people who ride ‘all-mountain’ (i.e. big drops, hucks, DH race type stuff) who prefer or use drop bars. However for a lot of people for a lot of their riding they end up finding they like them (and find them capable) for a lot more than they expected. It is one of those (many) things, you really need to try before being able to make a decision.

I have tried I bought a gryphon, for touring and green lane riding. Not for off road riding as I live next to the Peak.

I sold the gryphon as I found the bike a bit dead feeling out of the saddle, long stays I think. But I have continued the experiment with a proto TD-1 as it has 16.5 inch stays which feels a lot livelier on the road, but still maintains it’s green lane ability with bigger tyres on.

Like I say I think where you live and what you terrain ride has a lot to do with the situation.

i’ll try drop bars, one day, when i grow up, til then..

it’s stupid bars made more stupid but running them upside down for me*

the surprisingly battered ride by rOcKeTdOgUk, on Flickr

*sorry sam i know you hate the skinny tyred Swift

Sam if that photoshoot one comes back to you and is shop soiled can I have it at a reduced price 🙂 assuming its,my size

It’s unlikely to be shop soiled Ringo, was literally just pulled out of the box for photos then put back again. And given I have a few folks who are looking for them I’m pretty confident I can sell it at full price!