My opinion on drop bars changed when I tried the Ritchey Beacon bars. Super wide, very large sweep, and a really shallow drop. It was an absolute game changer for me.
@davidross8233
Ай бұрын
The only thing I like about drop bars are the hoods. I never ride in the drops. All my bikes are now alt bars.
@thomashendron4356
Ай бұрын
Look forward to trying the new terrene, have good rides with the Bontrager Hodag on deep dirt powder and loose over hard.
@91722854
4 ай бұрын
the salsa cowchipper has just the right amount of short reach, drop and flare for me that makes technical terrain much easier to control, i would recommend at least 46cm wide and up if ur road bike goes at 42cm wide
@RideYearRound
4 ай бұрын
I've used woodchippers and cowbells, but never the cowchippers. I could see them being a great middle ground between the two though.
@miketatreau2347
4 ай бұрын
My journey seems similar to yours. I really wanted to like the Ritchey Beacon drop bar on my Titanium Salsa Fargo. I got a proper bike fit and I stuck with it for two years. A few months ago, I decided to go back to my Jones H-bar. Even though I have no complaints about the Jones bar, I'm not so sure that I made the right decision.
@RideYearRound
4 ай бұрын
I think it totally depends on your ratio of trails/tech to roads/doubletrack on which is a better choice. Drops are surprisingly fun on harder blue and even easier black trails, but if I’m doing those a lot it can get old and make me wish I had alt flat bars.
@yellowfire9670
4 ай бұрын
I fully agree that being in the drops feels sketchy on steep technical terrain. My solution is to not do it. I feel way more stable and nimble on the hoods. Especially when unweighing the front end. My GRX brakes are plenty strong and easy to pull. I generally only need 1 finger on the brake lever so I have a good grip on the hoods. Probably not for everyone but it works for me. As a note, you don't see cyclocross riders in the drops on similar terrain.
@RideYearRound
4 ай бұрын
Good point, gravel focused levers are wider and textured for better access and the brakes are a lot more powerful than they used to be. It makes them a lot easier to use from the hoods for sure, but I still find I’d prefer to be in the drops when things get extra techy.
@1esk192
4 ай бұрын
If you're out of the saddle, drops are safer, because your center of gravity moves back in a way that makes it more easy to shift your weight around. I can only speak for hydraulic brakes, but only in the drops you use their full potential, even with just your index finger. Makes for a stable ride, because I can grip the drops better. I feel incredibly unsafe in techy, rocky terrain or on steep downhills when on the hoods
@ashurany
4 ай бұрын
I suspect that would be similar for many people if one can find the right bars and bike geo combo or put in the miles to gain the experience. Maybe I'm too old now and habituated to flat bars on dirt.
@RideYearRound
4 ай бұрын
Agreed! Putting the miles in has been key for me.
@plepgeat
4 ай бұрын
I just had a custom Sycip drop-bar mountain bike built up (I have a 37" inseam; 'factory' don't fit) and YES - I agree with all of your points. With a dropper, a 520mm Cowchipper bar, geometry designed for my oversized odd proportions, and good modern brakes and drivetrain it's a surprisingly capable whip.
@oreocarlton3343
4 ай бұрын
Even road bikes profited from dropper posts on descents, but weight penalty made them unpopular.
@RideYearRound
4 ай бұрын
I’m guessing as their weight continues to decrease we’ll probably see more of them on road bikes.
@laillosidgar
4 ай бұрын
@@RideYearRound unless a dropperpost weight are lighter than 500gram like suspension stem right now, I don't think roadies will adopt them.
@matt.3.14
4 ай бұрын
@@laillosidgar The road pendulum has kinda swung to "weight isn't *that*" important" in the last few years. Sure, you don't want your race bike to be 10kg, but many roadies will often take a slightly heavier aero bike over super light. Plus, there was that guy that won Milan-San Remo with a dropper in 2022. With the "super tuck" banned in road racing, the dropper is the next best thing.
@laillosidgar
4 ай бұрын
@@matt.3.14 dont get me wrong, I used allroad bike (marin nicasio 2) with dropper for 1 year, and I think it's unnecessary for my case. Unless your road frame has slope and short seat tube, like mtb frame, i'd rather not use that short travel dropper that weight almost 1 kilogram. //I also have fullsus XC with dropper.
@FlatFishBikes
4 ай бұрын
I’m in the process of trying a wide drop bar on my “gravel” bike. It came with 42c handlebars which made it purely awful going down 3k+ downhills. So I converted to a flat bar and instantly had a better bike for my local big hills both up and down as well as through technical stuff when compared to drop bars. But I’ve had a nagging itch to try wide drop bars so I sprung for a 50c Ritchey Corralitos…wide with a rise, super short reach and a very shallow drop. Drops to tops feel automatic and the short reach in combination with the rise compensates for the width penalty so stem length change was not needed plus the whole combination provides a very balanced ride with good control compared to the narrower drops (not as good as the flat bars but still good plus I gain more comfortable hands positions on the long flattish roads). I’m have not convinced myself that the drops will stay, only time on the bike and more “testing” will tell.
@MW-ud8zp
4 ай бұрын
When I built up my gravel bike a few years ago I used a frame from a 2008 xc bike. While the headtube isn't the slackest, the stack, wheelbase and front center length especially make it much more surefooted than a typical gravelbike was on high speed descends or when navigating rough sections. One thing I can't get along in terms of modern drop bar geometry is the large width in the hoods. Having narrow handlebars that flare out wide in the drops is the sweet spot for me.
@RideYearRound
4 ай бұрын
Good thing there are so many different sizes and shapes of bars out there now!
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