I bought a BMC La Cabra out of the first run and set it up with Ritchey Beacon bars. My first season riding in the mountains around Salt Lake City I did not see anyone else on drop bar bikes. The second year, I noticed a few people riding gravel bikes on mellow singletrack. So far this year the number of drop bar bikes has exploded. It could just be happenstance, but there does seem to be a growing market for trail-ready bikes that are more versatile than the standard mtb. I really like being able to ride comfortably to the trail, riding some singletrack, and then transitioning back to road for the trip home. The La Cabra has been a fun bikefishing rig as well. One of these days, I'll take it bike camping. I sometimes wish I had a hardtail or FS for riding in Park City or the more technical trails near my parents in Western Colorado, but when push comes to shove I can't justify the expense as long as the La Cabra is in my stable, at least for the kind of riding I do.
On Wednesday, May 24, 2023 at 3:17:14 AM UTC-6 R. Alexis wrote: > The remake of the Wilderness Trail Bikes (WTB) Dirt Drop bar is the Nitto > RM3 Dirt Drop. Wonder if some patent kept them from reintroducing them > sooner that they did. > > Thanks, > > Reginald Alexis > > On Wednesday, May 24, 2023 at 4:01:42 AM UTC-5 R. Alexis wrote: > >> Dirt Drop mountain bikes are currently at a resurgence. The number of >> flared drop bars is at an all time high. The fact that Nitto finally >> started making the the dirt drop probably cemented its return. I have >> several bikes with Wilderness Trail Bikes Dirt Drop bars and one with a >> flared Nitto RM014 flared drop on my Schwinn Voyageur touring bike. With >> gravel bikes currently part of the mainstream mix flared drops have settled >> in. The Surly Corner Bar Is a good example of the popularity of this type >> of bar. https://surlybikes.com/parts/corner_bar >> >> I have been a fan of the dirt drop bar since I first saw a 89 Trek 970 >> mountain bike built with them. I think they are the perfect all rounder >> bar. The flair gives a nice, natural hand position, multiple hand >> locations. The other bar bar I have been happy with are the Jones H-Bar. >> Got a similar Surly Open Bar mounted on my Gary Fisher Gemini tandem in the >> captains position. >> >> Reginald Alexis >> >> On Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 7:33:40 PM UTC-5 pi...@gmail.com wrote: >> >>> This Saturday I took my Roadini and went up Spring Ridge Road (Windy >>> Hill OSP) and descended Crazy Pete's (Coal Creak OSP). >>> https://www.strava.com/activities/9109425331 >>> >>> I had one of those amazing days where I was "on". I set PRs down Crazy >>> Pete's (the last time I did it I was on a MTB with front suspension). The >>> Roadini's 6-8 pounds lighter than my MTB, and without suspension, I felt >>> like I could place my bike on precisely whatever lines I wanted, so much so >>> that when I went at full speed, my friend on her dual suspension CF MTB (a >>> Juliana Furtado) couldn't keep up downhill. >>> >>> I think the drop bars on my Roadini are partly responsible --- the low >>> position feels natural, and the modulation on the Tektro 559s are nothing >>> short of amazing. I remembered that one of Bridgestone's mountain bikes >>> back in the 1980s came with drop bars. I dug around and found this article >>> about "dirt drop" bars: >>> https://g-tedproductions.blogspot.com/2008/10/drop-bar-for-mountain-biking-part-i.html >>> >>> I guess since cycling is so driven by fashion, maybe some day the wheel >>> will turn and drop bars off road will come back into fashion. My experience >>> made me wonder if you designed the frame so that those brake pads are at >>> the bottom of the slots on the Tektro 559s, how big a tire can you fit? I >>> found this video on youtube where someone managed to squeeze a 2" tire on >>> those: https://youtu.be/vGnNkQJz-Fk?t=389 >>> >>> Those of you with AHH or Roadinis, have you tried taking your bikes down >>> rocky/rooty single track? Taking a MTB down those feels like driving a >>> jeep, but riding the Roadini down one feels like you're a sushi chef >>> carving fish with precision --- a completely different feeling. >>> >>> Piaw >>> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/53879d5f-03ad-4f38-9cab-13fc4a329434n%40googlegroups.com.
