Update On The Whisky Parts Co. Milhouse Bar

The Snow Dog set up with the Milhouse Bar.

 After my Saturday of travel and volunteering at the Spotted Horse Gravel Ultra, (reported on yesterday), I took Sunday off from gravel travel to do a bit of testing with the Whisky Parts Co. Milhouse Bar. This is their carbon moto-inspired handle bar which Whisky Parts Co. sent me to evaluate. I did not pay for this bar and am not being paid or bribed for this post. I just thought I'd get that cleared up first. I did want to let those who are curious know what I have thought about it so far. 

As I shared last week, I ended up sticking the Milhouse Bar on my old fat bike I call The Snow Dog. It just made a lot more sense on that bike than it did on the On One Inbred I originally had installed it on. The bar not only looks better on the Mukluk, but it does a better thing for that bike than it did on the Inbred. I'll get to that in a moment....

I took the Mukluk on a bit of a bushwhacking ride this time. The first thing I did was to check out the progress on the new section of University Avenue. To get to that meant I was going to have to climb a dike and then try to traverse some wet dirt. The Mukluk with this Milhouse Bar on it really makes a huge difference in weight distribution over the bike. This means it is really easy to loop out on a steep climb. At least if you try to stay seated. I ended up finding that standing and climbing actually worked better. 

Weight distribution is changed so much that I felt like almost all my weight was on the saddle. This meant that using the Redshift Sports ShockStop seat post ended up being a great idea. I fact, it makes the bike ride super-smooth. The carbon bar has a wee bit of give too, so that helps as well. 

The Milhouse Bar is wiiiide! You may have trouble getting between trees in some places.

After getting a good look at the new pavement for University Avenue, I headed over toward George Wyth State Park with no real agenda. On the way I remembered "Casey's Trail", a new-ish single track along the expressway which I have ridden maybe three or four times, but not in 2020 at all. So, I figured why not go and check it out? It's really one of only a few "true" single track trails in the area. 

You'd never know by looking that you are about 50 yards from a busy highway right here.

The Milhouse Bar is so different from anything I've tried that my typical MTB control layout wasn't working as well as I'd like. I ended up stopping at three different spots to make incremental adjustments to the lever and shifter placements until I was satisfied with the ergonomics. I still have to adjust the lever reach a tiny bit, but I didn't have a small enough hex key with me on the ride to do it then.

The changes made the experience of riding with these bars even more enjoyable. I will take a bit longer to become better acquainted with how the handling of this set up works. The weight distribution, width of the bars, and how the steering geometry is now have made it so the Snow Dog rides like a completely new-to-me bike. 

The drive train needs an update too. These old 9 speed parts are pretty tired and the range of gearing is not what it should be. I almost am pulled toward going with a nice 2X front crank and front derailleur, but eh.....maybe I should stick to 1X here. At any rate, I need a clutch rear derailleur and a 1X specific ring up front. I almost torqued off the chain twice on my ride as it was. 

Nature is the 'hook", my clothing, the "loop".

Follow the Yellow (Leaf) Road!

I ended up doing some twisty single track for a bit and then heading to the house. The Milhouse Bar is a really different, but really nice bar. The 70mm rise and the 810mm width is a flavor I have never had the pleasure of experiencing before this. I would like to see this bar on a proper 'trail bike' type geometry bike where I could use a stubby stem and not the long-ish tiller I have to use on the Snow Dog so I could evaluate this on a 'proper' set up. That said, I can certainly see how this bar can make a fat bike handle better by allowing more rearward weight shift to allow for front tire flotation, but still have a good climbing capability (standing climbing) and turning grip. 

Obviously, if a handle bar like this is interesting to you, you generally had to accept that the bar would weigh quite a bit. However; the Milhouse bar brings all the attitude and benefits of a moto inspired riser bar without the weight and better comfort than a handle bar made out of metal in this style. That said, it ain't a cheap option, but carbon fiber handle bars made to a MTB testing standard are not inexpensive, generally speaking. Especially if they are unique, as this bar is. 

More soon.