Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of SOMA

SOMA Introduces Big 6 Yokozuna Calipers For Road/Gravel:

An announcement via social media by SOMA Fabrications was made last week which was a bit of a surprise. SOMA is now offering a Yokozuna branded cable pull, hydraulic caliper with six pistons!

SOMA has this to say about this product:

 "Yokozuna BIG6: Quite easily the most powerful hybrid hydraulic ROAD brake from Yokozuna. Just having 6 pistons (vs 2 and 4) and bigger pads doesn’t automatically gives a brake system more power. You have to engineer the brake to push those pistons with more force, too. And the BIG6 does just that! "

The calipers feature three differently sized pistons made from 7075 aluminum. The caliper also ships with compressionless brake housing. The calipers are road pull/short pull specific. The caliper is activated by cable, but the caliper lever pushes mineral oil to activate the pistons in a hybrid type in this hybrid design. Each caliper weighs in at about 160 - 180 grams. Price for each caliper is $295.95. 

You can see more and order these from SOMA's site HERE. 

Comments: Wow! That is a pretty crazy, niche product. I can see maybe using these on a bike like my Gryphon Mk3 if I were doing loaded bikepacking/touring. I could see these coming in clutch in a scenario where you are dealing with steeper terrain and heavier loads. But I don't know if I would need this kind of (potential) power for my typical rides. 

I have a set of TRP Hy/RD calipers and a set of the State Bicycle Co. calipers on bikes which are  both hybrid cable/hydraulic set ups. My take is these types of brakes rely on the housing for the cable to be stiff and compressionless to really get the maximum benefit to this type of design. Another thing I've found is the hybrid type calipers tend to lack modulation and feel more "on - off" than I prefer. 

Also, like previous Yokozuna branded calipers, you can find nearly identical calipers branded as "Juin Tech". But unlike previous examples, the Juin Techs are actually more expensive than SOMA's price on the Big 6 calipers. 

SILCA Confirms Its Products Compatible With Clik Valve:

Thanks to reader "Steve" here, I was pointed to a video from SILCA where Josh from SILCA explains how SILCA pumps are compatible with Clik Valve. 

In my Final Review of the Clik Valve system, I hinted about the possibility of using a Presta Valve pump on a Clik Valve and how this might work.  Well, as it turns out, it does work, but there is something here I hadn't considered which is covered in the SILCA video. 

Since Clik Valve uses a spring-loaded valve, much like a Schrader valve does, the normal Presta pump has to overcome this spring pressure to get the valve open so you can inflate the tire or tube. SILCA claims this amounts to about six to seven psi. So, you have to accommodate for this if you use a straight Presta pump on a Clik Valve. 

Check out the video for the finer details, but the main point for me is the Clik Valve can be inflated with a standard Presta Valve pump. In case of an emergency, a Clik Valve tubeless set up wouldn't be at a disadvantage if you did need some air and you did not have a Clik Valve compatible pump. 

Also, it is very interesting to see SILCA playing around with Clik Valve and having positive things to say about the design. One would imagine a day very soon where SILCA does license the technology.  

Image courtesy of Castelli

Castelli Announces New Winter Glove/Shoe Covers In PolarTec AirCore™:

Last September, in an FN&V post, I wrote about a new waterproof/windproof breathable fabric development which was made in collaboration with PolarTec and Castelli.  Called AirCore™, it promises a better experience riding in wet and cold weather. 

Now this week Castelli announced additional clothing accessories to the jacket announced in September. The new Espresso 2 shoe covers and gloves utilize AirCore fabric in strategic areas to improve upon the item's ability to ward off cold winds and precipitation while remaining comfortable and easy to use. 

For instance, the glove features a YKK zipper to ease the putting on and the taking off of these gloves. The shoe covers also use a zipper with a protector to prevent Achilles irritation. Reflective elements are included in both pieces to enhance visibility in poor lighting conditions or at night.  

Learn more at Castelli's site.  

 Comments: Winter is going to be here soon, so if you want to continue to be outdoors, looking at your clothing strategies is a must. This new AirCore™ stuff seems like a game changer. I'll be keeping an eye on this for future purchases. 

 Right now it seems pretty expensive and, well.....unproven. I'd like to see how it works for others in teh meantime while I continue to use stuff I know works for me now. 

Wolf Tooth "DEL" Mini-Review:

As mentioned last week, N.Y. Roll had ordered a set of the new Wolf Tooth "DEL" pedals in for his girlfriend. Here is a mini-review on them for you straight from Mr. Roll hisself: 

"7 miles in and this is what I can say. Spindle preload is either high or the bearings need to wear in. I think the later. We did not adjustments, slapped em on an went. Her cleat tension adjust is still at factory setting. 

What I think this pedal may do, the grease and bearings will wear in and have less resistance. Also the DELs will be lighter and the riders will learn that they may have a more predictive pedal position for clipping in. I think other companies will follow."

So, there you go! Good stuff, it seems. You can learn more about this pedal and the other two pedals in Wolf Tooth's range by clicking the link HERE.  

C.O.G. 40 Happening On Sunday:

I'm looking forward to riding 40 miles of (mostly) Tama County gravel and Level B Roads this Sunday at 9:00am from Reinbeck, Iowa. This should be a great, end of season, group ride at a casual pace. 

I haven't heard from very many people so this may end up being a small group ride, unless there is a big surprise waiting for me. Who knows? I don't. 

At least the weather is going to cooperate with us with very little chances for any rain, a Sunny sky, and temperatures at the start in the mid 40's rising to a forecast high of 65°F. Light to moderate breezes from the Southeast mean we will get a tailwind for the second half of the loop. 

There will be a full report on Monday as to who showed up, what the highlights were, and what N.Y. Roll is serving at the rest stop at the halfway point. Stay tuned.....

That's a wrap for this week! get out there and ride those bicycles! Even if it is just around the block!  

Friday News And Views

BMC is another company suffering from economic headwinds.

 Rumors Dominate Worrying 2024 Outlook:

I continue to see and listen to (on YouTube) that many brands and companies are having difficulties navigating the poor economic situation cycling is suffering through now. 

From brands like Swiss bicycle manufacturer BMC cutting employee hours back to rumors of one of the large bicycle parts distributors having difficulty staying afloat, things seem precarious, to say the least, in the cycling sector. 

A report came out on Tuesday of this week that Shimano's sales were way down and profits were cut in half. That's crazy!

Of course, if you are looking for deals, it doesn't get much better than it is now for someone looking to buy a bike or high-end parts. That won't last forever, and it remains to be seen if that by marking down so severely and flooding the market with product that it will perhaps damp any demand in the near future as people will have bought what they needed and won't be open to buy for some time. 

Some punters in the sector feel that will affect the market for at least two to three more years. Who will make it out the other side when it comes to brands and companies? Time will tell. 

Image courtesy of Twisted Spoke

Twisted Spoke Debuts Single-Serve Pour-Over Coffee:

Last year I went on a ride and stopped at a local park and made some pour-over coffee. It was a very pleasant experience and I've wanted to do that some more coming up this year.  

Now, I realize I am about 20 years late to this, or more, and that I know nothing about "how you are supposed to do this". However you are supposed to do that. Anyway, I received a presser recently that Twisted Spoke, the company famous for its CBD products, has a non-CBD coffee in single serve, pour-over packets now. 

I have zero affiliation with Twisted Spoke, and maybe other companies do this same thing, but I thought it was pretty cool. It would make what I was trying to do easier. What, if anything, do you do for coffee out in the field on a ride? Let me know in the comments. 

Image courtesy of SOMA

SOMA Announces New Vesrion Of Juice 29"er:

Lots of folks may not know, or remember, that SOMA was one of the first to offer a 29"er frame set for folks which was a great value and set many riders off on the path of big wheels. 

That frame set was the Juice 29"er, and it has been offered by SOMA almost as long as the Surly Karate Monkey. In fact, in many ways the Juice has followed the Karate Monkey's development with some important differences here and there, as with the previous version's belt drive capabilities. 

That feature, ironically, has been left off the latest version of the Juice which  is being billed as a somewhat "old school" single track/bike packing/all-day MTB with some modernized features like a steeper seat tube angle and a lowered bottom bracket. they did not go for a slack head tube angle, at least not anything like most of this year's hardtails. With a Soma 485 axle to crown rigid fork ($289.00 extra), the head angle comes out to be a relatively conservative 68.5°. The frame is single speed compatible with sliding drop outs. The frame comes in two color choices, the orange (shown) or a "Desert Metallic" which is a kind of champagne metallic color.

The Tange tubed frame has clearance for up to a 29" X 2.4" tire or a 27.5" X 2.8" tire. Price for just the frame alone is a reasonable $699.00. You can purchase one at the SOMA Shop HERE. 

Comments: It has been a while in coming, but I have often thought that the absence of a reasonably priced, high-value, single track oriented 29"er hard tail was sorely missing from choices out there. This Juice hard tail is a welcome breath of fresh air in a world of choppered-out downhill oriented hard tails that handle like barges on climbs and single track. 

I only wish that this bike had the capabilities to deal with bigger 29"er tires. But be that as it may, it is a great alternative to the usual slack, low, and long 29"er which currently dominates the marketplace. 

New Guitar Ted Podcast:

A new episode of the Guitar Ted Podcast just dropped last night. In it we have some pre-interview banter, N.Y. Roll and I, and then we bring on Dave Pryor.

Dave has been the person I have interviewed the most. He is one of the principals of the unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley gravel event in Lewistown Pennsylvania. Dave did understudy work in gravel race promotions at Unbound and has a long history of putting on cyclo-cross and other grassroots events on bicycles. So, he has a very unique perspective when it comes to events, how they are put together, how people integrate into them, and more. 

Anyway, if you want to check it out click the link HERE.
 

That's a wrap on this week's FN&V. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Maybe You Need A Mustache (Bar)

The Soma Fab 3-Speed Mustache Bar

Got an old 29"er sitting around? Maybe you are thinking about getting one of those "gravel bikes" you've been hearing so much about. Well, you already have a gravel bike! It just needs a little love, maybe a few parts swaps, and BOOM! Gravel travel will be easy-pasy.

Now you may be thinking,"Sure, Guitar Ted! Easy for you to say, but what about swapping out the bars, and then I'll need different controls, and what about a riser stem, and......" HOLD ON THERE!

Maybe all you need is a mustache bar! Let me explain.......

Years ago this guy came in where I was working and said he had a special handle bar I might want to try. It was, at that time, a rare handle bar. It was a mustache bar that accepted mountain bike controls. He lent me the bar and it was a revelation. I LOVED it! But, he wouldn't sell it to me then and I forgot all about that until recently.

You see, most mustache bars are for road bike controls. The mountain bike controls on a 29"er are of a smaller clamp diameter, 25.4mm to be exact. So, when this idea of doing up my old Fisher HiFi as a gravel bike project came up recently, I was trying to configure in my mind this project with drop bars and road controls. Maybe a Gevenalle set up..... I'd need a stem, and maybe some other bits to make it work. This was not going to be an easy project.

Then I saw an image of a bikepacker with a pretty cool set up. The image was head-on, and it was clear he was using a mustache bar. As the character "Gru" from "Despicable Me" would say, "LIGHT BULB!!" Of course! If only I could find a mustache bar that fits mountain bike controls. A simple Google search later turned up a few good prospects. The Soma Fab 3-Speed Mustache Bar looks to be the best solution here.

Getting an mtb control compatible mustache bar means life gets waaaaay simpler. I can use the controls the bike came with- hydraulic levers, grips, and shifters. I do not need to get a different, weird riser stem, although I may need to play with the length. In return, I get all the hand positions, including a forward, aero position to cut through the wind. Downsides? Well, you won't find a super-wide bar, but the Soma 3-Speed Mustache Bar is claimed to be 540mm wide, which should be pretty good. You also won't get any straight-on accessory mount points for lights and such except right next to the stem.

But spending around $60.00 or less, (depending on your on-line source), you can pretty much count on an almost straight over swap of your components. You might have to lengthen the brake lines depending on how you like the levers. Pointing the levers pretty much straight down will require less length and probably will be close to optimal. Flared out is good in some cases, but will require more housing length.  Your stem length will also come into play. Shorter will require less cable housing length, longer and taller the opposite. You could probably get away with the stem you currently are using. If anything, you can go a bit shorter.

Another cool thing about mustache bars is that you can flip them for rise, or use them traditionally for a bit of drop. But the big thing is the varied hand positions. I'll let you discover this, but trust me, it's rad. So, stay tuned. I'm going to get these in and start the project after the New Year.

Maybe You Need A Mustache (Bar)

The Soma Fab 3-Speed Mustache Bar

Got an old 29"er sitting around? Maybe you are thinking about getting one of those "gravel bikes" you've been hearing so much about. Well, you already have a gravel bike! It just needs a little love, maybe a few parts swaps, and BOOM! Gravel travel will be easy-pasy.

Now you may be thinking,"Sure, Guitar Ted! Easy for you to say, but what about swapping out the bars, and then I'll need different controls, and what about a riser stem, and......" HOLD ON THERE!

Maybe all you need is a mustache bar! Let me explain.......

Years ago this guy came in where I was working and said he had a special handle bar I might want to try. It was, at that time, a rare handle bar. It was a mustache bar that accepted mountain bike controls. He lent me the bar and it was a revelation. I LOVED it! But, he wouldn't sell it to me then and I forgot all about that until recently.

You see, most mustache bars are for road bike controls. The mountain bike controls on a 29"er are of a smaller clamp diameter, 25.4mm to be exact. So, when this idea of doing up my old Fisher HiFi as a gravel bike project came up recently, I was trying to configure in my mind this project with drop bars and road controls. Maybe a Gevenalle set up..... I'd need a stem, and maybe some other bits to make it work. This was not going to be an easy project.

Then I saw an image of a bikepacker with a pretty cool set up. The image was head-on, and it was clear he was using a mustache bar. As the character "Gru" from "Despicable Me" would say, "LIGHT BULB!!" Of course! If only I could find a mustache bar that fits mountain bike controls. A simple Google search later turned up a few good prospects. The Soma Fab 3-Speed Mustache Bar looks to be the best solution here.

Getting an mtb control compatible mustache bar means life gets waaaaay simpler. I can use the controls the bike came with- hydraulic levers, grips, and shifters. I do not need to get a different, weird riser stem, although I may need to play with the length. In return, I get all the hand positions, including a forward, aero position to cut through the wind. Downsides? Well, you won't find a super-wide bar, but the Soma 3-Speed Mustache Bar is claimed to be 540mm wide, which should be pretty good. You also won't get any straight-on accessory mount points for lights and such except right next to the stem.

But spending around $60.00 or less, (depending on your on-line source), you can pretty much count on an almost straight over swap of your components. You might have to lengthen the brake lines depending on how you like the levers. Pointing the levers pretty much straight down will require less length and probably will be close to optimal. Flared out is good in some cases, but will require more housing length.  Your stem length will also come into play. Shorter will require less cable housing length, longer and taller the opposite. You could probably get away with the stem you currently are using. If anything, you can go a bit shorter.

Another cool thing about mustache bars is that you can flip them for rise, or use them traditionally for a bit of drop. But the big thing is the varied hand positions. I'll let you discover this, but trust me, it's rad. So, stay tuned. I'm going to get these in and start the project after the New Year.

Off Road Drop Bars 101: Why Radius Matters

Yesterday I posted a review of the Soma Gator Bar and mentioned how I felt that the drop sections radius basically made the bar very difficult to like. It is my opinion, of course, but today I wanted to tell you why it is my opinion. I didn't just come to this opinion flippantly or by accident. Hopefully after this post, you will see why I feel the way that I do about this radius issue. I am not expecting that all will agree, or even a few, but hopefully this spurs you on to consider why it might matter to you. Well.......if you ever consider off road drop bars, that is. 

I am going to use a lot of visual aids today and first I want to point out a basic design feature of flat bars.

Basic flat bars are generally set up close to parallel with the ground.

Using my mini Blackburn pump for something actually useful, (that's another story!), you can see how the pump lines up with the spaces between the boards on my front porch. This represents how a mtb handle bar is typically level with the ground. The reason this works is because the position your hands end up in promotes an "elbows out" and up stance, or as some refer to it as- the attack position- which promotes better control over the bike in rougher terrain. Sweep and rise notwithstanding, this is the basic handle bar position for off roading.

This would be considered "bad" for a normal mtb bar to have as a feature.

 Most mountain bike handle bars with a basis in the flat style do not droop downward. This wouldn't be a preferred position for your hands in rough terrain because the bumps and lumps your front tire create going over a uneven surface would want to vibrate your hands down and outward, right off the handle bars. Typically this would be seen as a bad thing. Yes? Yes.....it would. This is important for a bit further down in the post.

Now we get into a bit of history. Off road drop bars, at least in the modern sense, started with Charlie Cunningham and his bikes which featured modified Cinelli bars and his own stems to get the extensions up to a point where a flat bar's grips would be at from the ground.

Charlie Cunningham with one of his drop bar equipped bikes. Image from MOMBAT

The bars were modified to flare out and sweep outward at the extensions a bit to allow for the wrists and forearms to have room to move side to side in difficult terrain without smacking the tops of the bars. It is important to note that these bars were designed to be ridden almost always in the drops. The brake hoods, (if there were anything other than the metal perch), weren't a place that was expected to be used much, if at all. The point was that the drop extensions oriented the wrists, arms, and shoulders in a much more natural, relaxed position. The theory being that this more ergonomic position was better for absorbing trail chatter, left the rider fresher longer, and required less energy to hold on to the handle bars. You will note that almost every drop barred 'Ham has the extensions level, or nearly so, with the ground.

After Charlie helped found Wilderness Trail Bikes, the company made its own version of the original Cunningham modified bars for years. I remember mounting several pairs of them to cyclo cross bikes in the 90's. Then, WTB went through several changes, and the drop bar was cut from the product line, and that would be that for years. After a time when used WTB Dirt Drops were fetching triple digit prices on the used market, a couple of dirt drop aficionados helped design the On One Midge Bar using the WTB Dirt Drop as the design foundation. The off road dirt drop market was born again with the rising popularity of 29"ers and "monster cross" bikes in the early 00's. Several off road drop bars have followed in the wake of the Midge bar, but many have veered wildly from the basis of thought behind drop bars for off roading.

A modern take on the off road drop bar- This is an Origin 8 Gary Sweep OS Bar

Off road drop bars these days are typically not designed with the original intentions of the bars that Charlie Cunningham would have made or that WTB used to sell. These days it would appear that "uniqueness" is valued above function. Above we have an example of a bar that hits a middle ground of sorts when it comes to bars meant for off road use in the drop bar flavor. I'm not going to get into stems, or much about lever placement here. I am going to talk about hand positions and how the critical feature of a drop bar's radius used to bend the hooks affects those hand positions.

The same bar as above, rotated so that the ramps/tops are parallel to the ground. (Note spaces in porch boards as a reference)

If we take a bar like the Origin 8 Gary Sweep OS as an example, (shown above), we can see that by placing a priority on hand comfort at the ramps/hoods by placing that section level points the extensions downward at an angle which does a couple of things. Number one- It causes that "sloping downward" bar position like I described would be bad with a flat bar above. Bumps and lumps caused by the front wheel running over rougher ground is going to cause the hand to want to slip downward. The rider will have to counter this with a tighter grip. Not what we want in an off road drop bar, which should require less grip if the extensions are closer to level to the ground. Secondly, it cants the wrists backward into your forearms. This raises tension in the muscles, which again- is the antithesis to the reasons behind having a drop bar for off road use.

An effective lever placement could be anywhere between the two red lines, depending upon the rider's preference.

Now let's talk about lever placement in a general sense. Remembering that the primary hand position for an off road drop bar should be set up in the drops, that will dictate that you be able to reach and operate the brake lever, or "brifter", if using a multi-speed set up, from the extensions. That's why bars with more "open radius" drops are difficult to get right. If the bar is rotated too high, and the levers mounted so the hoods come off the ramps at a level to the ground way, usually you can't reach the lever effectively from the drops, and that is a big problem. You might say, "Well then! If I cannot get a good hoods position, then why bother?"  Yes. Exactly, but also keep in mind that the primary place you need to have working above all others is in the drops.

Now perhaps you can see that a really "open radius" design really limits the effectiveness of an off road drop design. You may have flare and sweep in the drops, but if you almost cannot use that position, what is the point? In the case of the Gary Sweep OS, a slight compromise in the ramps- having them slope downward slightly, away from the rider as seated, yields an extension position that points slightly downward, but is still usable. I find that if the extensions point in the general direction of the rear axle of the bike, it is okay. Anything forward of that, if the extensions point at the cranks, or even closer to the front wheel, that is a bar that is set up, or designed completely with disregard to the entire reason for having an off road drop bar. Again- why bother if that is the case? 

Examples of the Jones Bar. (Image courtesy of Jones Bikes)

Finally, an off road, flared, swept drop bar is not for everyone. I get that, but if you think that a design with an extension pointing downward radically is a good thing, consider the Jones Bar. Do you ever see anyone pointing the extensions of a Jones Bar so radically downward? I have not. You may say, "It's a completely different handlebar. " Well, it is, but it isn't. I think of a Jones Bar as a "flat plane off road drop bar". There is sweep, multiple hand positions, and a definite component of reach, which drop bars have as well. Jones Bars are designed with multiple hand positions in mind, just like a good off road drop bar should have as well, but it is obvious that the "primary" position is where the grips and levers are. Just like a good off road drop bar should have. Again, if the radius of an off road drop bar precludes any of the aforementioned traits, and doesn't promote the ergonomic features that Cunningham and Jones promote, it is the antithesis of an off road drop bar design. 

That's my opinion, and with the above explanation, I think it is apparent why I feel that way. You have to decide for yourself what is right for you. 

Off Road Drop Bars 101: Why Radius Matters

Yesterday I posted a review of the Soma Gator Bar and mentioned how I felt that the drop sections radius basically made the bar very difficult to like. It is my opinion, of course, but today I wanted to tell you why it is my opinion. I didn't just come to this opinion flippantly or by accident. Hopefully after this post, you will see why I feel the way that I do about this radius issue. I am not expecting that all will agree, or even a few, but hopefully this spurs you on to consider why it might matter to you. Well.......if you ever consider off road drop bars, that is. 

I am going to use a lot of visual aids today and first I want to point out a basic design feature of flat bars.

Basic flat bars are generally set up close to parallel with the ground.

Using my mini Blackburn pump for something actually useful, (that's another story!), you can see how the pump lines up with the spaces between the boards on my front porch. This represents how a mtb handle bar is typically level with the ground. The reason this works is because the position your hands end up in promotes an "elbows out" and up stance, or as some refer to it as- the attack position- which promotes better control over the bike in rougher terrain. Sweep and rise notwithstanding, this is the basic handle bar position for off roading.

This would be considered "bad" for a normal mtb bar to have as a feature.

 Most mountain bike handle bars with a basis in the flat style do not droop downward. This wouldn't be a preferred position for your hands in rough terrain because the bumps and lumps your front tire create going over a uneven surface would want to vibrate your hands down and outward, right off the handle bars. Typically this would be seen as a bad thing. Yes? Yes.....it would. This is important for a bit further down in the post.

Now we get into a bit of history. Off road drop bars, at least in the modern sense, started with Charlie Cunningham and his bikes which featured modified Cinelli bars and his own stems to get the extensions up to a point where a flat bar's grips would be at from the ground.

Charlie Cunningham with one of his drop bar equipped bikes. Image from MOMBAT

The bars were modified to flare out and sweep outward at the extensions a bit to allow for the wrists and forearms to have room to move side to side in difficult terrain without smacking the tops of the bars. It is important to note that these bars were designed to be ridden almost always in the drops. The brake hoods, (if there were anything other than the metal perch), weren't a place that was expected to be used much, if at all. The point was that the drop extensions oriented the wrists, arms, and shoulders in a much more natural, relaxed position. The theory being that this more ergonomic position was better for absorbing trail chatter, left the rider fresher longer, and required less energy to hold on to the handle bars. You will note that almost every drop barred 'Ham has the extensions level, or nearly so, with the ground.

After Charlie helped found Wilderness Trail Bikes, the company made its own version of the original Cunningham modified bars for years. I remember mounting several pairs of them to cyclo cross bikes in the 90's. Then, WTB went through several changes, and the drop bar was cut from the product line, and that would be that for years. After a time when used WTB Dirt Drops were fetching triple digit prices on the used market, a couple of dirt drop aficionados helped design the On One Midge Bar using the WTB Dirt Drop as the design foundation. The off road dirt drop market was born again with the rising popularity of 29"ers and "monster cross" bikes in the early 00's. Several off road drop bars have followed in the wake of the Midge bar, but many have veered wildly from the basis of thought behind drop bars for off roading.

A modern take on the off road drop bar- This is an Origin 8 Gary Sweep OS Bar

Off road drop bars these days are typically not designed with the original intentions of the bars that Charlie Cunningham would have made or that WTB used to sell. These days it would appear that "uniqueness" is valued above function. Above we have an example of a bar that hits a middle ground of sorts when it comes to bars meant for off road use in the drop bar flavor. I'm not going to get into stems, or much about lever placement here. I am going to talk about hand positions and how the critical feature of a drop bar's radius used to bend the hooks affects those hand positions.

The same bar as above, rotated so that the ramps/tops are parallel to the ground. (Note spaces in porch boards as a reference)

If we take a bar like the Origin 8 Gary Sweep OS as an example, (shown above), we can see that by placing a priority on hand comfort at the ramps/hoods by placing that section level points the extensions downward at an angle which does a couple of things. Number one- It causes that "sloping downward" bar position like I described would be bad with a flat bar above. Bumps and lumps caused by the front wheel running over rougher ground is going to cause the hand to want to slip downward. The rider will have to counter this with a tighter grip. Not what we want in an off road drop bar, which should require less grip if the extensions are closer to level to the ground. Secondly, it cants the wrists backward into your forearms. This raises tension in the muscles, which again- is the antithesis to the reasons behind having a drop bar for off road use.

An effective lever placement could be anywhere between the two red lines, depending upon the rider's preference.

Now let's talk about lever placement in a general sense. Remembering that the primary hand position for an off road drop bar should be set up in the drops, that will dictate that you be able to reach and operate the brake lever, or "brifter", if using a multi-speed set up, from the extensions. That's why bars with more "open radius" drops are difficult to get right. If the bar is rotated too high, and the levers mounted so the hoods come off the ramps at a level to the ground way, usually you can't reach the lever effectively from the drops, and that is a big problem. You might say, "Well then! If I cannot get a good hoods position, then why bother?"  Yes. Exactly, but also keep in mind that the primary place you need to have working above all others is in the drops.

Now perhaps you can see that a really "open radius" design really limits the effectiveness of an off road drop design. You may have flare and sweep in the drops, but if you almost cannot use that position, what is the point? In the case of the Gary Sweep OS, a slight compromise in the ramps- having them slope downward slightly, away from the rider as seated, yields an extension position that points slightly downward, but is still usable. I find that if the extensions point in the general direction of the rear axle of the bike, it is okay. Anything forward of that, if the extensions point at the cranks, or even closer to the front wheel, that is a bar that is set up, or designed completely with disregard to the entire reason for having an off road drop bar. Again- why bother if that is the case? 

Examples of the Jones Bar. (Image courtesy of Jones Bikes)

Finally, an off road, flared, swept drop bar is not for everyone. I get that, but if you think that a design with an extension pointing downward radically is a good thing, consider the Jones Bar. Do you ever see anyone pointing the extensions of a Jones Bar so radically downward? I have not. You may say, "It's a completely different handlebar. " Well, it is, but it isn't. I think of a Jones Bar as a "flat plane off road drop bar". There is sweep, multiple hand positions, and a definite component of reach, which drop bars have as well. Jones Bars are designed with multiple hand positions in mind, just like a good off road drop bar should have as well, but it is obvious that the "primary" position is where the grips and levers are. Just like a good off road drop bar should have. Again, if the radius of an off road drop bar precludes any of the aforementioned traits, and doesn't promote the ergonomic features that Cunningham and Jones promote, it is the antithesis of an off road drop bar design. 

That's my opinion, and with the above explanation, I think it is apparent why I feel that way. You have to decide for yourself what is right for you. 

Soma Gator Bar Review

The Soma Gator Bar as seen on my Karate Monkey

The "world" of off-road drop bars is a weird, strange one with freak show bars and bizarre stems joining together to make for an often "hit or miss" component selection for gravel and off road riders. The bars are often times so out of the ordinary that, even though the design may be brilliant, the bars do not sell due to their massive departure from the norm of road racing bred drop bars. Sometimes that is frustrating to me, and in other cases, it makes a lot of sense. Case in point- The Soma Gator Bar.

The Soma Gator Bar is definitely one of the oddest drop bars I am aware of. At first glance, it looks vaguely similar to a Salsa Cycles Woodchipper Bar, but the resemblance is only cursory. The reality is that the Gator Bar stands alone with no known drop bars even coming close to its unique features. And just what are those, you may ask? Well, for starters, the extensions are mountain bike control compatible. What that means is that you could mount brakes and shifters right off your mountain bike to the longish extensions, as Soma made the diameter of this part of the bar 22.2mm. Here's a short bullet list from Soma's site on the features of this bar:

• - 6061 butted aluminum
  - Size/Width: 655mm at ends, center-to-center
  - Width: 505mm at front of drops, center-to-center
  - Width of flats on top: 340mm
  - Center: 31.8mm
  - Drops flare out at 20° angle
  - Drops are 190mm long and have an OD of 22.2
  (i.e. they can take flat bar grips)
  - Reach: 65mm / Drop: 112-160mm
  (Reach and drop is relative to the angle you install these bars at. On these types of bars, you want to angle the drops down, not have them parallel to the ground as with road bars)
  - Weight: 400g
  - No cable grooves
  - Shotpeen finish
  - Black or silver

The Gator Bar has narrow tops, a lot of flare, and a deep drop.

My initial reaction to the bar was that it had too deep of a drop. In fact, I have had this bar for over a year now sitting in the Lab, waiting for a suitable bike/set up to try it on. Every time I thought I could use it, I found that the extensions would end up so low that they would be unusable. Finally, I tried them on the resurrected Karate Monkey I have and the fit was......hmm.....okay? It was far better than anything else I had been able to try it on, so I thought I'd give it a go, despite its deep drop.

Those extensions are really long!

From the top the Gator Bar looks somewhat inviting. The long extensions could certainly be trimmed back, but the tops, despite being narrow, are nice. I'm not a big fan of the Cinnelli-like "rounded" section from the tops to the ramps, but a lot of people dig that sort of classically inspired bar shape. It isn't a deal killer, but in conjunction with how that corner also slopes downward to the brake hoods, it makes for a difficult to love position for cruising on the tops/hoods. Besides this, I felt the reach was a hair too long, but I suppose one might be able to adjust for that with stem length. Well, that is if the drops didn't have such the depth that these bars' drops have. I was stuck with one stock option for a stem from Dimension. Otherwise it would have to be mated up with a custom stem, and you'd have to be pretty sold on the rest of the bars' attributes to go to that expense, in my opinion.

The radius of the drop section suffers from what I call "Woodchipper Syndrome". Hey- if you like Woodchippers, that's great, but that radius makes lever placement tough.

The drop radius is what really tanks this bar, in my opinion. It is a similar beef I have with the Woodchipper. If you want your hoods to come off the ramps at an angle parallel to the ground, you have no choice but to have the extensions pointing downward at such an angle I find many people won't use them. (Based on experiences setting up Woodchippers for others.) This isn't at all what off road drop bars are about. In fact, it is the antithesis to the whole reason for a flared, swept drop bar. In the case of the Gator Bar, I had to compromise my ramps/hood position to get a usable extensions grip that, in the end, meant that neither position was suitable for my tastes. Well, not when you have Midge Bars, Cowchippers, and Gary Sweep OS bars that do the job so much better and afford one all the grip options with little to no compromises. So, yes......I ended up taking these off my Karate Monkey.


My final verdict on this bar is that it is so odd that it may only work for a very few folks. Soma makes the June Bug, a Midge Bar knock-off, which, in my opinion, is three times as usable as this bar is for most people. If a highly swept, angled extension bar is your cup of tea, I would point you toward the Woodchipper before taking a chance on this one. That said, this could be the bar you've been waiting for. In that case, I'd jump on this quick. In the fickle world of off road drop bars, you never know how long you'll be able to get such an odd handle bar.


Note: Soma Fab sent me this bar ages ago for test/review and I was not paid, nor bribed for this review. I strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Soma Gator Bar Review

The Soma Gator Bar as seen on my Karate Monkey

The "world" of off-road drop bars is a weird, strange one with freak show bars and bizarre stems joining together to make for an often "hit or miss" component selection for gravel and off road riders. The bars are often times so out of the ordinary that, even though the design may be brilliant, the bars do not sell due to their massive departure from the norm of road racing bred drop bars. Sometimes that is frustrating to me, and in other cases, it makes a lot of sense. Case in point- The Soma Gator Bar.

The Soma Gator Bar is definitely one of the oddest drop bars I am aware of. At first glance, it looks vaguely similar to a Salsa Cycles Woodchipper Bar, but the resemblance is only cursory. The reality is that the Gator Bar stands alone with no known drop bars even coming close to its unique features. And just what are those, you may ask? Well, for starters, the extensions are mountain bike control compatible. What that means is that you could mount brakes and shifters right off your mountain bike to the longish extensions, as Soma made the diameter of this part of the bar 22.2mm. Here's a short bullet list from Soma's site on the features of this bar:

• - 6061 butted aluminum
  - Size/Width: 655mm at ends, center-to-center
  - Width: 505mm at front of drops, center-to-center
  - Width of flats on top: 340mm
  - Center: 31.8mm
  - Drops flare out at 20° angle
  - Drops are 190mm long and have an OD of 22.2
  (i.e. they can take flat bar grips)
  - Reach: 65mm / Drop: 112-160mm
  (Reach and drop is relative to the angle you install these bars at. On these types of bars, you want to angle the drops down, not have them parallel to the ground as with road bars)
  - Weight: 400g
  - No cable grooves
  - Shotpeen finish
  - Black or silver

The Gator Bar has narrow tops, a lot of flare, and a deep drop.

My initial reaction to the bar was that it had too deep of a drop. In fact, I have had this bar for over a year now sitting in the Lab, waiting for a suitable bike/set up to try it on. Every time I thought I could use it, I found that the extensions would end up so low that they would be unusable. Finally, I tried them on the resurrected Karate Monkey I have and the fit was......hmm.....okay? It was far better than anything else I had been able to try it on, so I thought I'd give it a go, despite its deep drop.

Those extensions are really long!

From the top the Gator Bar looks somewhat inviting. The long extensions could certainly be trimmed back, but the tops, despite being narrow, are nice. I'm not a big fan of the Cinnelli-like "rounded" section from the tops to the ramps, but a lot of people dig that sort of classically inspired bar shape. It isn't a deal killer, but in conjunction with how that corner also slopes downward to the brake hoods, it makes for a difficult to love position for cruising on the tops/hoods. Besides this, I felt the reach was a hair too long, but I suppose one might be able to adjust for that with stem length. Well, that is if the drops didn't have such the depth that these bars' drops have. I was stuck with one stock option for a stem from Dimension. Otherwise it would have to be mated up with a custom stem, and you'd have to be pretty sold on the rest of the bars' attributes to go to that expense, in my opinion.

The radius of the drop section suffers from what I call "Woodchipper Syndrome". Hey- if you like Woodchippers, that's great, but that radius makes lever placement tough.

The drop radius is what really tanks this bar, in my opinion. It is a similar beef I have with the Woodchipper. If you want your hoods to come off the ramps at an angle parallel to the ground, you have no choice but to have the extensions pointing downward at such an angle I find many people won't use them. (Based on experiences setting up Woodchippers for others.) This isn't at all what off road drop bars are about. In fact, it is the antithesis to the whole reason for a flared, swept drop bar. In the case of the Gator Bar, I had to compromise my ramps/hood position to get a usable extensions grip that, in the end, meant that neither position was suitable for my tastes. Well, not when you have Midge Bars, Cowchippers, and Gary Sweep OS bars that do the job so much better and afford one all the grip options with little to no compromises. So, yes......I ended up taking these off my Karate Monkey.


My final verdict on this bar is that it is so odd that it may only work for a very few folks. Soma makes the June Bug, a Midge Bar knock-off, which, in my opinion, is three times as usable as this bar is for most people. If a highly swept, angled extension bar is your cup of tea, I would point you toward the Woodchipper before taking a chance on this one. That said, this could be the bar you've been waiting for. In that case, I'd jump on this quick. In the fickle world of off road drop bars, you never know how long you'll be able to get such an odd handle bar.


Note: Soma Fab sent me this bar ages ago for test/review and I was not paid, nor bribed for this review. I strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.