A Couple Of Changes

I promise this is THE seatpost now!

 There has been a couple of tweaks done recently on two of my bicycles that I thought bore mentioning. They aren't a big deal, necessarily, but I have my reasons that some might find interesting, or at least amusing. 

I will admit I may have a bit of the "Princess and the Pea" syndrome going on here, so please bear that in mind as I detail these changes. 

So I had a bunch of issues with the original seatposts I was trying to use with the Honeman Flyer and found out later that one, especially, was undersized. That slipping seat post thing drove me mad for a bit until I settled upon using a PRO Discover post I had when I realized that set-back seat posts weren't unusable with this new single speed bike. 

Then the Redshift ShockStop Endurance Pro post came along and next thing ya know I am swapping out seat posts with a "boing factor" left and right for a bit. I really thought I might have settled on the Redshift post, the PRO Race model, actually, but I just never really warm up to sus posts. I guess its the changing saddle height thing. It eventually gets on my nerves and I finally couldn't take it anymore with the Honemann Flyer. Especially because I do seated climbing on it more often than not, and you are mashing teh gear then, of course, which activates the post. Not good for me. (Remember - Princess and the Pea!)

So, I was scrounging around for something and came across my "extra" Salsa titanium Regulator post. Yes! It was an extra one because I have four of them! Anyway, I was appalled that it wasn't being used and as I had a search on for a post for the Honemann Flyer I was only too happy to swap the Redshift post out for this titanium one. Now seated climbing is great! 

It's titanium grey, and a bit out of place, maybe, but I don't care at this point. This is THE post now going forward. 

You cannot really see the stem, but it is different. Oh! And there is another Regulator post!

Then I had the case of the Singular Gryphon Mk3. Originally I had this bike set up with the Ragley Luxy Bar which determined the full-length housing runs for the brakes and derailleurs. Then I got that Tumbleweed handlebar, which was nice, really wide, and stressed the cable lengths badly. 

Eventually even a shorter stem wasn't going to help, and then I got the Redshift Short ShockStop Stem and while I was installing that I decided the Tumbleweed bar had to come off. I was not about to re-cable the entire bike for a wider bar. 

So, now I am back to that Luxy Bar and the cables and housings are all happy again. Plus I have the boinger stem on there which makes things extra-comfy. So, there is the Gryphon Mk3 as it stands now. 

Time to ride.

Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. Big Dipper Handle Bar: Conclusions

 Note: Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. sent a Big Dipper handle bar to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge for review. I was not paid, nor bribed for this review, and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout. The first part of this review can be seen HERE.

In the last update I mentioned that I had a very specific course in mind before I wrote up my final verdict on these handlebars and now that I have ridden that course, I am ready to end the review. I also wanted to compare and contrast the wider drop bar choices against the current fad of the use of a narrow drop bar with flared drops in road.  I'm sure it will show up in gravel events this year as well.

The Tumbleweed Big Dipper Handlebar mounted to a Dingular Gryphon Mk3

So, first let's look at my findings with all the riding I have been doing with this handlebar. I've done single track, urban, bike path, deteriorated gravel, gravel, and grassy tracks using the Big Dipper both in loaded and unloaded configurations. I have also done a small amount of snow riding as well. 

Short rides and rides lasting up to four hours have also been done on this handlebar. So, by this time I feel as though I have  a pretty good handle (no pun intended) on what the Big Dipper is like and what it has to offer. 

On the positive side of the ledger the Big Dipper bar will give a bit over rougher terrain due to its width and tubing profile. Whether this was designed purposefully or whether it is just a "happy accident", the bar does a good job of taking the edge off some sharper hits.  By no means is it as good as a suspension stem like the Redshift ShockStop stem, or like any suspension fork, but it does lend a smoother ride to the rider. 

The Big Dipper Drop Bar looks handsome and is reasonably priced at $115.00USD. So, that width won't break the bank and you get a well designed bar in return. I appreciate that about the bar also. (But again, I'll remind you that Tumbleweed sent this one out at no charge) 

About That Width: I was very skeptical that I would be able to get along with a handlebar that was 8cm wider than what I normally ride. However; I was pleasantly surprised that it felt kind of "normal" and when I got back on my other gravel drop bar rigs, those handlebars suddenly felt narrower and twitchy. 

So, yes, stability is enhanced a bit by the wider bar as well. Additionally, this stability and slowed-up handling was a boon in sketchy, loose terrain or on snow and ice. 

The width also played into having more leverage while loaded to keep side-to-side bike stability high and of course, cranking the bike up a climb was also enhanced by that width. 

So, was there anything negative to say about that wide of a handlebar? I think one has to be careful that you don't get carried away with width. I happen to have pretty wide shoulders and longer arms. This allowed me to adapt quickly to this width bar. But if your build is smaller of stature, narrow at the shoulders, or both, you could get too wide easily. I felt a bit different muscle soreness after longer rides on the Big Dipper bar and I attributed that to the wider stance of my hands. 

As far as hands go, I think one thing has to be mentioned here that not many folks who review handlebars think about, or at least, they do not mention this. People ride on the hoods while using drop bars a lot these days. In fact, many barely ever use any other hand position. So, what exactly about any handlebar makes brake hood levers feel like a good place to ride? Nothing about a handlebar affects that position. (Unless the bars are really flared, that is) That's all in the design of the lever itself. So, I won't tell you about that position on the Big Dipper bar. 

One of my nits about the Big Dipper Bar is that the extensions are too short.

Riding in the drops is where I like to be into a wind, running down a steep bit of trail, or for longer, grindy climbs. The Big Dipper is serviceable in these situations but a half an inch more length in the extensions would go a long ways toward making things happier down there. 

The best thing about the Big Dipper, as far as hand positions go, is that wide section of the tops between the levers where you can sit up a bit, relax your back, and cruise without having your hands too close together. Those bars with narrower tops sections can be hard to ride when grasping the center section due to the shorter lever you have over the steer tube. 

Now would you be better served with a more aero, narrower bar for gravel? Maybe one of those crazy, super-narrow flared drop bars? I think of it this way- If you need "aero" get aero bars and use them on gravel. Don't sacrifice the stability, comfort, and control of a wider bar for the "aero" of these weird, niche, racing-only handle bars. Well, unless you are a racer and aero bars are banned. But you do you. 

Conclusions: I really like the Tumbleweed Big Dipper Handlebar, and maybe, if I could sway them into this, I would persuade Tumbleweed to add a bit of length in the extensions. If they were to do that, the Big Dipper would be nearly a perfect drop bar for unpaved and gravel use. 

I think the design, which is much more closely related to traditional road drop bar designs, would work for many people in long-distance, ultra-gravel events, bikepacking, or just for your general purpose gravel rides. There is a ton of space up front for a handlebar bag or a longer roll for sleeping gear or some tents. The stability lent to the rider via the width is a good thing on long days where you may get fatigued by a narrower bar and have trouble with handling. 

Personally, I think the bar this Big Dipper replaced on my Singular is still one of my favorites. The Luxy Bar has a narrower distance between the brake levers, but it has a wider drop extension section which is "swept" outwards and aligns my arms and shoulders much like a Jones Bar might, for reference. Trouble is that bar has been long out of production and no one makes anything quite like it in 2024. 

The Big Dipper comes in a close second to that old handlebar I have. It's really good. Give the Big Dipper bar a try if your are looking for a handsome wide drop bar that will serve you well. It does the wide drop bar thing very nicely and would be my choice now for such a handlebar for my bikepacking rig. 

See the BigDipper Bar at Tumbleweed Bikes HERE.

Review Updates: OMM, Tumbleweed, WTB

The OMM Axle Pack

 I have a few review projects in the works here at Guitar Ted Productions. Two were put on hold by the weather and one just arrived Tuesday afternoon. This post will serve as an update on the ongoing reviews and a teaser for the new one that is coming up soon. 

Please keep in mind that all these items being mentioned in today;s post were provided to me at no charge for test and review.  I am not being bribed, nor paid for this review and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

First we have the Old Man Mountain Axle Pack (last updated HERE) This is a rack strip that you can mount to any fork that does not have bottle bosses or "Three-Pack" mounts and then attach cages or racks to that to carry more stuff. 

I have the one sent to me all ready to go on the Noble Bikes GX5 carbon gravel rig and I should be able to get some country rides in on that set-up soon with these crazy warm temperatures which are forecast. So, hopefully I can get finished up on that one real soon. 

Next up I have that Tumbleweed Big Dipper handlebar that I am reviewing. (Last update HERE) I have a very specific test and route in mind for this review and I need the weather to clear up and warm up before I can get that review put to bed. However; in the meantime I probably will be doing a mid-mid-term update. (Ha!) I have been riding the bike off and on that the handlebar is on. Plus, in light of the aero/narrow drop bar trend, I thought it might be a good idea to compare and contrast what super-narrow bars give you versus the mega-wide drops like the Big Dipper. 

The Big Dipper bars on my Singular Gryphon Mk3.

Finally I have news of a new review that will start on these pages in March. This one I cannot 100% say much about other than the products I received to review are from WTB. 

I will say that one of the products is pretty surprising, but it does make sense in a way. Yeah.....I better stop there. Look for this stuff to be revealed sometime in March when I will have already had several weeks of riding done on the stuff and will give a final review on the products. 

Oh! And the Honeman Flyer single speed should be finished up sometime soon and sent out to me to complete the build on. There's a LOT more to this whole project than just a bike, so stay tuned for more on that as well. 

And as always; Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. Big Dipper Handle Bar: Mid-Term Report

 Note: Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. sent a Big Dipper handle bar to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge for review. I was not paid, nor bribed for this review, and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout. The first part of this review can be seen HERE.

The Tumbleweed Big Dipper Bar was used most recently during my Turkey Burn Ride

One of the objectives I wanted to achieve with this review was to see if having the hoods position be so wide, as compared to anything else I have used in the past, would cause any ergonomic issues after a multi-hour ride. 

That ride happened on Thanksgiving Day during my four hours, and a little bit more, ride on multiple surfaces. Included in the ride were paved roads, bicycle trails, double/single track, "new" cut trail, gravel road and grassy field traverses, Throughout it all, I never had any issues crop up with regard to how wide the Big Dipper Bar is. No weird pains, numbness, or discomforts. That is a good thing, for me at any rate.

Now let's take a closer look at the hand positions the Big Dipper offers.....

More On Hand Positions: Up top you can see from the image to the left here that there is a lot of space between the stem and the hoods. This is what I was mentioning in the previous post in this review. Because you can get on that straight section of bar and have your hands further apart, you have far more control while riding in that position than you would have using a narrower bar. 

That white object on the right edge is the Bookman Volume light so there is no hint of the stem yet in that view. That's a LOT of handlebar there! That said, you might notice that my arm looks like it is coming at an angle to the hoods which might suggest that the bar is narrower than it might actually be. That is not the case as in reality, my arm comes down at a very slight outward angle from the shoulder being the narrowest point. But just barely so. It is almost a straight shot from shoulder to hood. 

And you can see that the reach is minimal here also. If you were to try this handle bar, you may not have to lengthen your stem at all, and in fact, you probably will want a shorter stem. I ended up going from an 80mm stem to the 60mm stem which is installed on the bike currently. Of course, your experience may vary. That experience will be determined by your bicycle's geometry, your preferred seated position, and how high your handlebar is going to be off the ground. Those will all factor into where you will need to go to make any handle bar work for you, not just this one. 

Again, here is another image which really shows you how much room the tops allow you here. But my focus now is on the drops. If there is one area of the Big Dipper Bar I would change it is here. 

Essentially, there is one place to land here, and in the heat of a tricky moment, going from the hoods to the extensions means that you had better nail the landing or.... Yeah, there is one place to go, unless you cock your wrist and stick your hand up more towards the lever perch. 

This could easily be solved by giving about an inch and a half extra extension on the end. Plus, you could move around a little then while riding in the drops. 

While I feel the extensions are at a bare minimum length, I will say that riding in the drops is comfortable and I can stay there as long as I want or need to. So, while the extension is kind of short, in my view, it is shaped well and it is a good place to be while riding. I just wanted to give a little more context to my statements in the opening post of this review regarding the hand positions. 

Ride Feel: These bars are not as stiff or dead feeling as some I have tried. Like I mentioned in the opening post, your hands have a lot of leverage on the bar with that width that the Big Dipper Bar gives you. This allows for some "give" over some bumps, depressions, and obstacles. But it should in no way be mistaken as "suspension" or even as "vibration damping", because that is not what the Big Dipper Bar does. 

Gravel's vibrations are not damped out by the Big Dipper Bar,

 It will help take the edge off hits and spring back at you a bit when the bar rebounds back to its static position. This feels like "suspension", but it isn't really. It's just that the energy coming from the wheel gets transmitted to you in a less sharp manner. Likewise, you are not going to escape those higher frequency vibrations that gravel can induce, that is, unless you are running bigger tires at a lower pressure. 

So Far... Good stuff. The Big Dipper Bar is a great design. The width is not as noticeable after a few rides, and honestly, this handle bar feels very natural to me at this point. That longer ride with all the variances in terrain and surface types didn't cause issues related to the handle bar at all. 

So, now I need to load up the Gryphon, do a nice, decently long ride, and then I should have a pretty good handle on the capabilities and performance of the Big Dipper Bar. The thing is, that may not happen for a while yet. We could be dealing with snow and ice at any time now, so hang on and I'll try to get this done as soon as I can.

Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. Big Dipper Handle Bar: Intro & First Impressions

 Note: Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. sent a Big Dipper handle bar to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge for review. I was not paid, nor bribed for this review, and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout. 

Okay, it's time to talk about this new Tumbleweed Big Dipper handlebar I have in for review now. This bar came out a week ago and has quietly been being sent out on complete Stargazer builds for a while already. You may also have seen reviews of pre-release Big Dipper Bars elsewhere, This is going to be my typical three-part review. This post is Part 1. 

I like the graphics/logo. Too bad a lot of it is under a stem face plate!

There are a couple of things I need to cover first here and one of them is my long-used terminology for the parts and features of a drop handle bar. That is covered at this link. 

Intentions: Reading that will help you understand what I am talking about here. Then there are the intentions for this bar in use. 

Tumbleweed makes bikepacking/adventure bikes. They wanted a drop bar of their own for their Stargazer drop bar bicycle.So, the Big Dipper was designed to enhance the Stargazer. That means we need to know what the Stargazer is about. From the Stargazer page on Tumbleweed's site we can read the following:

"The Stargazer is a nimble and balanced drop bar mountain touring bike designed for loaded trail riding. It's at home on trails, singletrack and gravel roads whether unladen or with racks and bags on an adventure. "

I'd say that says "Adventure Bike", and I think that means we need to check out this handle bar within that sort of use scenario first and foremost. Yes - you could use this on a road bike, a gravel bike, or whatever, but that is not the main focus of this handlebar's use.

So, a bicycle something like this then. (Note - The bars are Ragely Luxy Bars here)

The Big Dipper was therefore mounted to my Singular Gryphon Mk3 bike. The handle bar that was on there, the venerable Ragely Luxy Bar, is a very odd drop bar in that the extensions have a severe swept out stance. Ironically, the extensions of the Luxy Bar are actually wider than the Big Dipper Bar is overall, but where the levers mount? There is a tremendous difference there. More on that later and how that affects ergonomics and handling. 

Specs: From the Big Dipper Page;

Material: Triple butted, heat treated 7000 series aluminum alloy, ISO 4210 tested for mountain bike use

Widths: 51cm, 54cm, 57cm C-C at the hoods

Clamp Diameter: 31.8mm

Backsweep: 5 degrees

Flare: 20 degrees

Drop: 109mm

Reach: 50mm (overall reach from center of clamping area to center of tube at front of forward sweep)

Average weight: 385 grams

Price: $115.00

 

The drop on this handlebar is a progressive radius.

Impressions: The Big Dipper Bar is a handsome bar with unique graphics that I happened to like. (Too bad that half of this resides under a stem face plate now!) The anodizing is rich and even. I received the 54cm bar and yes - it looks wide at first! 

 

The drops have a constantly varying radius which is something I like. The reach is obviously quite short, and Tumbleweed put that into the design to help with the wider widths they offer. You may still need to look at a shorter stem, however, if you should decide on a Big Dipper Bar for your bicycle. Doing the shorty-stem helps keep the ergonomics reasonable. Again, more on that in a bit.

The bar I received was actually a touch lighter than claimed at 370 grams, which is fine. I don't think you buy a wide flared drop bar for its light weight, but it is nice to see that this handle bar is not a tank-ish bar in terms of weight. 

 

Installation: The cables and housings from my original installation on my Gryphon were mostly long enough to transfer over the bar without a lot of extra futzing around. My rear brake cable is a wee bit strained, but I got away with it. That said, after a ride or two I decided to check into a 2cm shorter stem which will alleviate that cable issue. Be aware that a wider bar might cause an issue with cable lengths. In other words, this may cause more trouble than you were thinking of in the installation process. You also won't find indentations to run cables along or internal routing here. This is a decidedly old school design in that way.

I also missed having those hash marks on the drop section which help to align the levers at the same height on the bar, side to side. That said, I managed to use my old experiences with handle bars without those hash marks to get the job done. 

Ride Impressions: Okay, so here is where the rubber hits the road here with this bar. First up - Ergonomics. Did the bar cause an issue with my fit? The previous bar, the Luxy, has more reach than the Big Dipper, so I found that I wasn't as stretched out to the hoods, which was good. That Luxy Bar made the reach a bit much. If I ever end up going back to the Luxy, it will be with a shorter stem. I had an 80mm stem on to begin with, for reference. 

In this shot you can see how the Luxy Bar sweeps out the extensions while leaving the hoods at a narrower stance

Here you can see how the Big Dipper is a quite different handlebar than the Luxy.

 

The other thing I was noting was that despite the wider stance of the hoods, my arms were not "splayed out" like a newborn deer's legs. I had a fairly straight shot to the levers. I was a bit surprised. But at first, with the 80mm stem, I did note that my elbows were nearly locked out, which is not good. The 60mm stem will help with this. 

 

The next thing I noted is that since your weight on the bars is further from the stem, it creates a longer lever arm and the Big Dipper does flex a bit over bumps, and depressions at speed. This doesn't do much in terms of vibrations over gravel, but it does take the edge off those hits that otherwise might be zingers with stiffer bars.  

 

From the side the Big Dipper looks "right" despite the short extensions.

Hand Positions: With 540mm of width, you'd think you'd get a nice hand position on the tops, and you'd be right. In fact, I liked the leverage and control over the front that this allowed me to have. Thinking about a typical 46cm bar, the space between the levers and the stem is not all that wide. You really don't have a lot of leverage over the front wheel with a bar like that, and the Luxy, with its more average tops length, is compromised in the same way. In rougher terrain or on deep, loose gravel, riding a handle bar that has a narrow tops section is not my preference. I much rather would have this situation that the Big Dipper affords me with its wider tops section. 

 

The drop is not very deep on the Big Dipper, which is no surprise. But there is almost nothing for extensions. You have essentially one grip in the drops, and that's it. I would consider my hands as being average to somewhat small for a guy my size, so this was a surprise. It reminded me of the old On One Midge Bar in that regard, for anyone who is familiar with that classic. 

The Big Dipper does allow you to get a great hoods position with the ability to still reach the brake lever from the drops, if you set the levers up that way. I think Tumbleweed got that part spot on. 

 

The extra real estate between the stem and the levers is great for stability in rough, loose terrain.

 

So Far... Okay, that's what I have for you now. I need to load up the Singular and hit some trails here and maybe some gravel travel on the side. I want to put in a longer ride as well to see if the width starts to become an issue or not on a multi-hour ride. Then I'll be back with another update, weather permitting. 

Right now I would say that the Big Dipper is a well designed bar with no special frills, but it is finished well and looks handsome. It has some nice give to it, and it falls to hand nicely with no weird grip positions or oddities to lever set up. I would have liked to have had a bit longer extensions. The width? I was surprised, but it feels okay to me so far.

How Wide Should Your Drop Bars Be?

 Recently I have posted on various social media and here on this blog about the new Tumbleweed Big Dipper flared drop bar. Of course, as a reviewer, you are expected to push the product out which benefits you - the reviewer - obviously, but also the brand. More eyeballs on my blog and more eyeballs on the product. So, that's why I did what I did. 

On Facebook, there was a long discussion about "How wide is too wide?" for a drop bar. I have to say before going on that the discussion wasn't rife with the usual "shots from the hip", but it had a lot of great viewpoints and I actually learned a thing or two. 

Isn't that how human interactions should work? 

Anyway, I apologize for the diversion, but it was quite noteworthy. Onward...

Anytime you get into how humans interface with a machine, in this case, with a bicycle, the outcomes of research and the science are often fraught with inconsistencies and generalizations. Take for instance bicycle saddles. There is a reason there are so may shapes and sizes of these components. Additionally, there are several ways to be seated on a bicycle, which is going to also affect what saddle you choose. 

Things can even get more sideways when you start talking about fit. How a component should be sized to fit any particular rider has no simple formula, although that never stopped anyone from trying to come up with one. Take crank arm length for one. How many formulas for that have been promoted throughout the years? And if you follow the current wisdom-du-jour, you would be thinking that you need a lot shorter crank arms than you ever dreamed of before. 

Between traditionalism, science, the innergoogles, and mere seat-of-the-pants feel, things can get real murky really fast. So, let's start from the point of traditionalism and build from there. 

Image courtesy of Bicycle Stack Exchange.

As you can see from the image to the left here, the width of a drop bar is measured from the centerline of the point where the levers would mount on a drop bar. NOTE: Flared drop bars will actually end up being wider in the drops due to the flare than the measurement will indicate for any particular flared drop bar. 

Traditionally, a drop bar width was determined by the measurement of an individual's acronium protrusion where the top of the scapula meets the collarbone. This measurement, in metric standard, should match up with a width of handlebar from 36cm to 46cm. 

So, as an example, if your measurement across the acronium protrusions was, say, 390mm, you would go up to a 40cm bar (400mm). 

Now, some say you should size up up to two centimeters, and that is okay. I was never taught that back in my apprenticeship days. But there ya go... Another one of those wrenches in the works! 

Okay, so that is what traditionalists would tell you. But what if you were like me, and your acronium protrusions were 49cm apart? Well, you were screwed, basically. That's because for years drop bars were made for smaller, athletic, racers, not your average Mid-Western Guitar Ted-shaped fellow. 

Now, what does science say? Well, it tracks right along with traditionalism, in that shoulder width is a big factor. However, fit specialists will also ascertain your body type, riding position, and other body measurements to arrive at a place that, ergonomically speaking, should be your ideal drop bar width. But what if you have a drop bar MTB, flared drops, a gravel bike, or what if you are a time -trial specialist or track racer? 

More wrenches in the works.... 

Image courtesy of AeroCoach

A newer trendy way to go with handlebar width for road and gravel is very narrow. I first ran into super-narrow drop bars when I met Ashton Lambie, the track riding ace from Nebraska. He was at The Solstice 100 when I did that event in 2019. He had these crazy-narrow bars on his gravel bike because, as he put it, that was what he was used to from track racing. 

Track racing takes aero very seriously, and so perhaps this idea grew out of the track racing scene. I'm not sure, but it has popped up in the gravel racing segment as well. 

Obviously, this idea gives no regard to ergonomics, and it is all about 'saving watts'. Is that how we should be sizing up drop bars? Wait! Don't answer that just yet. There is more! 

You also have the burgeoning bikepacking scene, and that element of riding has taken a lot of cues from mountain biking. Mountain biking has evolved a LOT since I started riding in the late 1980's when a "wide" flat bar was 660mm. That grew as the 90's came to a close and as the 2000's drew to a close we were looking at handle bars in the 700mm width range and beyond. Take a gander at most flat bar mountain bikes today and you are talking about 800mm handle bars. 

What?!! 

The Tumbleweed Big Dipper Bar in a 54cm width.

So, the drop bar off-roading bikepackers were looking at all of that and thinking, "Hey! Why is the widest flared drop bar a 46cm bar?" And then the next thing ya know we have these wider flared drops all the way up to 600mm in width, which, on the surface of it, doesn't sound all that crazy when flat bars are super-wide. But does that make sense for everybody? 

No, of course not! 

All of the above should illustrate that we are not going to get a straight answer to "How wide should your drop bars be?" because the real answer is a dissatisfying, "It depends". It depends on your body make-up, what you feel is right, how you ride, how you sit on a bike, pain management, riding time, terrain.... You get the picture. 

This is why there are a thousand saddles to choose from, several shoe lasts for different feet, helmets that are roundish, ovalish, and on and on. We need various widths of drop bars, and I - for one - am really excited that the flared drop bar idea spawned wider drop bar choices than 46cm. I am happy for those aero-freakazoids that want super-narrow bars. It's all necessary. 

Yes, necessary. Because if that helps riders feel comfortable, confident, and makes them want to ride, then good. If we have to swap out handlebars, there are lots of choices. Which, yes, can be paralyzing, but also good. Because if you have to get something different, or want to, you can.

So, as I review this Tumbleweed Big Dipper Bar, I am going to look at it from the lens of what it is intended for, (obviously not track racing!), and how something this wide might be, or might not be, a good thing for bikepacking. And of course, I'll throw a little gravel dust thinking on top. 

Stay tuned......

Friday News And Views

It's been 9 years now....

Blackborow DS Nine Year Anniversary:

Those Facebook memories posts sure come in handy some days! Just this week I was reminded of my acquisition of a new fat bike. The Blackborow DS.

A lot of people were stoked about the Forest Service Green color, the very fat tires on 100mm rims, and thought the "dingle-speed" drive train was neat. That said, I don't see many images of these and when I do, they are almost always geared now. 

The dingle-speed bit was genius, I thought, after I had it awhile, and I would never gear this bike. It came from a specific idea: Beach riding in Alaska. Of course, that makes sense, but obviously, not many people would care for this set-up. So I completely understand the conversions to geared set-ups that people have done to these. 

My Blackborow DS is relatively unchanged. I did put a carbon Jones H-Bar on it, but that's about it. Otherwise it is stock, as delivered, and I still have the flat bar it came with along with the lock-on grips. There really is no reason to change much here. This bike is nearly perfect. Perfect for the specific job it is meant for, that is. And for what I want out of it, so there is that as well.

There is an image here posted from the day I received it and built it up. It started snowing around here shortly afterward and 2014 was a pretty decent Winter for fat biking. Not as good as some years, but not terrible. I do remember taking this out on Thanksgiving morning in some fresh snow and having an awesome ride.

I'll have more to say about this bike in my upcoming, end-of-year "Bikes of 2023" posts, which start in a couple of weeks or so. Stay tuned....

GCN App, GCN+ To Shutter In December:

News broke on Wednesday morning this week that the GCN App and GCN+ Network of cycling racing content was shutting down on December 19th. (Read GCN's statement HERE) 

Apparently this was a decision based upon the parent company of GCN, Warner Brothers Discovery. Coverage of Pro racing will continue on Eurosport TV and Discovery+. No plans for how GCN+ viewers in the US can see coverage have been announced yet. 

Comments: I do not watch Pro racing at all, since I am not interested in it much. I'll read about racing, but watching it, a lot of times, is less than exciting. But hey! Some people love it and this news may be a big bummer for some. According to the comments I've seen, there is a fair amount of dismay because many felt that, in the four years that GCN was covering Pro racing, that they did a really great job. Apparently Eurosport and Discovery+ are "too commercialized" and rife with content cycling fans do not want to see.

How's Your Inbox Doing?

If your inbox for email is anything like mine, your inbox is getting pummeled with sales announcements. The discounting pre-Black Friday is already pretty amazing. What will it be like a week from now? 40% off? Half off? 

I did get one email from a well-known UK based purveyor of cycling gear with offers of "up to 60% off" already. It's crazy, and I won't be surprised to see that some others match that, or come close to it.

While you may be numb to all of this, I want to remind everyone that this sort of deep discounting is unprecedented and generally in the realm of a "going out of business sale. Not a Holiday promotion level of discounting. 

So, I will be very surprised if we don't see companies announcing closures, sales/consolidations, or bankruptcies going into 2024. Especially if consumer apathy toward buying continues. I will also be super-surprised if we see anything coming close to these sorts of discounts again for a long time. 

We will see soon enough......

Image courtesy of Tumbleweed Bicycle Co.

Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. Announces New Flared Drop Bar:

On Wednesday of this past week, Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. dropped a new handle bar. Called the Big Dipper Bar, it is a wide, flared drop bar designed for their Stargazer bicycle which is a bikepacking bike. 

The bar is notable for its width at a starting point of 51cm! There are three widths available: 51cm, 54cm, and a 57cm. The other notable dimension here is the reach, which is a very minimal 50mm. (Measured from the stem clamp area) 

Flared at 20°, the bar should provide copious amounts of arm/wrist clearance when in the drops. The 385 (claimed weight) bar is available in a black anodized finish for now with a polished silver option to come. Price is set at $115.00USD.

Comments: I'd gotten wind of this handlebar's imminent appearance back in early October. It is a specific purpose bar in that it is wide enough to have a bar bag nestle between the hoods and it does require a short stem in most cases to accommodate that wider stance on the hoods. 

My widest drop bar that I've ever used is the Ragley Luxy Bar which is about 60cm where I have my hands in the drops on those wildly swept extensions. So, I guess a wider hoods placement is okay. But the Luxy Bar hoods position is 44cm, so that's quite a lot of variance between hand positions with that bar. Of course, you wouldn't have all that bar bag space with a Luxy as you would with a Big Dipper Bar. 

Tumbleweed sent me this 54cm wide Big Dipper Bar to review

I just received a 54cm version of this handlebar for review. (Standard Disclaimer) So, I'll have my thoughts about this handle bar coming up for you soon. I've never tried one of these wider flared drops like the PNW one or this new Tumbleweed offering. I understand that the shorter reach is supposed to help with the width, and as I stated, I already am somewhat used to "wide" in terms of hand position with the Luxy Bar. This handle bar is going on my Singular Gryphon Mk3 for now. Stay tuned....

That's all for this week! Have a fantastic weekend and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!