[tealy]

okay

 

[leeboh]

Well is it a road bike or a mt bike? Ever try to get aero on a mt bike? Suboptimal.

 

[life behind bars]

Drop bars offer a multitude of hand positions and some better ergonomics imo. A frame designed around drop bars eliminates the extra spacers and wonky stem angles as well.

 

[DIRTJUNKIE]

Wonky > my new favorite word.

What Tiretracks said sums it up.

 

[mtnbikej]

Mtn bikers are closet roadies.

 

[dbhammercycle]

To me, it seems counter intuitive to run a ton of spacers and a tall stem to get your bars up high so that they can then drop down near the top tube.

Why not run a flat bar with bar ends (or bullhorns) to get your hands in roughly the same position? This is simpler, stronger, and lighter.

What am I missing? Or is this just an Instagram fad?

I did this a few years ago with a high rise stem and woodchipper bars and it just didn't work for me. However, there are many it does seem to work for and who I am to tell them it looks odd? Ok, I don't think it looks odd, but the ride was odd and cramped for me. So, all that really says is that the frame I used wasn't right for dropbars. That said, I've seen a fair amount of uncut steer tubes on Crosschecks too. A few years ago I saw a custom fatty with drop bars and it was awesome. It can be done, the frame just needs the right geometry.

 

[rockerc]

Are we talking drop bars on an MTB?!? Why? Unless you're riding on trails that have no features, I cannot see the need or any reason to want them.

 

[cyclelicious]

Ride what makes you comfortable.

When I had a road bike I had to keep repositioning my hands from the drops to the hoods in order to get comfortable... But I spent most of my time in the "up right position". For touring I think the best thing about drop bars is they give you more hand positions. I much prefer mtb.

 

[deke505]

Mtn bikers are closet roadies.

Nice try but more like roadies wannabe mountain bikers

 

[mtnbikej]

Nice try but more like roadies wannabe mountain bikers

Then they would be riding road bikes with flat/riser bars.

 

[mack_turtle]

Drop bar mtb is not "all the rage." It is a sliver of a fringe among bikepackers, retrogrouches, and gravel racers.

 

[Harold]

Drop bar mtb is not "all the rage." It is a sliver of a fringe among bikepackers, retrogrouches, and gravel racers.

Pretty much this.

For long distance, nontechnical riding, drop bars are great. My commuter/touring bike/gravel bike has them. I've even ridden some easy singletrack on them. Nice thing about riding in the drops on dirt is that the extra bar length flexes quite a bit and provides some cushion, fwiw.

I do not like them when there's really technical terrain, though. I can't maneuver the bike over roots and rocks nearly as well. Which makes sense. A mtb fit for technical terrain is going to have a different fit than a true long distance bike.

And no, bar ends do not give the same position as drop bars. They're two totally different setups.

 

[jimbowho]

I guess I'm getting a tad dated because I remember back in the day drop bars were used in mountain bike, cross, and even downhill by very few Pros. The bars came in 25.4 and we're a bit longer. I raised an eyebrow for about eight seconds one time thinking about giving it a try and then my brow dropped and it was over.

 

[DIRTJUNKIE]

Another item that so many look at and put down in our community. What's the big deal? Ride what you want and what makes you happy. Who gives a crap what others think and if it's the cool hip thing to be using. I'm sure [most] of those that use them use them to have more hand positioning options and not to fit into a specific niche group of our community.

 

[Guest]

Another item that so many look at and put down in our community. What's the big deal? Ride what you want and what makes you happy. Who gives a crap what others think and if it's the cool hip thing to be using. I'm sure [most] of those that use them use them to have more hand positioning options and not to fit into a specific niche group of our community.

have a cookie.

 

[DIRTJUNKIE]

have a cookie.

Got milk?

 

[Rock]

Because some people get bored easily.

It's cool to watch.

 

[rockerc]

Pretty much this.

For long distance, nontechnical riding, drop bars are great. My commuter/touring bike/gravel bike has them. I've even ridden some easy singletrack on them. Nice thing about riding in the drops on dirt is that the extra bar length flexes quite a bit and provides some cushion, fwiw.

I do not like them when there's really technical terrain, though. I can't maneuver the bike over roots and rocks nearly as well. Which makes sense. A mtb fit for technical terrain is going to have a different fit than a true long distance bike.

And no, bar ends do not give the same position as drop bars. They're two totally different setups.

Exactly. I cannot imagine that you would have anything like enough control to ride safely and effectively in technical terrain. I guess because I have zero desire to ride on featureless terrain, the thought of using these is abhorrent to me I remember as a child a friend lent me his bike that had drops on and I hated them from way back then... Just couldn't get to grips with them... (HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! ...sorry)

 

[Clayncedar]

Mtb dropbars? Never seen that on anything but a cross bike where I am but rock gardens are the norm so there's that.

I don't understand how drop bars could work well on technical singletrack but all the power to those guys if they make it work.

 

[*OneSpeed*]

I raised an eyebrow for about eight seconds one time thinking about giving it a try and then my brow dropped and it was over.

Nice, an insiders look at the eyebrow action of jimbowho. there's a gem you don't get every day.