Straight Bar Bliss

Bontrager Pilot's View
Originally uploaded by jimgskoop

This weekend, I rode my MTB for the first time since March 2008. I've been riding my cyclocross bike off-road since then. I'd really forgotten how much more comfortable straight bars with bar ends (and good v-brake levers!) are...admittedly they don't feel as efficient on-road, but they are SO much more confidence-boosting when the going gets sketchy! The fact that the brake levers are mounted on the rear-most part of the control-interface greatly facilitates shifting your weight back behind the saddle during tricky technical descents.

Now I'm thinking I might convert my CX bike to the same flat-bar + bar-end setup...sort of like a "lightweight" 29er, or an "aggro" hybrid! I've got a spare flat handlebar, but I'd need to get the bar ends, grips, v-brake levers, and some 8spd shifters (Gripshift, preferably!). Hmm...I wonder if I'd need a different stem as well? At the least, maybe I'll try out a set of in-line levers on the tops of the drop bars, although it seems to me that strong braking from the tops of drop bars might feel too "narrow" to be stable during the sketchy stuff.

At any rate, food for thought, and another bike-project to add to the (ever-growing) list!