Alan W Dolbeer
Active Member
Does any one know if the stock V20 bar can be obtained in a narrower width? I am thinking approx 30mm less overall width would be about perfect for me. Thanks.
Stock V20 bar available in different widths?
- Thread starter Alan W Dolbeer
- Start date
Alan W Dolbeer
Active Member
By the lack of responses I assume that a narrower stock bar simply is not available. Only asked in case I missed that a narrower bar had become an option. I read that Ratz used an Origin 8 Gary bar which also has flare at the ends. Unsure exactly what dimensions are presently available in the Origin 8 bar but that seems like a possible option.
I am fairly pleased with the stock bars so don't want a major change in hand position(s). Only considering what incremental change I could make to a marginally narrower bar to improve aerodynamics without hurting climbing. (Climbing is important here in N GA where I routinely ride with groups of DF bikes.)
I did see the curved slider option to lower the bars 40mm but I use the underboom waterbottle mount with minimum spacers on the top of the steer tube. This has the bars low already and I figure the curved slider would put the bars so low as to hinder water bottle access on my V20.
Anyway, I have conducted some Cruzbike forum searches and in depth discussions by those who have tried the stock and other bars has eluded me. Though I did see one reference that Ratz had posted on handlebar testing I never found the post. Thanks for any suggestions.
I am fairly pleased with the stock bars so don't want a major change in hand position(s). Only considering what incremental change I could make to a marginally narrower bar to improve aerodynamics without hurting climbing. (Climbing is important here in N GA where I routinely ride with groups of DF bikes.)
I did see the curved slider option to lower the bars 40mm but I use the underboom waterbottle mount with minimum spacers on the top of the steer tube. This has the bars low already and I figure the curved slider would put the bars so low as to hinder water bottle access on my V20.
Anyway, I have conducted some Cruzbike forum searches and in depth discussions by those who have tried the stock and other bars has eluded me. Though I did see one reference that Ratz had posted on handlebar testing I never found the post. Thanks for any suggestions.
ratz
Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Sorry Alan, best intentions got diverted....
This is the one you are looking for.
http://cruzbike.com/forum/threads/bullhorn-and-dropbar-options.7014/page-10#post-121388
You sound like a candidate for Salsa Woodchippers or the Midge on-one. In the states the Salsa's will be the cheaper option; bringing Midge's in from the UK is expensive with ⅔'s of the cost in the shipping. The Salsa's you have to cut the end off the drops the Midge's you don't. I consider the Midge the better bar if you have large thighs. Both will get your hands inward, reduce the leverage which I think is good, and they are fine for climbing. I was testing the Midges on the 18% grades here in town and I had no problem and they worked better than the Gary-2 did. On the Gary's my thumbs when grasping the drops hit my thigh. On the midges they do not.
I was waiting on having some photos ready before commenting on your thread here. Alas the Washing-machine went boom today and what was suppose to be a rainy photography day turned into disgusting look what the previous owners left us in the washer pump day.
Photos are coming of the Cowchippers on a v20; the Midge's on a v20, and the Salsa's on an S30. But so is a business trip; and a customer's building burned this weekend so I might be a tad delayed getting to until unless I need a pychic break this week.
In the meantime here's a video I wasn't planning on putting up; of pedaling on the Midge-ons when I was testing clearances.
This is the one you are looking for.
http://cruzbike.com/forum/threads/bullhorn-and-dropbar-options.7014/page-10#post-121388
You sound like a candidate for Salsa Woodchippers or the Midge on-one. In the states the Salsa's will be the cheaper option; bringing Midge's in from the UK is expensive with ⅔'s of the cost in the shipping. The Salsa's you have to cut the end off the drops the Midge's you don't. I consider the Midge the better bar if you have large thighs. Both will get your hands inward, reduce the leverage which I think is good, and they are fine for climbing. I was testing the Midges on the 18% grades here in town and I had no problem and they worked better than the Gary-2 did. On the Gary's my thumbs when grasping the drops hit my thigh. On the midges they do not.
I was waiting on having some photos ready before commenting on your thread here. Alas the Washing-machine went boom today and what was suppose to be a rainy photography day turned into disgusting look what the previous owners left us in the washer pump day.
Photos are coming of the Cowchippers on a v20; the Midge's on a v20, and the Salsa's on an S30. But so is a business trip; and a customer's building burned this weekend so I might be a tad delayed getting to until unless I need a pychic break this week.In the meantime here's a video I wasn't planning on putting up; of pedaling on the Midge-ons when I was testing clearances.
Alan W Dolbeer
Active Member
Good stuff Bob!
Thanks so much for taking time to respond. Think I will look into the Salsa Woodchipper.
Yeah I am busy too. Life just gets in the way of riding and so do my long work trips.
Thanks so much for taking time to respond. Think I will look into the Salsa Woodchipper.
Yeah I am busy too. Life just gets in the way of riding and so do my long work trips.
Alan W Dolbeer
Active Member
ratz,
One more question when you have the time: What are the widths (in cm) of the Salsa and Midge bars in your picture? I zoomed in on the pics but did not see the number. Thanks.
One more question when you have the time: What are the widths (in cm) of the Salsa and Midge bars in your picture? I zoomed in on the pics but did not see the number. Thanks.
ratz
Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Wood Chipper was the 46cm
Cowchipper was the 46cm
The Midge there is only one side, they describe in detail: Geometry: width at the ends - 554mm - centre/centre. Width of flat section or tops - 375mm Overall drop - 112mm centre/centre. Sweep forward - 64.5mm centre/centre (from centre of bar clamp to centre of tube at the front. Flare at ends - 113deg. Finish - black anodised with lazer logos. ID at ends (for bar end shifter users) - 19.8mm. Brake Lever clamp size on main bit of bar - 23.8 (road lever clamp standard)
When I photograph them on the bikes I'll be throwing a tape measure on them.
Alan W Dolbeer
Active Member
Thanks Bob.
One of the two Salsa bars ought to work for me. I am 5'8" and 150lbs. I have around 1.5" forward clearance to my legs from the stock bar and at least 0.75" lateral clearance to the brifter hoods. The brifter levers stick well out left and right of the stock bar. I expect the brifters would be angled more upright with either of the Salsa bars. Anyway, will have to think on the decision. And I will watch for your pics before making the purchase.
One of the two Salsa bars ought to work for me. I am 5'8" and 150lbs. I have around 1.5" forward clearance to my legs from the stock bar and at least 0.75" lateral clearance to the brifter hoods. The brifter levers stick well out left and right of the stock bar. I expect the brifters would be angled more upright with either of the Salsa bars. Anyway, will have to think on the decision. And I will watch for your pics before making the purchase.
ratz
Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
With an assist from her royal pluckiness in the cold garage I have the measurements posted in the handlebar thread.
Alan W Dolbeer
Active Member
Those measurements are just what I needed. Will compare them with the stock bar (my baseline setup) to figure out which one to buy. The Woodchipper is out due to canting the brifters inward. Midge On-one seems most likely now, with the Cowchipper a close option B if adjusting for the shorter reach (of the bar) will not be a problem. Thanks to you and your other half for providing the data in the other thread. Cheers.
Alan W Dolbeer
Active Member
I finally had a chance to measure my stock V20 bars today (after working away from the V20 for the last 4 weeks). Using Bob's measurement scheme from the other thread (http://cruzbike.com/forum/threads/bullhorn-and-dropbar-options.7014/page-10#post-121388 ) , A=18", B=17", C=11.5", D=7", E=4.5". The Midge On-One seems best in my case so I have placed my order. The Cowchipper was disqualified due to the fact that I don't think I could adjust for the shorter reach and keep my legs from hitting the bar.
Alan W Dolbeer
Active Member
I now have the Midge On-One bars on the V20. Slight improvement in hand position. I figured the reach difference for the Midge would be 1.25" shorter than the stock bar. It actually was about 0.75" on my bike. The boom bottomed out in the first 0.25" of adjustment so I moved the crank out another 0.5" to get the reach right. A 60 mile ride this morning and I think the extra 0.5" of distance to the crank is OK, though any further would lead to my legs over extending.
I am trying to figure out if I would benefit by lowering the bars. I have posted two pics below. The first with hands in the drops and the second with hands on the hoods. My hand position looks high on the hoods. IE above my shoulders, though does not feel too bad when riding.
Have any of you tried the optional curved slider on your V20s? If so, are you still able to easily access a water bottle from the under slider mounting position?
Thanks for any comments and suggestions.
Alan
I am trying to figure out if I would benefit by lowering the bars. I have posted two pics below. The first with hands in the drops and the second with hands on the hoods. My hand position looks high on the hoods. IE above my shoulders, though does not feel too bad when riding.
Have any of you tried the optional curved slider on your V20s? If so, are you still able to easily access a water bottle from the under slider mounting position?
Thanks for any comments and suggestions.
Alan
Hi Alan,
Maria has been using the curved slider with a water bottle mount for the past year with no complaints. I just took it off her V20 because she wanted to test a long chainstay, and with that installed, she needed to go to a straight slider.
Here is a picture of her curved slider with bottle cage:
I agree your hands look a little high on the hoods. Before going to a curved slider, I would suggest rolling the handlebars down just a bit. You may need to re-position the brifters. I always wait to tape the bar so I can make adjustments after riding some miles.
When you say the boom "bottomed out" did the boom hit the tap for the cage bolts in the slider? I cut about 5 inches off the boom on Maria's bike. I can still use her boom and I'm 6'2", so no worries. The boom is made really long to fit really tall people, but feel free to cut off what you don't need as long as you still have a few inches for clamping. Just file the cut end to smooth the edges. It's really important to get the cranks, handlebars, and headrest all dialed in. You are on the right track.
Jim
Maria has been using the curved slider with a water bottle mount for the past year with no complaints. I just took it off her V20 because she wanted to test a long chainstay, and with that installed, she needed to go to a straight slider.
Here is a picture of her curved slider with bottle cage:
I agree your hands look a little high on the hoods. Before going to a curved slider, I would suggest rolling the handlebars down just a bit. You may need to re-position the brifters. I always wait to tape the bar so I can make adjustments after riding some miles.
When you say the boom "bottomed out" did the boom hit the tap for the cage bolts in the slider? I cut about 5 inches off the boom on Maria's bike. I can still use her boom and I'm 6'2", so no worries. The boom is made really long to fit really tall people, but feel free to cut off what you don't need as long as you still have a few inches for clamping. Just file the cut end to smooth the edges. It's really important to get the cranks, handlebars, and headrest all dialed in. You are on the right track.
Jim
Alan W Dolbeer
Active Member
Jim,
Thanks for your response.
Rotating the bars is a good suggestion. The only reason I have them where they are was for the angle of grip on the "drops", though I have not tried them further down yet as you suggested. I will try the bar rotated lower.
The boom bottomed on a solid stop, I had not thought that it was due to the bottle cage tap but that must be it. A cut and file will be in order when I have time to disassemble the bike. And once I have decided if a curved slider would be right for my bike.
The curved slider pic you posted appears to have an aftermarket cage mount. Is it not tapped to mount a bottle cage as the curved slider now available on the accessory page?
BTW, I just want to say that I thoroughly enjoy both my Cruzbikes. Yesterday I rode the Silvio 1.5 on a 60 mile group ride. Today I rode approx the same distance solo and at higher intensity on the V20. Friday a week ago I rode just short of 100 miles solo on the V20, the furthest I have ridden since entering full time field service work nearly 10 years ago. The V20 is so efficient that I can ride further and faster than I would have ever thought possible with such limited miles in my legs. Both bikes are keepers.
Thanks for your response.
Rotating the bars is a good suggestion. The only reason I have them where they are was for the angle of grip on the "drops", though I have not tried them further down yet as you suggested. I will try the bar rotated lower.
The boom bottomed on a solid stop, I had not thought that it was due to the bottle cage tap but that must be it. A cut and file will be in order when I have time to disassemble the bike. And once I have decided if a curved slider would be right for my bike.
The curved slider pic you posted appears to have an aftermarket cage mount. Is it not tapped to mount a bottle cage as the curved slider now available on the accessory page?
BTW, I just want to say that I thoroughly enjoy both my Cruzbikes. Yesterday I rode the Silvio 1.5 on a 60 mile group ride. Today I rode approx the same distance solo and at higher intensity on the V20. Friday a week ago I rode just short of 100 miles solo on the V20, the furthest I have ridden since entering full time field service work nearly 10 years ago. The V20 is so efficient that I can ride further and faster than I would have ever thought possible with such limited miles in my legs. Both bikes are keepers.
ReklinedRider
Zen MBB Master
Alternative to cutting the boom:
I was leery of cutting the boom so instead I drilled out the threaded inserts for the cage mount on the boom; easy to adjust the boom/slider now. Of course I lost the option for a braze on(?) cage but I was and still am ok with that. Maybe the extra weight on the boom wouldn't result in more front end flop but I like it without the bottle there anyway.
It's getting hot enough now that more fluid carrying capacity will be needed soon for even modest rides; to offset the loss of the boom mount I have the 'Joe Weissert system' on hand ready to mount.
I was leery of cutting the boom so instead I drilled out the threaded inserts for the cage mount on the boom; easy to adjust the boom/slider now. Of course I lost the option for a braze on(?) cage but I was and still am ok with that. Maybe the extra weight on the boom wouldn't result in more front end flop but I like it without the bottle there anyway.
It's getting hot enough now that more fluid carrying capacity will be needed soon for even modest rides; to offset the loss of the boom mount I have the 'Joe Weissert system' on hand ready to mount.
Dave Arnold
Active Member
Alan,
It looks like you have some cargo bag attached under your seat?? Do you mind sharing what that is? How does it work?
Alan W Dolbeer
Active Member
It is a Fastback frame bag. I cut the velcro straps off of the bag and used pop rivets with backing washers to permanently attach the bag to the seat. The bag has been working well for me as I am a bit of a minimalist and don't carry much cargo when riding. Normally I carry a multi tool, CO2 inflator with a couple of cartridges, one or two spare tubes, one energy bar, perhaps some electrolyte tablets, and an iPhone 5s. Not room for much else.
Attachments
Last edited:
Alan W Dolbeer
Active Member
Today I marked the slider and boom where I figured they needed to be set for desired arm and leg reach. Then cut approx 4.5" off the boom. During reassembly, I adjusted the boom in 7/8" (bringing crank closer and higher), the slider forward 1/2" moving the handlebars further away. The handlebar ended up 1/2" lower due to the boom in adjustment. I also rotated the handlebar forward just a bit. Leg reach feels good. Hand positions are still higher than desired but better than before. Arm reach feels about perfect on the hoods and better in the drops. Looking forward to my next ride.
Also I decided to weigh the bike after the recent changes. Weight is now 24.6lbs, including pedals, Ventisit seat pad, three water bottle cages and the gear bag (empty). This is about 2lbs lighter than my Silvio 1.5 outfitted with similar accessories.
Also I decided to weigh the bike after the recent changes. Weight is now 24.6lbs, including pedals, Ventisit seat pad, three water bottle cages and the gear bag (empty). This is about 2lbs lighter than my Silvio 1.5 outfitted with similar accessories.
Dave Arnold
Active Member
Thanks Alan...I will take a look at that bag.
Regarding your hand position being too high: Do you have good visibility over the handlebars and down the boom so you can clearly see obstacles in the road just in front of the wheel? If not, you might want to consider the CB curved slider. I bought one and it improved my visibility and lowered my bars slightly.
Alan W Dolbeer
Active Member
Dave, My sight line is above the straight section of the handle bar and I can see above and look slightly down on the top of the slider and boom. So OK there. You don't see the road real close to the front wheel but near enough at the speeds the V20 is designed to maintain IMHO.
I plan to evaluate the V20 with the new Midge bar and adjustments for a couple of months. If I still want my hands lower, I may spring for the curved slider later. I actually have the bar quite high on the Silvio 1.5 as I must have it there to clear the tops of my legs. Otherwise I would have lowered the handlebar on the Silvio. I still have more than enough top leg clearance on the V20, though lowering the bar by 40mm might get it very near the tops of my legs. I would need to verify if I have at least 40mm clearance before buying the curved slider.
Do you use a water bottle mounted using the cage bolts in the curved slider on your V20? If so, it is hard to get the bottle in and out of the cage? Thanks.
I plan to evaluate the V20 with the new Midge bar and adjustments for a couple of months. If I still want my hands lower, I may spring for the curved slider later. I actually have the bar quite high on the Silvio 1.5 as I must have it there to clear the tops of my legs. Otherwise I would have lowered the handlebar on the Silvio. I still have more than enough top leg clearance on the V20, though lowering the bar by 40mm might get it very near the tops of my legs. I would need to verify if I have at least 40mm clearance before buying the curved slider.
Do you use a water bottle mounted using the cage bolts in the curved slider on your V20? If so, it is hard to get the bottle in and out of the cage? Thanks.
