Loading…
texastutt wrote:Riding lower has a lot to do with flexablity. Two words: Bike Fit. If you have a proper bike fit, you will know what works, aero is always a factor I don't have my cross/gravel bike slammed as much as when I raced cross because as I've aged the ability to turn my head in the lower position has gotten more difficult, not being in the lower position as I'm still very flexible. But I have friends who are 20 years younger who don't have the same drop I have and they are stronger and faster. Don't do what others do, do what fits you.\n \nI agree 100%. I just like what Jeff Jones is preaching and it makes sense and it's actually pretty comfortable to ride that way. But he's definitely going against the grain LOL and I kind of respect that. I just wanted to pose a fun question and see how many people follow this advice.
Volsung wrote:Unpopular opinion- bike fits are a waste of money. \n \nI finally did one. I brought 2 bikes in (my fat bike and my gravel/commuter) and neither fit in the stand. They took my measurements and surprisingly after years of riding I had figured it out myself and they didn't change anything on my bike. \n \nHe did move my cleats, but then I got heel strikes on my chainstays so I moved them back. \n \nI use Jones bars on my fat bike. Getting the angle right can be tricky, as can stem length/rise. The only real way to do it is adjusting it yourself and trying different setups for a bunch of miles. \n \nAs for flexibility, I can almost put my palms on the ground when I touch my toes. I ride with 50+mm of headset spacers.\n \nI've heard so many people say, including several of my buddies, that Jones bars Rock but when it comes to climbing they suck. A lot of my friends will use Jones bars if they are bikepacking or riding long distances but for General mountain biking they put their flat bars back on. But I have done some tight single track with my Jones bars and I never felt like climbing was that bad on them so I don't know if that's just a personal opinion or if I'm special LOL.
I'm firmly in the drop bar camp as I really don't enjoy flat bars or Jones bars unless I'm riding mountain bike trails. I know Jones bars give you more positions, etc, but having tried them on my fat bike I knew they'd be lost on me for anything more road oriented. On a gravel bike or road bike I need to be able to get out of the wind and can't do that effectively with either flat or Jones bars. Good thing I really like drop bars, my favorite being the simple and cheap-ish Salsa Cowbell. I don't run quite as much drop as my road bike (maybe 2.75 inches vs 3.5 inches) but can spend hours in the drops if needed and have no discomfort. I guess I just don't like sitting upright.
Saying that - pick whatever floats your boat! If they work for you I think they're super cool bars.
chas wrote:When I am riding 20mph+, drop bars make a huge difference. But below 15mph, aero isn't much. It really depends on your graven speed (and wind)\n \nThe gravel ride I went on last night would have been that kind of average. It was nice smooth crushed gravel not much hills. The gravel that's around me a lot of times is big chunky Rock and there is a lot of hills and I don't hit those kind of speeds unless it's a smooth surface that is hard pack. I took my mountain bike with my Jones bars on last night's ride and that was just because I felt bad because the bike hadn't been seeing a lot of action LOL. I get that way sometimes I try to divide my riding between my bikes. I'm not sure if I could pick a clear favorite between these two bicycles
Sign in to reply — or claim your old account if you posted here before.