Mountain Drop vs Gravel Set Up

litcrazy wrote:I really like the set-up on my cross turned gravel bike but I'm doing a drop bar conversion on my rigid Salsa Ala Carte.
I plan to use the Ala Carte as my geared mountain bike and on long gravel/bikepacking rides when 38mm tires aren't enough.
My motives include a desire for more hand positions when bikepacking in order to prevent numbness and the ability to get into a more gravel/road position when biking to trailheads for my local  New Mexico single-track. 

For mountain bike duty, I'll run big 26" x 2.4-2.5" chunky tires. For gravel, I'll run 27.5" x 54mm Gravelkings SKs. 

So what to do about the handlebars?

I have two questions for folks who have set up one bike for both gravel and a drop bar mountain bike.

1) Having read through many forums I have a clear sense of the "right" way to set up a drop bar mountain bike so that the hooks are in the same position I had using On One Mary's. This creates one really good position but seems to create two issues: a) I loose the ability to get lower when facing a headwind or generate more power. b) The tops/hoods/ramps seem a bit too high to be fully useful.

So how high are folks setting up their bars on drop-bar mountain/gravel mash-ups? How are folks managing this compromise relative to their road and "gravel" positions? 

2) Is there a wide bar, sturdy enough for single track that has a tighter top radius than the Salsa Cowchippers? I like the position on the hoods and hooks of the Cowchippers, but the large radius on the top turn means the ramps and tops are much less comfortable for me than other compact bars such as the Soma Highway One and Spank Wing 12. Would the Spank Flare 25 or Pro Discover 30 be better on this front? I find this a bit hard to deduce from reviews and want a bar that provide the most useable hand positions possible. 

Thanks!!!

I do use the hoods for some climbing, gripping the sides, thumbs over the top.
I also mount my levers low on the bar (road, mixed, and mtb) so I can use one or two fingers for braking from the hooks. This provides a lower position on the hoods than on the ramps or tops.
Using one bike for MTB and gravel means making compromises. I would—and have— set the bar (Cowchipper) lower than for pure trail use and higher than road/gravel.
Headwinds? Bend your elbows more

shiggy wrote:

I have used dropbars off road for 37 years. I use Cowchippers for road and mixed. On-One Midge for mtb. 
For MTBs the hooks is the power and control position. The hoods and tops are more of just a comfort/cruising/hand change position. 

 

I do use the hoods for some climbing, gripping the sides, thumbs over the top.
I also mount my levers low on the bar (road, mixed, and mtb) so I can use one or two fingers for braking from the hooks. This provides a lower position on the hoods than on the ramps or tops.
Using one bike for MTB and gravel means making compromises. I would—and have— set the bar (Cowchipper) lower than for pure trail use and higher than road/gravel.
Headwinds? Bend your elbows more

I'm smiling there because my old WTB off road drops in my old parts bin. Prior to my '81 StumpJumper we cobbled up off road bikes and for a while my '91 or '93 Fat Chance was a cobbled up pre-historic gravel bike. Home made micro drive and IIRC, the little slits in the Tom Slicks were less spooky than Specialized's big slick.

For the OP, these and the handlebar database on bikepacking.com might be helpful. Be mindful of a new era of drop bars with less drop than the popular Salsa bars I have. Nothing against the Salsas as much as I like the read and drop some might find extreme - Ritchey Venturemax....

http://yojimg.net/bike/web_tools/stem.php
https://whatbars.com

litcrazy wrote:Thanks for the input.
Shiggy's discussion of the compromises made in bar height echo what I'm experiencing. Too high and the flats, ramps, hoods aren't very comfortable and too low and the hooks feel sketching when descending. 
Looking at the Velo Orange Nouveau Rando Bar and the Salsa Cowchipper on What Bars really illustrates the different radius those bars have when seen from above. That's the curve that really reduces the usefulness of the flats and ramps for me on the Cowchippers.
Following Guitar Ted's advice I think I'm on the hunt for the Pro Discover 30 degree bars in a 44. I'll see if that gives me what I'm after.
I appreciate tapping into everyone's experience.