Hey all! I got the following question about the Junebug:
It's hard to tell from pictures and published numbers, but would something like this fall in between Salsa's Cowbell and Woodchipper? I'm running a Cowbell now, but I'd like a little more splay in the drops... I think? Woodchippers feel pretty good on the shop floor when I sit across the Fargo, but I'm concerned about the ergonomics of shifting (STI's, which I really like) out in the real world.
Answer: In comparisons of off-road drop bars, it is really hard, generally, to say a certain bar is "like" another, because most are so different from each other. The exception would be this bar, the On One Midge, and the original Origin 8 Gary Bar, (out of production). Those three bars are quite similar.
The Cowbell is most like a varying radius road drop bar with a slight flare, and the Woodchipper is a radically flared/swept drop bar with really odd hooks. If I was pressed to say where the Junebug fell in between those two bars, I would place it on a continuum closer to the Cowbell than the Woodchipper, but it isn't really like either one.
It sounds, by the description you give, that a Ragley Luxy Bar might have been the best alternative for you, but alas- they are no longer available. There are rumors it is going to be resurrected. There are also a couple of other rumored drop bars being talked about, but they are not close to reality as of now.
You might also be interested in the Gary Sweep OS Bar, which I reviewed here:
http://ridinggravel.com/components/origin-8-gary-sweep-os-bars-at-the-finish/