Monark Posted November 12, 2015 Share On One and Salsa made epic CX bars... the flare makes the world of difference Underachiever 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryanpmb Posted November 12, 2015 Share Get some top of bar Tektro levers which allows you to brake from the flat section of the drops. It helps when on single track and descents to keep your weight back. Normally you would be in the drops to have your hands on the brake levers so your weight is very far forward. This brings you up a bit and makes the OTB less of a risk. +1 for the bars - you can get 460mm bars - i imported a set - they make a difference. Many will advise otherwise... You should be in the drops on the technical, gnarly, fast stuff. If the bike is setup properly this is the safest place to ride these sections. Low centre of gravity, widest part of the bars. The wrong place to be riding is up top on the flats. Cross tops are a solution to a problem that's created by using the wrong position of the bar. Leave them to the wannabe hipsters and their so called fixies... There are obviously exceptions to this should a rider for whatever reason not be able to/ be comfortable in the drops. But I would advise these riders rather to use proper flat bars then... Edited November 12, 2015 by Ryanpmb Paul Ruinaard, Monark and the nerd 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Ruinaard Posted November 12, 2015 Share Many will advise otherwise... You should be in the drops on the technical, gnarly, fast stuff. If the bike is setup properly this is the safest place to ride these sections. Low centre of gravity, widest part of the bars. The wrong place to be riding is up top on the flats. Cross tops are a solution to a problem that's created by using the wrong position of the bar. Leave them to the wannabe hipsters and their so called fixies... There are obviously exceptions to this should a rider for whatever reason not be able to/ be comfortable in the drops. But I would advise these riders rather to use proper flat bars then...Hmm, By raising the stem and bars are you not effectively raising the CoG anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryanpmb Posted November 12, 2015 Share Hmm, By raising the stem and bars are you not effectively raising the CoG anyway? Marginally. I'm referring to a 5 - 10mm lift to accommodate comfort issues that may arise, eliminating the 'balls out' aero position in the drops if compared to a road bike setup. I'm not saying lift the drops position to something similar to where the flats would be. Further to this, to perhaps explain the reasoning to ride in the drops on the technical stuff some more, your hands are simply wider apart offering more control. Up top on the flat section - you're effectively riding offroad with a 35cm wide bar... It's one of those things where one needs to understand the guidelines but then still tweak to their own personal preferences. But cross top brakes just don't make sense to me in terms addressing a setup issue. Underachiever 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underachiever Posted November 12, 2015 Share ....relative to?Not sure what your question mean FB? You get best practice w.r.t. saddle height, saddle position (knee distance behind pedal axle), saddle tilt. So all 4 bikes are practically identical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monark Posted November 12, 2015 Share All of my bikes are different because I want a different 'feel' on each one. Do some research on proper CX setup... it is not a roadie setup and not an MTB setup... it is however a hybrid of the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underachiever Posted November 12, 2015 Share Sounds about right re the shorter stem. A few other key differences, I've found between my 'normal' road setup and what I like on a cross/ adventure bike... Slightly higher bars - so a slight lift/ rise (spacer on the steerer or rise on the stem). will start with your 5-10mm increase suggestion.Wider bars - a flare can help here but I run standard 44cm road bars. Guys like the flare for the extra width and control. Ah, missed this one. Currently have a 42cm - as per the road bike. Shallow drop (you may run this on the road setup already). Yep, have the Niner shallow drop The combination of shorter stem, wider bars and shallow drop makes me feel very in control of things offroad - I ride in the drops most of the time when things get fast or a bit tricky (single track etc). :thumbup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOOK695 Posted November 12, 2015 Share All of my bikes are different because I want a different 'feel' on each one. Do some research on proper CX setup... it is not a roadie setup and not an MTB setup... it is however a hybrid of the two.But surely your saddle height should be the same? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monark Posted November 12, 2015 Share Actually no because I run different saddles and seat posts.... they all have different heights and fixing points, on some of the bikes the geometry is different so the BB is in a different position..... if you take the time to compare there is always a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Boab Posted November 12, 2015 Share Not sure what your question mean FB? You get best practice w.r.t. saddle height, saddle position (knee distance behind pedal axle), saddle tilt. So all 4 bikes are practically identical. I was alluding to exactly what you suggest. From my roadie experience (priceless.... ), the desired and consistent result of fitting should be a consistent knee relative to pedal axle. Not for TT though. Don't know what a MTB fitting target would be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryanpmb Posted November 12, 2015 Share But surely your saddle height should be the same? Unless you enter a #Enduro event on your CX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryanpmb Posted November 12, 2015 Share :thumbup: No hassle re the 42cm bar... just means you'll be super fast! Underachiever 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underachiever Posted November 12, 2015 Share No hassle re the 42cm bar... just means you'll be super fast!Hopefully not superfast OTB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underachiever Posted November 12, 2015 Share All of my bikes are different because I want a different 'feel' on each one. Do some research on proper CX setup... it is not a roadie setup and not an MTB setup... it is however a hybrid of the two.I am a roadie for 32 years and a MTB'er for 7, so you can gather that I am quite old. So I am no racing snake looking for podium positions all of the time. Also a pragmatic perfectionist, so although not perfect, the similar saddle set-up works for me - and prevent my old knee problem flairing up. I've changed the cockpit set-up for each bike to get the "feel" right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monark Posted November 12, 2015 Share Yeah me too, old rugby injury.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underachiever Posted November 12, 2015 Share http://www.colbypearce.com/fitting-a-cyclocross-bike/ Google is so knowledgeable :-) One of many good articles for a Cx noob like myself... This article assumes you gonna race Cx, which we sadly cannot do, but give you a very good idea on the different dynamics in play. Edited November 12, 2015 by Underachiever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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