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Have been constantly fiddling with the handlebars on my Superfly to find something that's a little more CX than just some choppped down flat bars.
I tried some trekking/butterfly bars which seemed to offer all the positions of a set of drops (bar the 'drop'...) but on 2hr+ rides I ended up with some weird pins and needles going on in my hands which I've not had before. They were also really heavy and put the brakes in the least effective place for racing.
The Mary Bar looks like it would put your hands somewhere between the position of a flat bar and the position of the hoods of a drop, so probably worth a try. Might double wrap them in case the pins and needles was just a vibration thing. They'e also quite wide so I'd probably try and chop them down as narrow as grips/brakes permit.
Anyone running a set and care to comment?
Ta
I tried some years ago and they did not work for me. Angle was just too in between.
Jones bars were better, more comfortable and the increased angulation worked better.
Ergon grips with the integrated bar ends allow you to hold the bars with wrists in a comfortable position while retaining a normal bar. Probably my favourite solution..
Flared drops also work well
Entirely personal (I've used them) but I'd always want drops, Woodchoppers off road.
I'm using Fleegle Pros on my El Mar, absolutely perfext when used with Ergon grips. They are set up low so it's still quick.
P-X Geoff bars are cheap H-bar clones - get them angled correctly and use Ergon angled grips for supreme comfort
I used to run Mary bars upside down they were super comfy
I tried the Mary bars on my fat bike - didn't really get on with them. They felt pretty narrow and the angle isn't suitable for the standard MTB ready/attack position nor the more motorbike style grip used with the Jones.
It's worth noting that many of these alternate bars are better with a more upright riding position rather than the mode du jour of a slammed stem. Before the Marys I had a set of Jones Loop bars on the fat bike but the previous owner of the bike was a little shorter than me and had cut the steerer a bit short so the bars were too low. I've now got the Jones SG Riser bars fitted and the extra 2.5" of height makes them ideal.
Thanks all, I saw some pictures elsewhere and began to wonder if they were really suited to aggressive elbows out racing!
I'm mostly trying to figure out why my hands are now getting uncomfortable on flat bars, when fundamentally nothing has changed in my set up.
Wondering if it's simply because I don't actually ride the flat barred bike very often and my hands have just gotten used to being on the hoods of a road bike. Might just persevere with standard flats and see if I get used to them again, maybe with some new padded gloves.
Ergon grips with the integrated bar ends
I have these but they're unfortunately banned in Scottish CX races! I have the MTB ones too which have less of a 'paddle' at the end but are slightly softer and no bar-end. Also tried fat ESI silicone grips.
First, this is well worth checking out: http://whatbars.com/
As for Mary's, it's down to personal preference. I have them on my single speed/commuter and love them, so much so that I've been considering removing the drops from my Arkose and putting some Mary's on that too.
Flared drops are nice, but I still find it strange that the wide position that you want to use when on techy stuff (i.e. the drops) is low, and the narrow aero position (i.e. hoods) is high. Seems backwards to me.
I think gravel/all-road/adventure riding needs a totally different design of bars. The closest I've seen are these:
It’s worth noting that many of these alternate bars are better with a more upright riding position rather than the mode du jour of a slammed stem.
Not sure I agree, mine are quite low. But then, they aren't super high sweep either.
👆 Velo Orange, Crazy Bar is for "These are rated for touring/gravel not singletrack." so maybe not racing CX. Plus if bar ends are banned for racing, those Crazy 'bars should be! Be a bramble / branch magnet too.
The pins and needles thing could well be to do with your overall position rather than the bars. Try moving the seat back a tad so that more weight is supported by your sit bones rather than "falling forwards" and having too much weight on your hands.
Good point, I've just set it up to mimic the approx reach of my road bikes, will have a look at saddle position and maybe get a shorter stem if it moves back too much.
I'd say yes that would work.
I have them on fs and hardtail
The hard tail had slicks for a few years and was my gravel bike. I found the wrist angle good. Riding on the bend produces quite a good tuck. Your hands are higher bit further forward. I had big squishy grips
While on this subject, what are the alternatives to a Mary that aren't way more expensive?
I'm looking for something more swept back than a Mary (Mary's are 40 deg sweep I think, so I'm looking for at least 45, perhaps 55 deg.)
There's the Surly Open bar, Jones Bend, Soma Sparrow, but all £50+
There are a couple of cheaper things from Humbert at SJS, but I'm not sure how well city bars will handle offroad riding, even gentle stuff...
Id try the Mary bars as they are cheap enough. I mounted a couple of bar ends (mid bar on the curves) and taped them up, gives another few hand positions as well. I rode about 20,000km with a pair on a Surly Troll and thought they were excellent, and for the money comparable to the Jones they are well worth a punt. The one thing I would change would be to make them maybe 30mm wider overall, apart from that, excellent.
On-One OG bars are another option - slightly wider and slightly more sweep. Then there’s the On-One Geoff bar mentioned above - it’s a Jones copy at a fraction of the price.