[Closed] On one midge bars

I am just building one up with some after liking them on my pompino, no pics till it's done though and I am waiting for wheels.

Going to use bar end shifters.

My roadbike

[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5029/5606229769_2cd105266a_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5029/5606229769_2cd105266a_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

Actually a 29er, but it's never been used as an mtb. I couldn't find a road frame that takes 2.35" Big Apples so I use this.

Currently with road tyres on:

[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7340/9221668555_b5a9071231_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7340/9221668555_b5a9071231_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/9221668555/ ]Untitled[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/paul_fulford/ ]paulfulford[/url], on Flickr

[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5505/9221656721_a11ecacdb1_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5505/9221656721_a11ecacdb1_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/9221656721/ ]Untitled[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/paul_fulford/ ]paulfulford[/url], on Flickr

[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/9221652499_98be9e36fc_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/9221652499_98be9e36fc_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_fulford/9221652499/ ]Untitled[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/paul_fulford/ ]paulfulford[/url], on Flickr

Epicyclo - No Pompinos anymore? I've been researching them recently, and your STW posts come up time and again; especially those with the SA hubs... Loving your work.

Drofluf - That Singular is gorgeous.

Terrible pictures, an' I'm not sure you'll get much from them, but ...

Condor Fratrello:
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MBK HPF:
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Singular Peregrine (granted it's not a road bike [i]as such[/i], but it does do quite a bit of road work).
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For completeness only (as it's not even pretending to be a 'road' bike 🙄 ) Singular Gryphon:

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I can't get on with 'normal' drops, however wide they are - I have an issue with the 'vertical' drop - but I find the angle of the drops on these make for really comfortable bars ...

Everything (with gears) is set up with Cane Creek cross-top levers, and Dura-Ace BL7700 bar-end shifters - the road bikes are 2 x 8, so they are set up for friction shifting, (which I prefer anyway).

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Singlespeed. kojak slicks & 7 mile commute

Handles like a dream in that friday night city traffic 😀

@OCB How does the Gryphon compare with the Peregrine in terms of handling and ride?

Thinking of a pair of these for my Scandal 29er. Noticed all the above bikes with gears have bar end shifters, is this the only option for changing gear?

I have a pair on my Cotic X which is my touring/rough stuff bike. They are great with Campag Ergos.
If I could find a similar shape but narrower they would go on the road bike as well.

Not midges but just put a set of ragly luxy bars on my cx for the same reason as OCB, also luxys on my gryphon.

Not midges but just put a set of ragly luxy bars on my cx for the same reason as OCB, also luxys on my gryphon.

drofluf
@OCB How does the Gryphon compare with the Peregrine in terms of handling and ride?

Actually, thinking about this question, it's really quite hard to give a useful reply, but we'll see how it goes.

It goes without saying that they are both great frames, and the handling is very secure / comfortable feeling on both bikes - ignoring an obvious degree of cross over common to almost all bikes, I think the difference is from the ride of the Gryphon being [i]probably[/i] more like a 'traditional' mountain-bike, I've not looked at the geometry since buying them, but it feels a little slacker than the Peregrine, plus the greater stand-over is useful if you fancy pushing it further. The Gryphon, as far as I'm aware, shares it's back-end with the Swift. I'd need to look, but I'd think the Peregrine may be a little longer, to better handle 'touring' loads. With suitable tyres, they'll both climb whatever you have the legs to get them up - I've been astounded at the crappy surfaces I've got the Peregrine up.

The Peregrine is such a versatile bike that it'll seemingly take on anything, but there comes a point where it's tellng you that it'd be safer to walk it down this bit, than it is to ride it down (bearing in mind I'm a mincer anyway). A capable rider would get it down more stuff than I can - I guess a more [positively] angled stem might help if I did a lot of that kinda thing - I run mine quite low at the front, as it does a lot of back-country lanes / bridleway stuff, where it feels more like a day-tourer.

The problem with these bikes (and it's a great problem to have 😀 ), is that they are perfectly happy being set up in about a million different ways, so making a meaningful / direct comparison is complicated by that. My Gryphon has flirted with skinny CX tyres in the past, and whilst it looked a bit odd, it flew on the road, but I didn't like the loss of volume on rocky descents. The Peregrine has had 2.1's on, and that added volume made [i]it[/i] feel more like a traditional mountain bike (which is to say it was a bit draggy on the back-country lanes, but a bit more cushy on rough ground)...

Yeah, I was right - that is no real use as replies go. I'm probably not ever really saying that the intended use dictates the frame [i]that[/i] much, given they both seem quite happy doing most things.

I guess if I had to come down to one bike - and purely based on the mix of riding I do, it'd be the Peregrine, but I don't really do much overly-technical riding (unless I'm specifically riding tracks / backwoods somewhere, in which case I'll leave the Singulars at home and take my 4X / play-bike - but then in turn, that is all [i]that[/i] bike good for).

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With CX tyres it's probably my most versatile bike....

Never used drops before, so getting used to them..I've rotated the bars back a bit since this was taken.

DrP

@OCB

Thanks, so I guess a Peregrine, Gryphon and Swift would be overkill? 🙂

Thinking of a pair of these for my Scandal 29er. Noticed all the above bikes with gears have bar end shifters, is this the only option for changing gear?

As per DrP above I ran mine with 9 speed Campagnolo Ergopower shifters. Couldn't cope with normal drops - not supple enough - and found these a good compromise when I did use the road bike.

Duffer - Member
Epicyclo - No Pompinos anymore?...

Still got the belt drive one and the Ti one. Gave the other to my son - can be seen punting around Edinburgh.

I moved to fatter tyres - 2.35" Big Apples - so the Pomps don't get much use now. Should really sell them on, but I like them a lot.

My other "road" bike takes the fatter tyres a bit further (907 with 4" Black Floyds) - also with Midges. 🙂

[url= http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6238/6878804682_18396cc673_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6238/6878804682_18396cc673_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

Pic about 80 miles from home

Are midge bars acceptable in cyclocross races, or in the 3 Peaks?

These don't show the bars very well but...

On the road bike:
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On the mountainish bike:
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Are midge bars acceptable in cyclocross races, or in the 3 Peaks?

I spent the ascent of Whernside wondering whether to tell davidb that he might get dq with his midges. It took my mind of things but he got away with it. I think they've relaxed the width thing once they banned flat bars. Local cx races - anything goes generally.

Loving that Kona and the Singulars. I think Midge bars are very hard to show properly in a pic.

Might actually build up my road bike later and post a pic.

Ned, what are those brake levers on your Peregrine (and are the Avid disc brakes MTN or Road)?

Cheers.

another Peregrine:

[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3006/5807245351_e1a81dcd24_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3006/5807245351_e1a81dcd24_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/ir_bandito/5807245351/ ]Singular_brown[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/ir_bandito/ ]ir_bandito[/url], on Flickr

[url= http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6097/6310163915_57c92c2101_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6097/6310163915_57c92c2101_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/ir_bandito/6310163915/ ]DSC_0207[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/ir_bandito/ ]ir_bandito[/url], on Flickr

My old road bike, sold now.

RestlessNative - Member
...I think Midge bars are very hard to show properly in a pic.

It's a strange thing that. I reckon they look good on the bike, but I've never managed a pic of them that looks good, but I suppose I'm concentrating on the scenery rather than the bike. Must try harder...

Just found this one of my TD-1

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(Can you tell I like Midge bars? 🙂 )

I have Midge bars on my Gryphon and there is one thing that's making me think about Woodchippers.

I have coal shovel hands and with winter gloves on there's not enough room in the drops - fore and aft room that is. It's a bit like someone chopped an inch more than they should have off the tail of the drops.

Smaller handed daintier people won't have this problem.

slugwash, they're Tektro RL520. Not pretty, but they work with the mtb-pull BB7s.

Comments on the bars would be that they are short in the drops. Fine for my size 9 hands. More than fine really, as I use a bar-end shifter, and the short drop keeps the lever within flicking distance of my little finger.

Set-up gives you a choice of compromises. I like the flats close to horizontal with the ground, so my hands are in a fairly natural position when standing up sprinting and out of the saddle descending off road. Downside is that the hoods aren't that useable.

Some have the tops close to horizontal in order to use the hoods, but that puts the drops too far out for me.

They have a shallow drop though, and I think they're intended to be easy to set up so you're comfy in the drops pretty much all the time.

Right here we go, a road bike with Midge bars.

I haven't actually ridden it yet

[URL= http://i626.photobucket.com/albums/tt348/shawnmcfarlane/1-DSC03767-001_zpscb8bd6b8.jp g" target="_blank">http://i626.photobucket.com/albums/tt348/shawnmcfarlane/1-DSC03767-001_zpscb8bd6b8.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

drofluf
@OCB
Thanks, so I guess a Peregrine, Gryphon and Swift would be overkill?

Oh yeah, absurd - complete overkill, I can't imagine why [i]anyone[/i] would do that... 😉
(*[i]cough cough[/i]* ... with exactly those three sat behind me in the bike-cave).

😛

RestlessNative what bike is that...is that a Marin? (Based on the tube shape)

Tifosi CK3, I don't have the beard for a Marin

Now, does anyone know of a bar that Midge-like in shape but not as wide?
I love mine on my rough stuff bikes but they are just not "right" on the road bike. Too wide!

mattsccm - Member
Now, does anyone know of a bar that Midge-like in shape but not as wide?

I had the same problem. These did the job on my Pompino.

[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5145/5684674166_741d89b96a_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5145/5684674166_741d89b96a_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

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[url= http://eighthinch.com/products/handlebars/track-bars/ ]from Eighth inch[/url]

I rock the bike from side to side a lot when climbing so I wanted clearance for my wrists.

I have some on my Halfords special Carrera Virtuoso. Was looking for some cheap compacts at the time but couldn't find any and these were going for £12 at on one. They are a bit wide but they're comfy 🙂

Are midges suitable for MTB shifters? The flat part seems pretty wide.