[chuffer]

I have heard it all; flipped carbon bars.

Bars are designed to take more force from certain directions, especially carbon.

you are all giving the folks who "design" and manufacture bicycle products far too much credit.

the inability of most people to tighten a stem correctly probably increases the likelihood of handlebar failure more than flipping them. (that statement is complete conjecture, but who am i to buck the e.trend)

 

[Jim Mac]

I have heard it all; flipped carbon bars.

Bars are designed to take more force from certain directions, especially carbon.

I flipped out when I saw the inverted carbon bars last weekend at Snow...must put a lot of stress in the wrong places, eh? Then again, I'm a 40 + expert hack!

 

[yuroshek]

yea i was gonna say, are the bars even gonna hold up to stress since they are mounted upside down? seems like they would have a better chance of breaking or cracking since the bend in the bars is upside down. doesnt seem like it would have 100 % of its strength.

 

[Lollapalooza]

I tried flipping my bars today at DV at didn't like it one bit. I'm not knocking people who do it but it just felt weird to me. Oh and if we're saying what class we race in, I'm in Jr.X and am somewhere in between smoothness and monster truck.

 

[bizutch]

]... I'm in Jr.X and am somewhere in between smoothness and monster truck[/B].

One of the best quotes of all time.

 

[intensem1]

Dont flip your bars, Just go get a pair of Chromag Flat Bars, they rock

 

[JRogers]

I saw that guy at Diablo with the flipped bars...I dunno, seems a bit excessive to me. I have low rise Funns and a 0 degree stem...I really don't think I'd want them any lower. At a certain point, it just makes things harder.

 

[Kntr]

Dont flip your bars, Just go get a pair of Chromag Flat Bars, they rock

Best post on this thread so far. Listen to this guy.

 

[bizutch]

Besides, how could you ever make the bars fail when running them upside down. The stem should go through your cerebellum well before your bars start bending.

 

[Pbody]

The guy in the picture I posted (Donnie) HAS gone down the Mt. Snow course. 95% of DH racers out there these days like to keep their front ends as low as possible for various reasons. Why do you think fork manufacturers are trying to keep A-C heights on DC forks as low as possible, people are going to flat crowns, integrated stems and low-rise (and sometimes flat) bars? If you're worried about going over the bars with a 2" rise bar, I would say rise is the least of your worries.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know about keeping the front low and I do everything possible to keep mine low, but there are courses out there where we all raise the front, raking the steer angle out, to go faster on those certain courses. I was more worried about the downward slope I imagined being at the end of the bars and it being easy to have your hands slip off the end rather easy, but after looking at the pictures that bigwheel posted, it doesn't appear to be as likely.

 

[WhiteRavenKS]

this is your bars:

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know about keeping the front low and I do everything possible to keep mine low, but there are courses out there where we all raise the front, raking the steer angle out, to go faster on those certain courses.

I fail to see how your bar height effects your rake.........unless you mount your bars between your headtube and crown race......

 

[Rover Nick]

Your gonna have to be a damn fast rider to be able to show up like that to your local hill and not look like an idiot

 

[bwolmarans]

No joke. I got the idea after flipping the bars on my singlespeed cruiser a few weeks ago. Feels like I have much more control over the front wheel... especially going through tight fast turns. Makes for a more aggressive attack position. Fork/wheel feels like an extension of my arms. Puts the bars in a good position for high-power, stand up pedaling.
Long and low. so far so good.

you don't change a darn thing, you can have those bars down by the thru axel and 4 foot long gorilla arms but the weight and center of gravity is still applied up where the bars are gripped by the stem, so you really need to get a lower axel to crown or integrated headset etc to actually lower the center of gravity.

 

[Bicyclist]

Au contraire. Your body is positioned further over the front wheel. Think about it, you rotate forward to grab your bars. That's like saying 3" rise bars won't move your COG back at all.

 

[kidwoo]

Have fun manualing

 

[downhillracer]

sorry but this has got to be the stupidest idea yet, first putting stem/bars below the top crown, now this?

 

[SteezyWeezy]

Have fun manualing

most people dont wheelie down dh courses

 

[bigwheel]

It was just a experiment folks... the bars aren't staying this way. With all the talk about lower bars, I wanted to try it. Removing the spacers put the bars too low for me. Although, it certainly made the bike feel quicker through tight turns.
Either way... the 66 is re-installed and the bars are on correctly now

 

[ÆX]

was this a thread a test?

if not, noth'in wrong with fliping bars.

but screw marz specs for crown spacing!

get those spacers out if you want low bars.

if they are still to high check the tire to crown

clearance. still to high, lower fork and deal with

7''. still to high, flip bars.

 

[jonKranked]

this idea is brilliant! i'm going to add it to my new book... "how to go faster without actually spending the time to become a better rider!" here's a preview:

Before trying to make your bike look faster, ask yourself this, are you using the right parts? Here are some questions and recommendations:


-Does this part come in a carbon verson? are you using it?
-Are you using both a front AND a rear brake? That's just overkill. Only one brake is necessary. Road brakes are pretty light these days.
-Have you drilled any speed holes? No? Here's some good spots to save a bunch of weight: your frame, your rims, your tires, your handlebars, your seatpost, your seat, yourself.
-Still using grips? Thats just dead weight. You're wearing gloves, right?
-Use road components where ever possible. You don't need those deemax wheels, when the ultegra wheelset is MUCH lighter. Light = fast, right?

Don't forget to pick up my book, it will be out as soon as biopace becomes the industry standard!

 

[CKxx]

this idea is brilliant! i'm going to add it to my new book... "how to go faster without actually spending the time to become a better rider!" here's a preview:
...
Don't forget to pick up my book, it will be out as soon as biopace becomes the industry standard!

Don't forget that carbon coil spring!!!

 

[AZRacerX]

Don't forget that carbon coil spring!!!

No, that actually WILL make you go faster

 

[kidwoo]

most people dont wheelie down dh courses

Fast people do.

 

[dirttastesgood]

 

[jonKranked]

No, that actually WILL make you go faster

i for one am skeptical on it. it has potential, but I'm not commenting on it either way until I see it in action. This is the first I've ever heard of it.


Also, light bikes != faster rider. saddle time + training = faster riders.

some of the best riders i know are riding bikes that are effing tanks.

upsidedown handlebars are dumb. learn to be a better rider, don't try stupid mods/"enhancers" to accommodate. It's like taking viagra to get a boner. in both cases, its not supposed to happen for a reason.

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

iupsidedown handlebars are dumb. learn to be a better rider, don't try stupid mods/"enhancers" to accommodate. It's like taking viagra to get a boner. in both cases, its not supposed to happen for a reason.

That is one of the most ignorant statements I have ever read on any biking forum. How is upside down bars any different than choosing a frame based on geo/travel, fork height/travel/damping, bar/stem length/rise/sweet, tire width/tread/pressure, brake style/rotor size, etc, etc, etc.....


The amount of adjustability in bike setups is so great, I don't see how running your bars upside down is any dumber than picking other parts based on specific specs.

 

[jonKranked]

THow is upside down bars any different than choosing a frame based on geo/travel, fork height/travel/damping, bar/stem length/rise/sweet, tire width/tread/pressure, brake style/rotor size, etc, etc, etc.....

ok. flip your frame upside down, build it up, and lemme know how it rides.


edit: you're also comparing apples to oranges. Frames can have adjustable geometry/travel, but have a set stroke length and i2i. forks have those adjustabilities, but you can't change how they mount into the steerer tube (like upsidedown - try riding with your front wheel above your top tube). there are different style brakes - try mounting a v-brake to where a disc caliper mounts.

Not making any sense? Exactly. all of the above items are designed to work a certain way, or within a few degrees/millimeters of variation. NOT upsidedown. Handlebars vary within a few degrees of sweep and a 1-2" range of rise, or flat. Road bars have drop to them because they are designed to. Fine by me, flip your handlebars upside down, but don't cry when it snaps and the company won't honor the warranty because of improper installation/usage.

 

[ThePriceSeliger]

It's stupid... that's all I have to say.

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

ok. flip your frame upside down, build it up, and lemme know how it rides.


edit: you're also comparing apples to oranges. Frames can have adjustable geometry/travel, but have a set stroke length and i2i. forks have those adjustabilities, but you can't change how they mount into the steerer tube (like upsidedown - try riding with your front wheel above your top tube). there are different style brakes - try mounting a v-brake to where a disc caliper mounts.

Not making any sense? Exactly. all of the above items are designed to work a certain way, or within a few degrees/millimeters of variation. NOT upsidedown. Handlebars vary within a few degrees of sweep and a 1-2" range of rise, or flat. Road bars have drop to them because they are designed to. Fine by me, flip your handlebars upside down, but don't cry when it snaps and the company won't honor the warranty because of improper installation/usage.

How do you think a lot of mountain bike parts came to be? Basically people messing with road/touring bikes by altering how parts were setup or positioned.......


Again, I myself wouldn't flip my bar, but there's a lot of legitimate reasons to try it, and wouldn't be surprised to see bar manufacturers producing drop bars for DH bikes in 4, 5, 6 years....

 

[kidwoo]

And here you can see john tomac on what is now a very accepted practice in mountain biking. When he first put drop bars on his bike, everyone laughed. Now the industry standard, practiced by virtually all mountain bikers, especially downhillers, drop bars are as essential to a properly setup dh bike as a chain and pedals. It's obvious by looking at the body position in this photo, the inherent advantages in attacking rough technical terrain at speed.

You know what I mean?

 

[jonKranked]

And here you can see john tomac on what is now a very accepted practice in mountain biking. When he first put drop bars on his bike, everyone laughed. Now the industry standard, practiced by virtually all mountain bikers, especially downhillers, drop bars are as essential to a properly setup dh bike as a chain and pedals. It's obvious by looking at the body position in this photo, the inherent advantages in attacking rough technical terrain at speed.

You know what I mean?

it looks like he's ready for some butt sex




please note: at least tomac had enough sense to use bars that are engineered with a drop to them.

 

[General Lee]

Chuck Norris doesn't even use handlebars. He holds onto he fork legs and slows down by dragging his teeth on the front tire.

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

The picture was meant more of an example of how things change, and what is "accepted" at certain times, and what isn't. Kinda like how riser bars used to be blasphemous on XC bikes, and bar ends were a necessity...........fast forward 10 years.

 

[kidwoo]

Honestly, I'll make fun of things like this but anything that improves your ride is worthy. Flipped bars probably rule in nice round corners where you can lay over the bike on both wheels.

But dh courses (usually) aren't big bmx tracks. Finding dips to double up or manual through to pump some extra speed makes this idea seem silly. It looks REALLY hard to pop off your rear wheel with your weight that far forward.


And going back to the current standard, that's WHY riser bars were designed in the first place.

But hey....to each his own.

I made fun of sanjay's bike with that stem under the crown but I'll be damned if I can keep up with his ass on a race run

 

[Jim Mac]

Chuck Norris doesn't even use handlebars. He holds onto he fork legs and slows down by dragging his teeth on the front tire.

Chuck Norris doesn't even use 7.5 weight fork oil. He uses the blood of a thousand communist cobras as lubricant and the skin of the Viet Cong as wiper seals!!!!

 

[DirtEveryDay]

i for one am skeptical on it. it has potential, but I'm not commenting on it either way until I see it in action. This is the first I've ever heard of it.


Also, light bikes != faster rider. saddle time + training = faster riders.

some of the best riders i know are riding bikes that are effing tanks.

upsidedown handlebars are dumb. learn to be a better rider, don't try stupid mods/"enhancers" to accommodate. It's like taking viagra to get a boner. in both cases, its not supposed to happen for a reason.

1st off, I LOVE how you're "not commenting on it either way until you see it in action." then follow that up with "upsidedown handlebars are dumb."
THEN I love how you say "lighter bikes=faster riders" and follow THAT up with "some of the best riders i know are riding bikes that are effing tanks..."

You should be a fukkin school teacher.
JonKranked=confused babbling douche
Viagra= the ability to bang 4 chicks-two of which are twin sisters-in one night, when you only have 3 hours before you gotta go to work and no time to recuperate between sessions.
Viagra GOOD, You IGNORANT...

 

[WhiteRavenKS]

chuck norris thinks is lame when you flip your bars, talk about doing so on the internet, or use chuck norris crap jokes on forums. most of you are lame-asses.

 

[jonKranked]

1st off, I LOVE how you're "not commenting on it either way until you see it in action." then follow that up with "upsidedown handlebars are dumb."

wow. just wow. once again its the apples to oranges argument.

carbon springs = new technology (or at least technology/industry application) engineered for a specific use, and people are talking about using it in its intended manner.

upside down handlebars = pre-existing technology/product being used in a manner that it was NOT intended.

THEN I love how you say "lighter bikes=faster riders" and follow THAT up with "some of the best riders i know are riding bikes that are effing tanks..."

hahaha! 100% NOT what I said. You see that little exclamation point ( "!" ) there thats in front of the equals sign ( "=" ) when combined as I used it "!=" it denotes the meaning "not equal to". So when read correctly, my statement would be interpreted as "lighter bikes do not equal faster riders". Got it?



Ps if you need viagra in order to get it up to bang 4 chicks in one night, you have bigger problems




PPS chuck norris is a better engineer than the internet.

 

[bizutch]

....

Ps if you need viagra in order to get it up to bang 4 chicks in one night, you have bigger problems

.

My problem would be to get it to go DOWN afterwards...for the next several years...if not more.