[PsychO!1]

I've been riding a SS Bontager for a few years now, over the years I have tweaked the bike a bit to get it just the way I like. One of the best improvements I've come across is running a wide bar, I think it's 27", maybe 28". Anyway, I found this gave a ton of leverage when climbing. It's almost like being a gear lower.

Anybody else run wide bars?? Any other cool tricks you can share to improve performance?

PsychO! Mike

[edit] This is an XC oriented SS, not an urban style, hucking SS.

 

[bikebabe]

I also run wide bars. I think they're around 28" and they do help a lot when climbing. My first singlespeed (and current townie) has 24" bars which seemed cramped when climbing out of the seat.

Another performance enhancer...wide tires for better stability and suspension if you ride rigid.

 

[PsychO!1]

I also run wide bars. I think they're around 28" and they do help a lot when climbing. My first singlespeed (and current townie) has 24" bars which seemed cramped when climbing out of the seat.

Another performance enhancer...wide tires for better stability and suspension if you ride rigid.

Ahhhh YES!!!!!! Almost forgot about fat rubber!!!! I'm running Tioga DH 2.3's. And believe it or not, they do fit between the 'trager stays!!!

 

[Evel Monkey]

Wide bars

 

[scrublover]

28" wide Azonic DW bars on mine. Same bar (though cut to 27") on my geared bike, I love it so much!

And ditto on the fat tires as well. 2.25" IRC Trailbear in back, and 2.5" WTB Weirwolf in front.

 

[wooglin]

Some folks run longer cranks for more leverage while climbing. 175s work fine for me though. As for bars, I can notice a clear leverage difference between 24"s and 26"s, but not as much going from 26 to 28. So I think there's some math in there having to do with shoulder width, and probably bar height and arm/torso length, that we just haven't bothered to work out yet. And I actually run a 24.5" flat bar with bar ends on my current ride.

 

[Echo]

I run uncut monkeylites, I dunno how wide that is though

I definitely like wider bars for all my bikes.

 

[JRB]

I run uncut monkeylites, I dunno how wide that is though

I definitely like wider bars for all my bikes.

Just under 26 inches. I run 25 1/2 inch pro tapers on mine.

 

[henrymiller]

28" wide Azonic DW bars on mine. QUOTE]

Same here.

But I run a 22" bar on my off road fixie.

 

[Evel Monkey]

28" Azonic WF for me.

 

[PsychO!1]

But I run a 22" bar on my off road fixie.

OFF ROAD FIXED GEAR!?!?

That is wrong on soooo many levels. How do you do it?

 

[PsychO!1]

Some folks run longer cranks for more leverage while climbing.

I tried 180's a few years back.....killed my spin. I found the 175s to work much better for me.
Anybody need some 180mm Azonic crank arms???

 

[henrymiller]

OFF ROAD FIXED GEAR!?!?

That is wrong on soooo many levels. How do you do it?

I go slow. I crash alot. My Monocog has one dent in the downtube and a bent brake boss due to being fixed.

I don't ride any major trails, yet.

I am still afraid of long technical downhills.

I have only been on a fixie for about 4 months, and about 2 ½ months of that was learning to ride it on the road. I just ride some of the easier trails.

As for the short bar, since I don't do any major climbs there are no long technical downhills.

I want to be able to ride anything that I could on my single speed.

 

[PsychO!1]

I go slow. I crash alot.

Hahahahahaha....that was the answer i expected.

 

[scrublover]

d@mn! i so want to try fixed offroad! my commuter, and one of my road bikes are fixed, but i've not been brave enough to try offroad yet. i'd need a new rear wheel (current is a regular geared disc wheel) or to fab up a cog to bolt onto the disc mounts. then flip the wheel for an instant FG. i think i'd rather just pick up a cheap wheel, rather than hassle with swapping disc rotor to cog every time i want to ride fixed.

e-bay here i come.......

 

[PsychO!1]

d@mn! i so want to try fixed offroad! my commuter, and one of my road bikes are fixed, but i've not been brave enough to try offroad yet. i'd need a new rear wheel (current is a regular geared disc wheel) or to fab up a cog to bolt onto the disc mounts. then flip the wheel for an instant FG. i think i'd rather just pick up a cheap wheel, rather than hassle with swapping disc rotor to cog every time i want to ride fixed.

e-bay here i come.......

Wow....fixed off road riding just seems like suicide to me. But, hey, whatever turns your crank.

Find yourself a flip-flop hub, run a freewheel on one side, and a fixed gear on the other. I've been running a White Industries ENO eccentric flip-flop hub. Great hub, able to run with vert dropouts AND have adjustable chain tension. Haven't had the inclination to put a fixed gear on the other side though. Only short comng of this hub is it's not available for disc brakes.

 

[EBasil]

Yeah...I've been progressing toward wider and wider bars on my SS. First, I went to a flat 24" bar, no ends and now I'm going to a 25" bar, no ends. The wider bar just gives so much more leverage for climbing or pedaling hard.

I noticed this when I hooked a Trail-a-bike onto my SS and towed my son for a ride. With all the leverage that rig puts on the bike, I could feel the extra workout at the bars...ergo the 25" item out of the parts bin and onto the rig.

 

[wooglin]

Only short comng of this hub is it's not available for disc brakes.

They're demoing a disc hub I believe. Shouldn't be long.

 

[-dustin]

26" for me. wide bars feel bad, in my opinion.

 

[Angus]

Ive been running 27" Easton risers, but now I am hooked on my Jones' H-Bars, the come in at 26.5, If anyone wants a good deal on some 27' eastons let me know