# Who uses On One Midge bars (and/or the likes)?



## phsycle (Feb 7, 2012)

After years of running drop bars, I reluctantly switched to bull horns last year. The better grip for the mountain grinds was welcome. No aero position was somewhat missed, but not that bad. Admittantly, what I hated the worst was being associated with the hipster crowd :blush2: , or maybe just my shame as I reflect back on how much I've made fun of them in the past...only to find on my bike a few years later...

Then I remembered that there were plenty of dirt drop bars available. Never crossed my mind of running one. I like the extra leverage from wider bars (Midge is listed at 553mm compared to my current 440mm). Not sure what my current bull horns weigh, but I'm guessing I'd take a few grams of penalty, which is a drop in a bucket on my steel ride. My concerns are comfort, on-road performance (for these "off-road" dirt drops), and having to run hooded road brake levers. I run one cross brake (front brake only) and would like to keep the set up. But I think it's necessary to run hoods, as it will give me a better place for my hands when not in the drops?

Of those that have used such bar(s), what are your thoughts? Thanks in advance.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

I have a set of Salsa woodchippers and am not a fan of them. Never been on a bike more than a few rides.


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## BianchiJoe (Jul 22, 2005)

phsycle said:


> I think it's necessary to run hoods, as it will give me a better place for my hands when not in the drops?


I once ran drop bars without hoods and hated it; I went so far as to install dummy hoods just for the hand position. If you're coming off of bullhorns and like the on-the-hoods position, I can't imagine any drop bar (dirt or otherwise) that would be comfortable without them. 

As for the Midge bars, my memory is that they have a longer top "flat" section than most, which will accomodate your hipster cross lever well.


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## shiggy (Mar 18, 2005)

BianchiJoe said:


> I once ran drop bars without hoods and hated it; I went so far as to install dummy hoods just for the hand position. If you're coming off of bullhorns and like the on-the-hoods position, I can't imagine any drop bar (dirt or otherwise) that would be comfortable without them.
> 
> As for the Midge bars, my memory is that they have a longer top "flat" section than most, which will accomodate your hipster cross lever well.


I agree, You need at least the dummy lever bodies (tandem stroker "levers") to have the hoods position.

The tops of the Midge are wider than most flared dropbars. Also has a shallow drop and short reach.

On-One Midge Handlebar

I use them on most of my bikes, road and mountain.


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## Trower (Apr 28, 2009)

I agree above ^ drops without hoods is a terrible thing. 

Bullhorns, I ran them all winter on my commuter as I had a crappy frame that was a bit small for me, and the Bullhorns let me get farther forward so the frame could be used in the salty snow without hunchin me over. But they do have limited hand positions and aren't very comfortable on longer rides. 

So a couple alteritives I've found very comfortable. 1 - Nitto Moustache Bars, very comfy, tons of hand positions, work in the dirt and on the road, and not so hipsterish.......big plus 2. Salsa Moto Ace Bell Lap Bars, super comfy! They reminiscent of an old cinelli design, do have to use road brakes though, but I can ride them for a long time and still find them comfy. 

If I had to choose just one for road riding, it would be the Salsa Bell lap bars, sometimes you just need to get in the drops and get down, especially in the wind, or bombing down a hill.


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## phsycle (Feb 7, 2012)

Ok, maybe I'll go back to hooded brakes (with one dummy) and try the midge bars. I'll give the Salsa bar a look as well. Thanks for the inputs.

BianchiJoe - I'm going to e-crotch-kick you for that last comment!


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*bulls*

I have to have a good grip area for extended hard climbing, and I've found that only bullhorns work. I'd love the looks of drops, but I just can't use them for climbing.


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## phsycle (Feb 7, 2012)

Thanks, Fixed. I'm in the mountains and do a lot of climbing. This summer, I'll be doing a ride that will have some brutal climbs (at 100 mile mark--3/4 way through the ride...). I do like the good grip that my double-wrapped bull horns provide. The midge bars are cheap enough, I'll see if they will work.


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## kiwisimon (Oct 30, 2002)

Yeah, have run midge for 5 years now on my SS. Love them, I find when grinding up climbs holding on to the hoods gives me enough leverage and when riding CX bullhorns just don't work for me.


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## roadfix (Jun 20, 2006)

I've used Midge bars and WTB Dirt Drops, with and w/o hoods but never got used to them. Basically, they are a bit too wide for my taste. And aesthetically, they were way too wide and looked funky on my small 52cm frame.
In fact, I've got both listed on Craigslist for sale this week.


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## refund!? (Oct 16, 2006)

I've been using Midge bars for four years - I have them on my 

- Late 80's American Breezer with Rival shift/brake handles,

- Van Dessel WTF with Sachs aero levers and Suntour bar ends

- Bianchi San Jose with Cane Creek brake levers

- Custom 700c single speed with no brakes levers (Coaster brake)

I ride the Breezer, WTF, and San Jose on and off road and the single speed mostly on the road and bike paths. The bars work very well in all conditions except very technical single track and are very comfortable. The wide flats, short reach & shallow drop, and flared ends accommodate lots of hand positions and the shape is the best of all such bars I've tried (WTB, Origin8, Soma, and Woodchipper). Even the Midge bars on the single speed without hoods offer plenty of leverage and control (But I've spent lots of time on brakeless fixies so I'm used to a track bike type set-up). 

Based on my experience with a variety of builds, uses, and direct comparisons with similar bars, I would say the Midge bars are worth a try.


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## lgh (Feb 21, 2006)

I've been using Midge bars on my commuter, SS cross, and city beater bikes for years. I like them a lot. They are about the best bar imaginable for the city. You set them up high (a good 2+ cm above the saddle) so you can easily scope things out but you can drop down for sprints, cornering, etc. as needed.

Larry


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## punchy (Nov 11, 2008)

I've running Midge bars for a while now on my Surly Travellers Check. They work great. Out of all my bikes, probably my most comfortable set up. The Midge and the Bull horn would have to be my 2 favourite bars. But both are very different. 

The Midge has a wide top bar section, but for me, with the 31.8mm stem width it limits a few things. I like my old school Crane bells, but they unfortunately don't fit. They are only good for 26.0mm and smaller. 

The also have a very short drop section and a shallow drop. Which makes the hand grip area very limited. Basically, once you drop your hands into the arch of the drops they literally lock in ! It's actually a very secure reassuring feeling. The Midge is also very wide. So once your in the drops with the secure locked in feel and width combined, it becomes an awesome set up for hard cornering. Feels awesome ! Only down side is the limited movement you have in the drops. So it's a limited time factor. You stay in the drops for a while, but then you get back on the top bar for a bit of relief.

My bike is set up fixed, with one brake, on the front of course (My knees are too old to go full fixed !). I use a Crane Creek with a hood on just the left side operating a Shimano cantilever brake. The braking power is very powerful. I'm stoked with how well it hauls up. Only down side is that due to the design of the Midge the hoods tend to sit a little low. So trying to find a comfy position on the hoods I found almost impossible. So I either sit on the flat of the top of the bar, or get more aggressive in the drops. So overall, I find the Midge just a little less flexible for hand positions than a conventional drop bar. The feel in the drops though feels far better for SS, or off road than a conventional drop bar for the time that you are in it before you feel the need to change your hand position.


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## Cygnus (Nov 26, 2004)

shiggy said:


> I use them on most of my bikes, road and mountain.


you're being modest: if i'm not mistaken, you were instrumental in the engineering design. 

i'm a long-term rider with drop bars with an angled flare, original MTB drops, midge, etc.


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## jrm (Dec 23, 2001)

I like the on one mungo or salsa cowbell. Lots of leverage and comfortable.


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