# Drop bar 29er



## Pisgah2000

My 2011 Lynskey Ridgeline has been slowly turning into a light duty MTB/twisty and hilly gravel bike for a while, and after seeing a good deal on mechanical discs, I finally decided to try drop bars. I raided the rest from my rarely-used Kona Tonk. 

Out went the 700mm flat bar, SLX hydraulic brakes, and XT/XTR 10-speed. In went Ultegra 6800 shifters and rear derailleur, a hacked 11 speed-to-10 speed cassette (removed 14t, spacer behind the 28 to make it work on a 10 speed freehub), TRP Spyres, and a 42cm road bar with 20mm shorter stem.










I haven't ridden it too much, but so far, it's a blast. The Spyres took a while to bed in, but now they're probably on par with 6800 rim brakes. They're not 1-finger easy like hydraulic, but good enough for $75. I have some better pads on order a well. 

It probably needs another 10mm taken out of the stem and an 11 speed freehub to really get there. Maybe a 44cm bar too, but we'll wait and see on that one. Before I spend any more money, I want to see if this is actually more comfortable without sacrificing stability and handling at bumpy speed.

Does anybody else here have one?


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## Marc

Ooo, I like it.

One of my roadie mates has a dropbar Ti Fargo. That rig just looks like a blast sitting still.


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## Pisgah2000

Thanks. The Fargo is a cool bike.

After riding it on the road, it would be nice if I could fit something larger than a 38t up front, but I don't think that's really feasible on this frame.


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## factory feel

Pisgah2000 said:


> My 2011 Lynskey Ridgeline has been slowly turning into a light duty MTB/twisty and hilly gravel bike for a while, and after seeing a good deal on mechanical discs, I finally decided to try drop bars. I raided the rest from my rarely-used Kona Tonk.
> 
> Out went the 700mm flat bar, SLX hydraulic brakes, and XT/XTR 10-speed. In went Ultegra 6800 shifters and rear derailleur, a hacked 11 speed-to-10 speed cassette (removed 14t, spacer behind the 28 to make it work on a 10 speed freehub), TRP Spyres, and a 42cm road bar with 20mm shorter stem.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I haven't ridden it too much, but so far, it's a blast. The Spyres took a while to bed in, but now they're probably on par with 6800 rim brakes. They're not 1-finger easy like hydraulic, but good enough for $75. I have some better pads on order a well.
> 
> It probably needs another 10mm taken out of the stem and an 11 speed freehub to really get there. Maybe a 44cm bar too, but we'll wait and see on that one. Before I spend any more money, I want to see if this is actually more comfortable without sacrificing stability and handling at bumpy speed.
> 
> Does anybody else here have one?


I've done two so far.

I went with 405 shifters on the 10sp. and 505 shifters on the 11sp.

Got them at great prices.

Wanted to keep the hydro brakes.

I had to shorten the stems on both by 60mm.

I also kept the XT shadow plus derailleurs and incorporated a *TanPan* which works wonderfully.

I wanted to keep the clutch for chain tension.

I also switched to WTB Riddler 45c tires for good road speeds.

Both are 1x with broad range MTB. cassettes.


I like to be able to go good on pavement and jump into some dirt so these have been my go to bikes lately.


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## Pisgah2000

Sounds like a fun couple of bikes. If I like how this rides, I may keep an eye out for some hydraulic levers to pair with the old M7000 calipers. The mechanicals allowed for an inexpensive way to test the concept.

Riddlers are good tires. I've used them before. I also have a pair of 1.8 Renegades laying around... the cush of the 2.0/2.3s on there now is nice though.


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## factory feel

Pisgah2000 said:


> Sounds like a fun couple of bikes. If I like how this rides, I may keep an eye out for some hydraulic levers to pair with the old M7000 calipers. The mechanicals allowed for an inexpensive way to test the concept.
> 
> Riddlers are good tires. I've used them before. I also have a pair of 1.8 Renegades laying around... the cush of the 2.0/2.3s on there now is nice though.


I almost went with cable pull as well but found the 505's at a great price and even though some reviews say they are kinda bulky, I actually think they are perfect for my grip.

I also almost tried to put a Di2 together when I started but the proper Shimano shifters weren't quite available yet.

I'm very happy with the results though.

I tried some 43mm Kenda Happy Mediums but seemed like they were slow on the road, not positive but felt that way. Also couldn't run tubeless on the 43mm I realized after receiving them, was hit and miss sealing the bead.

Fantastic all around bikes!


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## Pisgah2000

Looks nice. Are those EA90 XDs? I currently have a set of Havens on mine. Great bombproof wheels, but they are bit on the heavy side.

I agree about the Happy Mediums. I had them on a 26" MTB -> 700c drop bar bike and a CX bike, and they felt much more draggy than the tread design would suggest. They also weren't anything special off-pavement. I didn't have luck running them tubeless either, even though they were the tubeless version. 

I swapped out the 10 speed freehub for an 11 speed, so now that's all squared away. I'd like to lower the front a little bit more, but I think the only way to really do that is to get a disc CX fork, and those don't have all that much tire clearance. I'd like to be able to run a 2.0-2.1 without issue (the 2.3 is a bit much), so I may just keep the Cromoto Grande. That fork is already on the low side for a 29er, with an a-c of 468mm.


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## factory feel

Pisgah2000 said:


> Looks nice. Are those EA90 XDs? I currently have a set of Havens on mine. Great bombproof wheels, but they are bit on the heavy side.
> 
> I agree about the Happy Mediums. I had them on a 26" MTB -> 700c drop bar bike and a CX bike, and they felt much more draggy than the tread design would suggest. They also weren't anything special off-pavement. I didn't have luck running them tubeless either, even though they were the tubeless version.
> 
> I swapped out the 10 speed freehub for an 11 speed, so now that's all squared away. I'd like to lower the front a little bit more, but I think the only way to really do that is to get a disc CX fork, and those don't have all that much tire clearance. I'd like to be able to run a 2.0-2.1 without issue (the 2.3 is a bit much), so I may just keep the Cromoto Grande. That fork is already on the low side for a 29er, with an a-c of 468mm.


Easton Haven Carbons. No tape needed, like them a lot.

Yea the happy mediums immediately felt slow. 

I had some Donnelly 50mm X'plor tubeless tires on for a minute but they were too much tire for this bike so went back to the 45mm riddlers. 5 mm is a lot more tire even though it's only 5mm. Taller profile too.

Bike pictured is the 1 x 10 with a 34 chainring and an 11-36 cassette.

Ridley Ignite carbon frame with internal cable routing and a chinese 29er fork with a/c about 485mm.

It all works out perfectly for steering. Super stable.


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## Pisgah2000

Ah. I've been keeping an eye out for a used set of carbon Havens or even EC90s. I agree about not needing a rim strip... all of my wheelsets are Eastons, and save the Heists, none need tape. I've never had an issue. It's a shame that Nashbar doesn't close them out all of the time anymore.

That sounds like a good setup. Mine has a 38t with an 11-28 cassette, but it's not all that hilly around here (1,000 feet of climbing for 15 miles of gravel, generally nothing steep). It works well, though an 11-30 might not be a terrible idea. When it was a flat bar, I ran an 11-36 and didn't really use all of it.

I am surprised how good this thing feels with a 42cm bar and a 70mm stem. I'm guessing the relatively long wheelbase/chainstays are a benefit there. Stable, but not too stable. I have a 60mm stem coming, but after riding more, I'm not sure I need it.


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## factory feel

Cool!

I even put the 22 chain ring back on the cranks sans derailleur so I could kick it over if I ever hit a long extended climb.

I'm doing roughly 80% pave 20% dirt.

The rim bead on the havens really grabs the tire bead. I like that security. I have to really pull hard to pop it loose.


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## davesupra

This is a really cool setup. If you haven't tried the woodchipper handlebars that come on the fargo, I would recommend giving them a shot. They are one of the favorite pieces on my fargo.


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## Pisgah2000

Thanks. I have a Ritchey Evo Max 44cm on order to replace the 42cm non-flared bar. It gets a little sketchy with the 42 sometimes, and wider + a little bit of flare should help. Probably. Maybe I'll eventually work up to the Woodchipper.


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## davesupra

Pisgah2000 said:


> Thanks. I have a Ritchey Evo Max 44cm on order to replace the 42cm non-flared bar. It gets a little sketchy with the 42 sometimes, and wider + a little bit of flare should help. Probably. Maybe I'll eventually work up to the Woodchipper.


If you would, report back here after you have tried these bars, I'm looking for something like this for my road bike.


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## Pisgah2000

Will do. It's a nice looking bar. 

I now need to decide if I'm going to actually use the 685/785 shifter/brake setup that I ordered. The Spyres have finally started to feel decent, but I'm sure the hydraulics will be noticeably better/easier.


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## Pisgah2000

davesupra said:


> If you would, report back here after you have tried these bars, I'm looking for something like this for my road bike.


I got everything installed and took it for a ride on my usual semi-hilly/twisty gravel loop. The extra width is nice I guess, but the slightly flared drops are the main thing that I notice. It's more comfortable down there. The larger bodies of the hydraulic brake levers/hoods also provide a better handhold.


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## Pisgah2000

To update this, I have to say that this thing is awesome. More bikes should be like this.










I am working on a separate set of road wheels/tires as well. It's obviously great on gravel, but it is surprisingly nice on pavement as well (to the point where I prefer it to my Red-equipped R230 road bike). It's just a bit noisy and I don't want to wear down my knobbies.


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