I’ve been riding my stigmata primarily on the local single tracks and it been great. I do find myself sometimes fighting for control with the drops and thought why can’t I try some flat bars. Just curious if anyone has tried something like this or if it’s worth it before a go through the hassle of installing new brakes.
by mp27006
31 Comments
Flat bars on your gravel bike? Believe it or not, straight to /r/bcj
Might as well install a suspension fork and dropper post while you are at it.
Oh wait, that is just a hardtail mtb.
I’d rather put a suspension fork on this bike, it gives you better handling on the rough stuff and it can be locked on tarmac.
I’ve seen quite a few actually
Reach will be shorter than when the hands are on the hoods, might make it more twitchy with a more upright seating position
I don’t know if this is a hot take but flatbar gravel > drop bar gravel with suspension fork in terms of enjoyment.
My favorite bike to ride is a flatbar gravel/cyclocross bike, if i don’t need to optimize for long non-technical miles.
Because then it would be a rigid mtn bike, and you can’t come to the parties.
I find flat bars barely acceptable on a MTB… but hey, whatever steers your bike.
That’s what flared drops are supposed to help with. Wider grip for better control
Yes. Lots of people have done this. It’s a mountain bike
Well for your intended purpose on single track I say go for it. For me I have a mountain bike for single track and a road bike for the road.
THIS
So you bought the wrong bike? as this is just an xc bike with extra steps
I’ve been wanting to convert my gravel bike to flat bars but it’s the cost of converting all of the AXS items that’s holding me back.
Love those inner bar ends. I just put a pair on my flat bar gravel bike too.
That’s a mountain bike. Well done. You invented something that already exists
Heh, I read your post as “flat bar stigma” – because there definitely is some! But hey, let my flair be your guide. Personally I think that setup looks funky, but if it brings you joy, why the heck not!
But also, if you’re struggling on the drops, it’s worth trying a drop bar with a wider flare & shallower drop, like the Ritchey Beacon.
SC literally sell flatbar Stigmata so I don’t see why not, if your trail is a bit rowdy
You should convert it to fixed gear
I flat bar’d my Ruut and I love it more than drops. And my back hurts a lot less
I did this with my niner cx/gravel bike. The reach felt a lot shorter/more upright which actully made it felt twitchier/ less stable. I used it as a commuter bike so it wasn’t a big deal.
I ride single track on my gravel all the time and find lack of grip & suspension to be more of a limiting factor than bike control. I installed a suspension stem and dropper post which helped the handling quite a bit – allows me to take larger hits and get my weight back on the chunkier stuff. Works great for greens and blues although I have to be a lot more choosier on line choice versus my mtb when there are rocks and roots.
Just buy a 90s mountain bike if you want that geometry
Time Machine back to early 2000s and you’d be kom
thas a good model name
Have you crashed on this bike yet and impaled both hands? Asking for a friend
You know what’s really good for single track? A mountain bike.
I actually started with a very similar setup on my Stigmata build. Found that I much prefer the drops for longer rides. Control/maneuverability are fine now that I’ve gotten used to it.
But I also have a full sus mtb for rides that do better with flat bars. Same reason I switched the rudy back to the rigid fork.
For everyone saying that I just need to get a mtb that’s not the point. I have several mtbs already. I prefer to be under biked when I ride. I guess this is some kind of mortal sin based on a lot of the comments. Thanks anyhow.
I just did that with my Giant Revolt…have another drop bar gravel bike…so it is gonna be my all round gravel city urban assault bike
Isn’t this just what they used to call a hybrid? And before people started using full sus for a quick spin down the canal paths, a mountain bike?
They sell the Skitch as a flatbar.