Narrow riser bars with bar ends positioned between the grips and the shifters is the winner for me. Gives you all of the perks of flat bars that you've mentioned but with the added benefit of a second hand position to aid with wrist fatigue. You can still access the shifters and brakes and it also gives you an option to stretch out/tuck in for speedier sections. It's the sweet spot for me.
I had the same issue with drop bar brifters, rattly after time and easily damaged by crashes, mud and dirt. I switched to old school Microshift bar end shifters, simple, cheap and easily serviceable.
The simplicity of flat bars is compelling. Bar ends provide another hand position, Brakes and gears can be maintained independently. And your grip on the bars is so much more secure.
Nice mate. That's what I'm riding now, a flatbar gravel bike with 650b wheels and 660 mm bars. It's a lot of fun. Trouble is... I keep looking at fixed/singlespeed gear bikes now. Love the whole fixed gear bike scene.
Im so with you on the fixed gear/single speed bikes, thats what i really want to build next. Had a few over the years, but definitely want to build a tracklocross bike up. 🚵♂️
@morekeepsmilingadventures Nice. your collection will be complete then mate. 😂 Be good to see you do a few adventures on a fixed/singlespeed bike. I watched someone do the panceltic race on a fixed gear. Pretty impressive.
I use Ergon GS3 grips and SQlab Innerbarends 411, providing comfort, many hand positions and more aero. Love it. Could not ride with your straight grips for a long ride or trip. It's a huge difference
sweet build Josh, looks like a fast rigid 90s XC MTB now ;) flat bars defo for the win, I run carbon flat bar with a gentle rise, 740mm wide though as I am on a rigid XC MTB :) flat bar gravel bikes are the way forward IMO, enjoy the rides!
I’ve just built a new gravel bike around a Sonder Camino Al frame and I’ve gone for flat bags too. It was a birthday treat for myself so I splashed the cash on Hopetech brakes and Shimano XT/GRX drive train.
For more hand positions i use a set of carbon we ergonomic bar ends inside of the grips as it is more aero and you can still use the brakes from them 👍👍
if you find the flat bars are making your hands hurt because your weight is too far forward, cheap narrow riser mtb bars will fix the issue, looking forward to your next adventure and hope you are all fixed up after your accident, i did notice the other day the giro manifest helmet has dropped in price from £250 to £100, it's a very well ventilated and very safe helmet and for that price, a bargain
Are you tyres set up tubeless - or do you prefer/choose tubes instead. I'm sorry if I missed the video where you might've talked about it. Your adventures are fascinating - winter, mud, all weather conditions camping, exploring Britain's off road - it truly takes some bravery. The logistics of mapping routes and your patience, filming yourself with the tripod going back and forth. I find that amazing.😊 As always, great editing and soundtracks, too. Congratulations
When I bought my 2nd carbon & Force 1 equipped bike , I was going to sell my original alloy Apex 1 equipped bike. Then I saw how much replacement drop shifter/hydro levers were. The original bike is still hung up in my workshop, 3 years later.
4 years ago while building my first bike build i replaced my sram xxx1 with xt the main reason was easier to find parts around the world and cheaper ..switched out my mtb handle bars with jones bars and front carbon fork with wrensports inverted for now switch my will out from 26x4 to 29x3 game changer
Check out the Surly Corner Bar. I really love mine. Drops with the ability to run mountain bike levers. I got the lighter and cheaper aluminum knock off on Ama###
Good vid Josh. I wish I'd have set my Camino up with flat bars, for the same reason as you: far cheaper to run and replace parts. Luckily I'm on Shimano though so the long term reliability is higher
Looks very tidy with the new bars 👌! I'm about a 30 second ride away from the Slades velodrome. I should really take advantage of living that close, but it is hard work with my chunky gravel tyres..!
@morekeepsmilingadventures oh I've been looking haha.. definitely at the top of the list for future bike purchases! Usually I'd go Canford & do some hill sprints vs doing laps there. But to be honest, I've spent most of my time riding at a comfortable pace these last few months, focusing on exploring further afield (we're fortunate we have some amazing gravel nearby 😉)
Cheers for fun adventures Josh! Most enjoyable. For the full 90s experience, add bar ends? For bikepacking I find mine as comfy a 2nd hand position (with some nice bar tape around them) as they are unfashionable. Indispensable recently on the GB Divide. Particularly nice for climbing out of the saddle. Also, you sure you don’t want to go full hardtail with a front shock (ok, different frame) once you’ve spent some happy time in the 90s? I’d not give up the extra kilo to lose the ability to joyously handle the wilder terrain. More of the maintenance you want to avoid though, I would accept.
Im not one to worry about what’s fashionable, i was considering adding bar ends, i might but if i need an extra position i have some clip on tt bars. The bombtrack i have fills the position of hardtail really so never really felt the need for a front shock with that bike. This bike doesn’t really go on anything crazy rough. Not deliberately anyway 😆
Is the Sonder now so very different to the Bombtrack, in practice, other than a smidge lighter and with smaller tyres? Maybe Sonder has slightly different geometry such as likely shorter top tube.
I can't imagine the geo working that well with flats? You're pretty much riding a hybrid, now... I get what you're saying, I run SRAM Force and Rival shifters, and the quality and price are shit! MTB brakes feel so much better, more progressive and powerful! One thing I have learned, wash all the grease out the shifters with GT85. Let them dry out for a few days, then liberally spray them with a dry lube, something like Finish line, or a cheaper industrial type. This really does limit the amount of shit the shifters suck in, and stick like shit to a blanket! I recently put a pair of On One Geoff bars on my Titus Roadrunner, it wasn't good! Soon put my Ritchey Beacon back on! ✌️
Thats a pretty nice bike set up. I totally am with you on the flat bars. With all the miles you ride, thats much easier and cheaper to maintain. Why the super-long stem? Is that because the bike is a bit small for you? Or you've got gorilla arms? 🤣🤣
One day I will get a gravel bike or build one. Trouble is once you say “Gravel” the price quadruples. Once they fall out of favour I will buy one. I might even be able to afford a Sonder. Keep the vids coming Josh , you are an inspiration.
Oh wow how come 172.5 mm cranks? Im a shorter rider than you at 6'2 and all Ive ever been told is that Im too tall for anything other than 175mm... Have I been living a lie? 😅
Nice video; I'd love a titanium frame at some point but maybe not in the cards atm. Looking at your Blackburn frame bag, it looks like you have the same size as mine, medium. Just by eyeballing frame, if you went up to the large, probably a better fit for your triangle.
I understand the choices, but with such a position you are always in the same position while seated and I used to get painfull hands always having the hands pushing against the bars instead of resting them on top of the hoods. In terms of maintenance this might be less time consuming but I guess with the likes of LTwoo, Sensah etc, there are cheaper options out there.
He should look into belt drives and gearboxes if maintenance is that frequent for him, which is understandable with the amount and kind of riding he does.
@@ed8212 I don’t think the frequency of maintenance is the problem, probably the issue is a tight budget overall. (But that’s just my interpretation) I do agree the systems you mentioned are quite durable, some who do his style of riding employ it with success.
Narrow riser bars with bar ends positioned between the grips and the shifters is the winner for me. Gives you all of the perks of flat bars that you've mentioned but with the added benefit of a second hand position to aid with wrist fatigue. You can still access the shifters and brakes and it also gives you an option to stretch out/tuck in for speedier sections. It's the sweet spot for me.
I had the same issue with drop bar brifters, rattly after time and easily damaged by crashes, mud and dirt. I switched to old school Microshift bar end shifters, simple, cheap and easily serviceable.
The simplicity of flat bars is compelling. Bar ends provide another hand position, Brakes and gears can be maintained independently. And your grip on the bars is so much more secure.
Nice mate. That's what I'm riding now, a flatbar gravel bike with 650b wheels and 660 mm bars. It's a lot of fun.
Trouble is... I keep looking at fixed/singlespeed gear bikes now. Love the whole fixed gear bike scene.
Im so with you on the fixed gear/single speed bikes, thats what i really want to build next. Had a few over the years, but definitely want to build a tracklocross bike up. 🚵♂️
@morekeepsmilingadventures Nice. your collection will be complete then mate. 😂
Be good to see you do a few adventures on a fixed/singlespeed bike.
I watched someone do the panceltic race on a fixed gear. Pretty impressive.
I use Ergon GS3 grips and SQlab Innerbarends 411, providing comfort, many hand positions and more aero. Love it.
Could not ride with your straight grips for a long ride or trip. It's a huge difference
sweet build Josh, looks like a fast rigid 90s XC MTB now ;) flat bars defo for the win, I run carbon flat bar with a gentle rise, 740mm wide though as I am on a rigid XC MTB :) flat bar gravel bikes are the way forward IMO, enjoy the rides!
The smiles per pound factor (and smiles per miles) of that bike during your ownership must be truly epic! Great bike, great video 👍
I’ve just built a new gravel bike around a Sonder Camino Al frame and I’ve gone for flat bags too. It was a birthday treat for myself so I splashed the cash on Hopetech brakes and Shimano XT/GRX drive train.
For more hand positions i use a set of carbon we ergonomic bar ends inside of the grips as it is more aero and you can still use the brakes from them 👍👍
if you find the flat bars are making your hands hurt because your weight is too far forward, cheap narrow riser mtb bars will fix the issue, looking forward to your next adventure and hope you are all fixed up after your accident, i did notice the other day the giro manifest helmet has dropped in price from £250 to £100, it's a very well ventilated and very safe helmet and for that price, a bargain
Are you tyres set up tubeless - or do you prefer/choose tubes instead. I'm sorry if I missed the video where you might've talked about it.
Your adventures are fascinating - winter, mud, all weather conditions camping, exploring Britain's off road - it truly takes some bravery. The logistics of mapping routes and your patience, filming yourself with the tripod going back and forth. I find that amazing.😊 As always, great editing and soundtracks, too. Congratulations
Try a full GRX gearset. I've never had any issues with the shifters and levers!
flat bar gang lets go!!!!! Gonna try alt bars next
When I bought my 2nd carbon & Force 1 equipped bike , I was going to sell my original alloy Apex 1 equipped bike. Then I saw how much replacement drop shifter/hydro levers were.
The original bike is still hung up in my workshop, 3 years later.
4 years ago while building my first bike build i replaced my sram xxx1 with xt the main reason was easier to find parts around the world and cheaper ..switched out my mtb handle bars with jones bars and front carbon fork with wrensports inverted for now switch my will out from 26x4 to 29x3 game changer
Check out the Surly Corner Bar. I really love mine. Drops with the ability to run mountain bike levers. I got the lighter and cheaper aluminum knock off on Ama###
Good vid Josh. I wish I'd have set my Camino up with flat bars, for the same reason as you: far cheaper to run and replace parts. Luckily I'm on Shimano though so the long term reliability is higher
Looks very tidy with the new bars 👌!
I'm about a 30 second ride away from the Slades velodrome. I should really take advantage of living that close, but it is hard work with my chunky gravel tyres..!
Sounds like a perfect time excuse to build a track bike 😃
@morekeepsmilingadventures oh I've been looking haha.. definitely at the top of the list for future bike purchases!
Usually I'd go Canford & do some hill sprints vs doing laps there. But to be honest, I've spent most of my time riding at a comfortable pace these last few months, focusing on exploring further afield (we're fortunate we have some amazing gravel nearby 😉)
biek looks great. you must be very tall
He is 6'6", or 198 cm.
Nice! Have you considered horned bar ends (eg Ergon GP4) for more hand positions and a bit of comfort on longer rides?
Really long rides I'd probably just but my clip on TT bars to be honest
That's a bike that has been properly used and abused. I've just bought a carbon frame and fork. Was that a good idea?
what is that seatpost you're running? it looks beautiful, titanium, I reckon?
Гарний велосипед, собі такий би схожий зібрати. How many kilograms this bike weight?
Cheers for fun adventures Josh! Most enjoyable. For the full 90s experience, add bar ends? For bikepacking I find mine as comfy a 2nd hand position (with some nice bar tape around them) as they are unfashionable. Indispensable recently on the GB Divide. Particularly nice for climbing out of the saddle. Also, you sure you don’t want to go full hardtail with a front shock (ok, different frame) once you’ve spent some happy time in the 90s? I’d not give up the extra kilo to lose the ability to joyously handle the wilder terrain. More of the maintenance you want to avoid though, I would accept.
Im not one to worry about what’s fashionable, i was considering adding bar ends, i might but if i need an extra position i have some clip on tt bars. The bombtrack i have fills the position of hardtail really so never really felt the need for a front shock with that bike. This bike doesn’t really go on anything crazy rough. Not deliberately anyway 😆
The SQlab innerbar ends are worth a look if you are looking for a narrower hand position closer to drop bar distance.
Is the Sonder now so very different to the Bombtrack, in practice, other than a smidge lighter and with smaller tyres? Maybe Sonder has slightly different geometry such as likely shorter top tube.
I can't imagine the geo working that well with flats? You're pretty much riding a hybrid, now...
I get what you're saying, I run SRAM Force and Rival shifters, and the quality and price are shit! MTB brakes feel so much better, more progressive and powerful!
One thing I have learned, wash all the grease out the shifters with GT85. Let them dry out for a few days, then liberally spray them with a dry lube, something like Finish line, or a cheaper industrial type. This really does limit the amount of shit the shifters suck in, and stick like shit to a blanket!
I recently put a pair of On One Geoff bars on my Titus Roadrunner, it wasn't good! Soon put my Ritchey Beacon back on! ✌️
Thats a pretty nice bike set up. I totally am with you on the flat bars. With all the miles you ride, thats much easier and cheaper to maintain.
Why the super-long stem? Is that because the bike is a bit small for you? Or you've got gorilla arms?
🤣🤣
With the saddle height, I’m not sure it makes any difference if the bars are flat or drop. Wow
That's a hell of a drop between the saddle and handlebar. It looks uncomfortable.
Good job you don’t have to ride it then 🤷♂️
I think one day I‘ll go the same way. I just prefer flat bars to drop bars.
One day I will get a gravel bike or build one. Trouble is once you say “Gravel” the price quadruples. Once they fall out of favour I will buy one. I might even be able to afford a Sonder. Keep the vids coming Josh , you are an inspiration.
Top end sram brakes are great, but even the cheapest shimano hydros are amazing.
It’s a shame bar ends have fallen out of favour. They transform the front end when running flat bars.
Plenty still available on the market.
They look terrible though!!,
The crazy amount of issues I had with shimano levers :
😂
She still looks fast though…
600mm! It'll be like the 1990's!
Welcome back to the good times 😆
I’m running them too, they’re awesome for a flat bar gravel rig
Oh wow how come 172.5 mm cranks? Im a shorter rider than you at 6'2 and all Ive ever been told is that Im too tall for anything other than 175mm... Have I been living a lie? 😅
Nice video; I'd love a titanium frame at some point but maybe not in the cards atm. Looking at your Blackburn frame bag, it looks like you have the same size as mine, medium. Just by eyeballing frame, if you went up to the large, probably a better fit for your triangle.
I understand the choices, but with such a position you are always in the same position while seated and I used to get painfull hands always having the hands pushing against the bars instead of resting them on top of the hoods. In terms of maintenance this might be less time consuming but I guess with the likes of LTwoo, Sensah etc, there are cheaper options out there.
He should look into belt drives and gearboxes if maintenance is that frequent for him, which is understandable with the amount and kind of riding he does.
@@ed8212 I don’t think the frequency of maintenance is the problem, probably the issue is a tight budget overall. (But that’s just my interpretation) I do agree the systems you mentioned are quite durable, some who do his style of riding employ it with success.
Hands will only hurt on flat bars if position is wrong
SRAM or Shimano over one hundred year old technology. Pinion??? With a belt surely is the future. NO maintenance.
So its basically not a Sonder 😂
umm what ?