Actually, that's a bit of an oversimplification, since I had to temporarily cease my Jones-ifying endeavors in order to type this. But you know what I mean.
If you're just tuning in, basically what happened was that I went to install these bars last week, but the radically different shape necessitated longer brake cables, so rather than deal with fluid and hoses and all the rest of it I figured I'd install mechanical brakes as a temporary measure. Then after some saddle time and experimentation with position I'd fit the hydrolic dick breaks again.
Well guess what? It turns out dealing with the hydraulics right away would have been way easier, since I'm running into clearance issues with the mechanicals I'd never have imagined. (This is no fault of the Jones bars, rather it is the arbitrary and fickle nature of mountain bikes and there eleventy billion axle and wheel size "standards," not to mention brake brands and caliper shapes.) Rest assured however my determination is only increasing in the face of adversity, and while the end result certainly won't be pretty (I currently see some sort of "mullet" as the most likely workaround) it will hopefully be rideable.
Anyway, I'll report back once everything's in place and the bike has undergone a shakedown ride, though it's hard to say for certain when that will be. I guess I'll just have to keep you in suspense. Oh well, such is the nature of bike blogging and rigorous product testing.
In the meantime, I'm going to be on the Lifehacker podcast, The Upgrade, so you can spend your idle time formulating questions for me:
We're interviewing @bikesnobnyc & @BrooklynSpoke on The Upgrade. Send questions! https://t.co/oFUZb0u7kX pic.twitter.com/9ndYOCj3YM— Lifehacker (@lifehacker) November 14, 2017
And no, I refuse to disclose #whatpressureyourunning.
See you when I see you!
Love,
--Wildcat Rock Machine
44 comments:
Podi odi o
#Whatbrakesareyourunning
DONG
Hey Ho, podio!
I worry about those Jones Bars. The bar ends seem threatening.
Not sure if this is your prob, but if you're having caliper & adapter clearance issues, look into Avid Post Spacer kits for your rotor size, if you haven't already. I usually keep a spare set or two around and last minute caliper/adapter swaps are never an issue. Or just get the right adapter. I'll shut up now.
missed it by a SCRANUS again, dagnabbit!
The bars look good on Ol' Piney. Really appreciate the "action shot" with the allen wrenches on the ground. Really amps up the anticipation.
When/if this thing ever gets completed, will you please take a shot from the head-on view? Or from the rider's perspective looking down at the cockpit (heehee)? I'm curious to see the the bars vs. rider's knees. Thanks in advance.
Anon 11:48am,
On rear brake the BB7 cable fixing nut hits the seat stay. Will look into what you suggest but don't think it's a function of rotor size. I meantime a Tektro caliper I happened to have fits fine. (Yet its partner is unhappy up front, go figure.) Bring on the mullet!
--Wildcat Etc.
The first commentard to your podcast article asked "Why do bikers think its acceptable to break traffic laws and how can we get them to stop? "
Fortunately some people with brains basically mocked "her" (more like "it"), and wrote "Why do motorists think its acceptable to break traffic laws and how can we get them to stop?"
Why do people continue to think bicyclists break the laws (which were all made by and for motorists) more often than motorists??? Especially when you consider exceeding the speed limit? Oh wait I know. Because motorists and their pathetic suck-ups are assholes!
Are those rims designed for caliper brakes or just discs?
My dog insisted I leave his question for Messrs. Bike Snob and Brooklyn Spoke on the Upgrade's voicemail.
Well of course I finally agreed. It was the only way to get him to shut up.
You'd think a talking dog could leave his own messages.
And I'm not buying his "I'm saving my voice because my book club this evening is discussing Jane Austen in rap battle format" excuse.
I am currently racking my brain to see if there is some clever question that I could ask that would get you to get you to reveal #whatpressureyourunning without realizing it. There has got to be a way. The internet desperately needs this information. Our lives could literally depend on it.
The 660mm (nearly 26") wide handlebars should fit though 2017 singletrack just fine. Seems like most singletrack got wider when 29ers became popular. Good luck with the install : )
Put a U brake on,and grab the front rim with yer pleather gloves!Obvs.
Jones 45degree bend h-bars go round trees like a quarter-horse round a barrel.
All I can say is that I can't wait to hear what Leroy's dog asked....
Oh, and if you answer any question Snob (other than that of the aforementioned dog), please please please address the query of Stephen Andersen, who wants to know about shopping for surplus police bikes.
vsk said ...
Jones Beach Bars at the perfect sweep to counteract goofy tiller effect?
Just messin! I know you got the stuff dialed all the way in.
Por otro mano, and in the snotty tone of butthurt entitlement:
"Why do pedestrians think its acceptable to -- walk through red lights in herds without even looking and giving shits about their own or anyone else's life -- and how can we get them to stop? "
For cars, the horn blows and the seas eventually part, but die konflict between the herds of ipod zombies and CitiBikers and also city cyclists gets much more varied and personal. It's all fun and games until some Mommy/Daddy thrusts the baby stroller out into the crosswalk like a blind person's cane and the kid gets ...
Happy Tuesday.
vsk
What is that thing in front of the stem below the new H-bar? You will also need to take out spacer to lower the stem and simulate the old setup with straight bars.
Anon 2:55pm,
If I wanted to simulate my old setup I wouldn't have switched the bars.
--Wildcat Etc.
Those bars look a bit silly. I hope they do whatever it is you are hoping they will do...
Big whoop for lame bars! Go snob, go.
After shortening some hyrdaulic hoses and then bleeding the brakes I learned it's not a particularly difficult job. It might be easier and faster than what you are undertaking. On the other hand, doing it your way is only messy once (assuming you go back to the original hidrolic breaks).
jellyfishsalad71,
If you think that at this point in my life appearance factors into my thinking when it comes to bikes you are sorely mistaken.
As my road rides get shorter my mountain bike rides get longer, and my wrists and body have been telling me I need sweep and multiple hand positions.
--Wildcat Etc.
1904 Cadardi,
Yes, I'm realizing that now. I was reluctant to do it since I didn't know how much experimentation I'd want to do with these bars and figured the mechanicals would give me more flexibility there. Anyway, it's done, and I may put those hide-rawlic brakes on another bike anyway.
--Wildcat Etc.
...AND, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think those bars look great on that NOT-fat bike.
...I'm worried though, Wildcat, that you will Jones-ify all your fleet.
I’d love for there to be a podcast of Leroy’s dog’s book club discussing Jane Austen in rap battle format.
As my mountain bike rides got longer and rougher, my ever older wrists were telling me to get front suspension. My wrists turned out to be right. However, the Jones bar seems an intriguing alternative for any determined not to go squishy.
The old Snob would have given up by now and tossed the H-bar into the overflowing parts bin. Oh wait, I might be referring to my projects. I await your kludgular creation with bated breath.
Anon 3:57pm,
I do own a suspension fork. Appreciate it in race type situations when I'm tired and can't be careful choosing my line. Doesn't address the issue of hand position(s) though.
--Wildcat Etc.
looking interesting so far.waiting for your take when you take opie out for a ride.(opie=ol'piney)(my take on yer bikes' name).
I will never get used to the focus on cyclists' adherence to traffic laws. especially in New York. 1) everybody breaks the law here. There are bold jaywalkers. Double parkers. Taxis that will straddle multiple lanes in case one or the other starts to move much faster than the other. And I don't complain, because within safe limits, I'm going to bend or break the rules to suit my own convenience as well but people are just so hypocritical about it. A few weeks ago a lady crossing mid block started to mouth off about the light being red and I said (you guys know I'm mouthy in the saddle) "bitch, save that speech for when you're in a crosswalk." 2) No one knows the law. This was a few years ago. I was heading south on Central Park West and a woman was walking in the street. I was kind of toodle-pooting behind her to the light when she turns and says, "the bike lane is on the other side of the street." WITH FULL CONFIDENCE. I was like, "you're telling me that you think I am required to ride against traffic?" "Well, that's the bike lane." So when people talk about cyclists breaking laws, I wonder what percentage of what they're talking about is perfectly legal.
Snob @3:09,
didn't know you want to ride upright like an old school Dutch cruiser. My bad.
Anonymous 4:30pm,
Really, what blog have you been reading?
--Wildcat Etc.
three words brah: "reverse" "bar" "ends"
A "Dutch Cruiser" is pretty similar to a "Kentucky Tractor Puller", only you're more upright.
good for you janinedm.
what fun would driving, biking or walking be without breaking a few laws along the way but with some caution. how is it possible to drive in new york without blowing a gasket anyway. depends on #whatpressureareyourunning. please, i only need half the truth like say half the pressure.
All these Anonymous bike setup experts sure are eager for you to be bent over, Snob. Also I didn’t realize that sweep bars could only be fit to rigid bikecycles. Guess my experiences with “alt bars” on suspended bikes have all been inviting expertly disdain. I’ve rocked several models of sweep bars on FS mtn bikes, old rigid MTBs and *gasp* even old road bikes. They work for all scenarios just like common sense would tell ya.
That's neato...if you start getting The Goofy Tiller Effect on a big downhill you can just change positions.
So, based on the mullet analogy, BB7 = business, Tektro = party. Hmmm.
My dog informs me that all of this talk of bars reminded him to tell me he'll be home late and I should leave the door unlocked, the lights on, and the refrigerator stocked in case friends come over.
I don't know what any of that has to do with bars.
Just lose the brakes, Snahb. Fixed is the new thing.
Snob, with respect I don't see how you were able to keep yourself to the Jones bars alone. I got interested in the Jones oeuvre after reading your post, went to the Jones site itself, and saw the selection of amazing RIGID bikes he designs and sells! The frames seem Amazingly well thought out to handle all kinds of riding in the woods, on the gravel and elsewhere. Some Jones owners providing reviews indicate it's their favorite bike, and, possibly, the only bike they need. For all their riding. Even on the road. I am intrigued, and since I have more room to store bikes than you do, am thinking of adding a Jones to my fleet. I really appreciate his thoughtful approach to what a bike should be able to do. His bikes seem to bear the same relation to other guys' designs as his bars do to the much-maligned drop bar. On a more general note, I Love your blog. I Rarely post. But Hey to all your regulars. Keep up the great, amusing work, and the comments thereon. Scranus. There, I said it.
Anon 5:21pm,
Thank you for the kind words. And yes, between checking out the site and talking to Jeff Jones I have his bikes on the brain in a big way. One would probably take care of most of my riding needs.
--Wildcat Etc.
Post a Comment