Today was the first real test ride for the Fargo. Some three hours of riding, mostly hard and soft snow trails as well as some bicycle lanes with six others. Since the photos of yesterday, I've raised the handlebar slightly as well as angled it a little differently and moved the saddle a bit forwards. The riding position feels great and works well at least on the winter forest trails, which do not offer any real technical challenge. The trails where generally in surprisingly soft shape. Has the cold weather and amount of snow kept people inside? No pictures are available. While I did bring the camera today, the memory card was at home in the computer.
As a side note, I just ordered material for making a large frame bag from Shelby.
What's your opinion on the On-One Midge handlebar? I found a review, http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/bike-reviews/on-one-midge-handlebars/1788.html, and it seems to me that I could try it with my cyclocross bike, http://www.elisanet.fi/tonilund/media/13012007%28001%29.jpg.
ReplyDeleteI think the Midge bar would improve the difficult conditions/offroad capabilities of a cyclocross bike. It is wider and has a more shallow drop than a typical drop bar, giving a more upright and stable position. It might look a little strange, but just putting your hands in front of you in a natural position reveals the ergonomical idea of the flare in the Midge bar.
ReplyDeleteI found it to be comfortable, even without finetuning all parameters. It worked well offroad and all hand positions were usable for me, with the drop position being the most stable offroad. I've read that with smaller hands the lever position would have to be pushed downwards making the hoods position less usable, but this was not an issue for me.
There might also be a new alternative available. The Salsa Woodchipper has been designed mainly for the Fargo and seems to be getting praises from the first users. It will become available fairly soon.