MEAT Engines 2023...

Posted by: T0m

I lucked into a cheap unused Whisky Milhouse carbon riser that was probably an impulse buy that had to be sold in a hurry. I don’t usually ride carbon bars but the crossbar reassures me. It doesn’t seem overly stiff on my rigid plus/fat bike which is still a rigid bike even with big tires. It’s only 225g which makes me wonder if they designed the layup lighter accounting for the more rigid crossbar structure. Sure is expensive at MSRP tho.

FWIW, the Milhouse isn’t rated for drops over 3 feet. Shouldn’t be a problem unless you get real sendy on the rigid, but it would probably be a good sight heavier if it was fully rated.

Nor is the Surly Sunrise bar but I've taken it off bigger.  I'm back on Ergotecs now which are DH rated.

Thanks snowsnake. Good to know, I won’t be taking Milhouse off any sweet jumps. I’d be very interested to see relative strength testing of crossbar vs standard riser bars tho. I have spent a bit on Sunrise bars and they felt dead yet spiky on sharp impacts, a heavy steel feel that I def do not like. A middle ground shouldn’t be hard to find.

Posted by: Blofeld

The ‘standard’ DOOM bars I just looked at are 880mm wide - that might just be be enough to get along with a swept bar at my wingspan. Probably a good chance that I’ll end up like the guy in the Mint Sauce strip, but it might be worth it!

Actually now that winter is hopefully fucking off soon. Have considered trimming the Sunrise bars down a few mm from 830mm.

Posted by: AndrewMajor

Posted by: fartymarty

If they're similar weight then they'll be similar stiffness - tubes is tubes... shame. I'm guessing I'll need to go boutique if I want something compliant.

I’m not convinced any of the bars with a cross brace are that compliant. Maybe the Ti ones? I haven’t tried many. There’s just such a reduced flex zone versus bars that can flex from the stem.

One of my friends has a high rise (75mm) DOOM titanium bar coming with the goal being max compliance but the application being rigid North Shore single-speeding. DOOM is doing a thicker gauge of tubing for durability but leaving out the brace for comfort - makes perfect sense?

Note this is on a steel frame with a suspension fork. Have an old set of the DMR CroMo Wingbars- the version without the cross brace. Having ridden that and the Sunrise bar currently on the Stylus haven’t noticed any difference between them and the aluminium bars like the Fubar’s. If went full ridgid would most likely note a difference. 

Well a difference beyond what the bars where installed to address injuries wise.

Marty and Tom - I've taken my Milhouse bars off bigger as well, so it shouldn't be a huge concern unless someone installed it on their DH bike taking big impacts on the regular.

Posted by: Endurimil

Posted by: Blofeld

The ‘standard’ DOOM bars I just looked at are 880mm wide - that might just be be enough to get along with a swept bar at my wingspan. Probably a good chance that I’ll end up like the guy in the Mint Sauce strip, but it might be worth it!

Actually now that winter is hopefully fucking off soon. Have considered trimming the Sunrise bars down a few mm from 830mm.

Nice. Get that RootD muddy!

It always seems to take me a long time adjusting to and deciding on cockpit changes. It’s those little pains that pop up after an unusually long ride or in imperfect conditions. I’m still not sold on a stem I bought in the fall…

Andrew, re more and more shit in the bike lane:

It's a good fight. Keep it up.

Posted by: Blofeld

Posted by: Endurimil

Posted by: Blofeld

The ‘standard’ DOOM bars I just looked at are 880mm wide - that might just be be enough to get along with a swept bar at my wingspan. Probably a good chance that I’ll end up like the guy in the Mint Sauce strip, but it might be worth it!

Actually now that winter is hopefully fucking off soon. Have considered trimming the Sunrise bars down a few mm from 830mm.

Nice. Get that RootD muddy!

It always seems to take me a long time adjusting to and deciding on cockpit changes. It’s those little pains that pop up after an unusually long ride or in imperfect conditions. I’m still not sold on a stem I bought in the fall…

Got it a wee bit dirty last night. Though admit the Rootdown set up is definitely leaning towards the lighter less tech endurance type rides.  Few rides I have will be doing that this is a far better bike for then the "Gravel" bikes some have tried to tell me should go with. LOL

I have a meat-powered question to ask of the ME Forum patrons: Since we are now in a world where robot derailleurs are apparently required to shift gears on robot-assisted-bikes with durability and precision, the costs are spiralling completely out of control. I’ve started hearing everything from completes to cars to kidneys compared to the cost of the SRAM Transmission system.

So…What would you rather do with $2000 if you had to spend it on a battery- and motor-free bicycle product? 

Consider this tax-free, about-to-be-lit-on-fire money. Perhaps consider it as a reward for keeping a battery laden bike from visiting your local trails before ending up in your local landfill. Bonus points will be awarded for custom work or eBay hunts for vintage gear.

Personally, I’m using this money for machine shop time to have a couple custom hubs made. I’d like to have a short ss hg freehub at a superboost width. Room for 1x with spacers or ~6 gears from a Linkglide cassette. Super-wide symmetric spoke lacing sounds nice, too. I might even have the chopped cassette re-riveted to save it from gouging.

Posted by: Blofeld

So…What would you rather do with $2000 if you had to spend it on a battery- and motor-free bicycle product? 

I want some purple Hayes Dominion A4’s so irrationally badly. My A4s are PERFECT. But I want some.

I need some rims for a wheel build and I can’t currently justify the extra cost to jump from black Velocity Dually rims (or RF ARC 40 offset rims) to a pair of polished Dually rims. If I had to spend 2K I’d be getting the polished.

On the custom front, I’ve been thinking of getting some MEATengines cogs made forever. Just 22t. Or maybe 20 & 22t. In black & purple. I don’t even know what that looks like, but I’d get some.

Posted by: Blofeld.

So…What would you rather do with $2000 if you had to spend it on a battery- and motor-free bicycle product?

I like the idea of custom hubs and gear, definitely into that. Currently I'm actually considering building a frame, aiming for a rigid singlespeed to try something new in my riding as well as learning a new skill. So that's where my $2k would go.

I'd spend $700 on a frame, thinking Stooge or Unit X, try it out with some parts for a bit. Learn what I can from that experience and draw up the plans. Then resell and put the money into tubing and supplies, including some cheap tubing to practice mitering and joining.

My neighbor has a TIG and brazing setup, some jigs, and a killer shop, so between buying and borrowing I think I could come in around that budget for something usable.

Posted by: Blofeld

So…What would you rather do with $2000 if you had to spend it on a battery- and motor-free bicycle product? 

Funny about a month ago sat down to write out the dream parts wish list. You know the parts and such in an ideal world would buy. Long story why and maybe later share what actually started it. 

One each for the Stylus and Rootdown. Based on a much larger budget and the idea that it was for the bikes already have. 

Would have to think what would do.

Posted by: Blofeld

So…What would you rather do with $2000 if you had to spend it on a battery- and motor-free bicycle product?

The Solaris needs new forks and some Cura 2s. I would probably spend the rest on 10 speed spares to keep both bikes going for a long time.

Edit - scratch part 2 of that answer - 10 speed should be supported for a while failing that there will be Cues.  Instead I would pick up a Cotic Escapade* or something similar and build up a proper gravel / drop bar / "call it what you wanna call it" bike.  The Krampus can then be reconfigured as a rigid single speed riser bar bike.  It does mean I will have four bikes and will have to properly sort our garage.

* Full Disclaimer - i'm a Cotic fan and heavily swayed by John Watsons Radavist review https://theradavist.com/cotic-escapade-853-review/ .  Also it maybe a knee jerk reaction to all things mtb getting more tech and much more expensive - hence i'm really enjoying riding the HT atm.