So what do I need ot do to make them work right? I spent a decent amount of time messing around with them, but I did get frustrated. Any advice would be awesome or maybe a link. I did just read Sheldon Brown's article is there anything to add to that? At least from reading that article I avoided trying to put regular canti's on there since it wouldn't work. =P

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/canti-u.html

Thanks, your Kuwahara certainly pushed me in this direction! I really like this Rockhopper, it worked great with a swept-back flat bar, and better than I expected with the drops...

Set the straddle as close to the brake as possible... and one might also find that different brake pads have much different results as these seem to prefer a harder pad like a Shimano M80 than something softer like a Kool Stop.

I stopped by the LBS today and put the U.A.V. on the scale... it rolls out pretty nicely for a 34 pound bike.

That Dynahub weighs a ton as it was a pretty light ride when it was a fixed gear and I have not changed much except the rear wheel and added new fenders.

Count me in.

Me too!

I hope you have a better lock my friend ! It would be a shame to lose that bike =/

I just sold it. Its just too small for me.
Now I'm on the hunt for another MTB to convert to drops.

Agree Ive never had a MTB with em but tons of bmx's you just take the time to set em up properly, i always used to run nicer cables with em too that seemed to help

Got home from work and took this pic just because the evening sun at my back makes for a great photo op:



First one looked so good I had to pull my pride and joy out of the garage and take another pic before taking her for a spin:

Six months and a lot of money later and I think I've finally got this set up to my liking:

Good experiences with these? I've looked at them numerous times but can never bring myself to pull the trigger.

I am not sure what your expectations are with these. I don't know what they look like when I ride the bike. I read some reviews the other day and some people were not happy with them because they didn't come on easily. Mine come on if you barely move the wheel which I thought before reading the review was a bit annoying, but mine come on easily so they work just how they are supposed to. I don't know how much light they really give off or how visible they really are. I didn't buy these they were something I took off a bike I flipped in the last week or so after I took a bunch of stuff of of it. I figured I would put these on and hey at least I have valve caps on that bike. LOL I would say they are more toys than legit lights. I don't think I would pay money for them and I don't know how long the batteries will last either. I assume there are better options of other products that attach to your spokes or light them up for the same amount of cash IDK. For say $5 get them if you want, but $10 I would shop around for something more exciting that will be more flashy pun intended. =) I have a set of blue ones that I forgot I even had that came on my Diamondback Vertex. They sat around too long and I don't think they work anymore. They are fun though I know a guy that was excited to put his on his road bike once I finished fixing it up for him.

Look on ebay for spoke lights for something to compare them too. I might have to order one of the cheap ones just to try them out one of these days.

I suppose I was wondering how durable they are more than anything. It's never been a serious inquiry just because I know I can live without 'em. But if someone were to make a reliable light up product that was small and could easily mount to the wheel, I might actually buy it.

I would say they look plenty durable. They are cheap and easy to mount which is a benefit them and they have been making them for quite a while. I just stuck my bike upsidedown in a the dark house and spun the wheel. For the $6 or so bucks on ebay they are probably worth it. Get a bunch of batteries and you would be set. I wish there was a way to turn them off, but oh well. I do feel more comfortable at night with something else flashing especially to make me visible from the side. I usually take the bike paths at night except in my neighborhood that I am very familiar with and its only a few blocks and bikers are very common.

Got me a set of Fulcrum Racing 7's on the daily ride.

Now you have me eyeing a pair of Dirt drops I have and wondering how they would be with bar end shifters (I hate grip ****s) on my M400 .

My experience with these bars is a bit limited, but I put a Dirt Drop bar on a friend's 1989 Schwinn Traveler and I loved the setup. I liked the width of the drops. They felt so comfy and they even made it feel easy to reach down and use the downtube shifters which is uncommon for me. The guy really loved the bike as well. I would buy one if I was willing to spend the money. Thats my 2 cents.

Current build of my Cross Check I commute on.. Still struggling some with sizing and the long top tube.. the 60cm felt way too long, on the 58cm I have to crank the bars way up.. Someday I'll find a decent fit on it.

Right now it's basically stock complete with fenders except I threw an adjustable stem on it and picked up a Pryma saddle at a garage sale that made a world of difference over the stock one.

What I usually ride:


Flat bar road bike I'm building up:

Went on a shakedown ride today... can you say MUD ?

I have this same problem. How tall are you? I'm 6'1 with a 34" inseam and I was fitted for a 60cm CC. I need to get a shorter stem than the stock and I should be fine. My bars are also tilted back. I have more pictures on my website in my signature.

Im just about your size. 6'1" 34.5 in inseam. I was "fitted" on a 58cm... Should have probably gone 60cm, I was able to straddle it, but because of the top tube my LBS recommended a 58. Unfortunately, my LBS deals only specialized and trek, so it was special order with no return, and they weren't very interested in dealing with me. I expected at least a basic fitting afterwards, but got pretty much nothing, and was told they dont carry the stems or shims for the 26mm bars because spec/trek don't use them... Needless to say, they've been fired and I now drive 30+ minutes to a competent shop that doesn't just want to sell cheap comfort bikes and hybrids.

I wish I would have ordered the bike from the other shop, I'd probably be alot happier with it. Now Im torn between trying to get the 58 to fit better, or dropping money on a new frame and trying to sell the 58....

thanks to you guys last week i started building a flared drops single speed MTB. jerks.

^lolz