ooh! they also have THESE!

I didn't think WTB even made those anymore. I tried for months last year to locate a pair of WTB or On One Dirt drops. The only WTB ones I found anywhere were used ones on ebay.

I ride midges now on my cross bike and I am a huge fan. I am thinking about putting a pair on my mountain bike.

I built a bike up for a friend using the gary's. I tried to talk him into the midges or the dirt drops but he wanted to save the coin.

They seem lighter than midges but not as beefy. I didn't have the chance to ride them off road. They'd probably do fine, but I wouldn't ride them. They sell them as an urban bar, not an off road bar so they might not be made to take the same kind of abuse.

I mounted tektro brake levers on them and no matter what I didn, they didn't want to mount in what seemed to be the "natural" position. it might be the combination of the levers and the bars, but anytime I put the levers in the sweet spot, they slid downward. I had to mount them much lower than I would have liked to and it seemed to reduce some of the hand position options.

they seem like they would work well with/for:
-cross top levers
-tri levers mounted backwards in the end
-city riding that doesn't require lane splitting

I would probably spend the extra cash if:
-you're racing cross
-you're riding singletrack
-you're going to use standard road levers (but maybe it was a fluke with the levers I was using)

hopefully someone will get a pair and do all these things and then we'll get a better report.

WTB has a new bar based on the dirt drops. I think they're called mountain drops. ask your LBS to check with Quality. They might only have them in stock in MTB diameters though. They're also pricey.

I just bought the Origin8 Midge knock-offs on eBay for $27,
since no local LBS carried them. I'll report on them when I
get my new bike all built up.

In case you're wondering, here's the link to the auction:
https://cgi.ebay.com/Origin8-Gary-Cyc...QQcmdZViewItem

Anyone make bars like these that aren't so damn wide for people who ride near other moving objects with mirrors at bar level? I realize the originals are for trails but it would be cool to see some company do funky bars for street use starting at like 36 or 38cm. If fixed gears are trendy we might as well get some benefit to the big market.

You might look at the Major Taylor bars. They come in a 38cm I think.

Yep, and as wide as 48 I think. Dat's a lotta steel.

Soma's got some interesting bars. I like those Sparrows.

Update: My LBS guy says they're still on the boat but these guys are selling them for $25, which comes out to $30-ish shipped for me. I guess I'd better call my LBS first and see if they actually have a standing order for me.

Oh yeah, so I love these bars. I've never ridden Midges before,
but I've seen them up close and personal and there's really no
significant difference between the Garys and them.

you know I felt the Gary Bars up at my LBS the other day, and I'm really not so impressed any more.

First of all the flat section on top is narrower than Midges, and then the bend is so tight, my hands really don't fit well into crook of the drop, like in the the natural position to grab a fistful of brake. there is a lot of flare, so the brake hoods will be almost sideways like on a moustache bar. finally the drop section only extends back about as far as the top. In other words they are designed to be a replacement for a flat bar using the same stem you would use with a flat bar, but they give up a lot of the advantages inherent in a drop bar.

I think I'm going to either pony up for the new WTB Mountain Drops, or just use the set of Radoneur bars I've got in the closet.

I bought a pair through ebay and I will be setting them up next week....I'll update this thread with some pics and initial comments once I get it all setup

i believe soma makes some drops similar but with less breadth and maybe a little less drop... those things in the picture are buster-ish

Awesome. Please do.

I know they are pricey, but these

look a hell of a lot better than these

the wtbs are 31.8 though which is something to consider as well

They also come in 25.4, so it really isn't.

ohh.... I didn't realize that they came in 25.4 I've only seen 31.8

So here are my initial comments on the origin 8 gary bars

-They definitely are a big adjustment from the standard road drops I have been using at first but after a couple of rides every thing seems ok

-I got a different stem before I mounted these for two reasons 1) the stem I was going to use that did not have a removable faceplate could not get all the way onto the bars 2) I rarely used the drop on my older setup because they were too low so I wanted a setup with less saddle to bar drop than before

-Hand positions seem ok...there seems to be ~4 different hand positions 1)in the drops 2)on the hoods 3)on the bends going down 4)right up next to the stem

-I like positions 1, 3, and 4. Position 2 on the hoods is not as comfortable as on top of the hoods on my old standard road bar setup but I am getting used to it more with each ride. This might improve once I tape the bars as I have been riding without and bar tape because I want to get the position of the levers down before I tape them up.

Overall I am pretty happy with the bars but I am still getting used to not having the top of the hoods be my main hand position. I definitely like the drop position though and the more I ride the more natural it feels. I'll post some pics once I get the bars wrapped up which should be either tomorrow or Thursday

Edit: I am using older shimano 600 aero levers with the bars so you know

- the Web site is *awful*... how in the heck can i order/find out where to get one of their products? ANSWER: YOU CAN'T FIND OUT FROM THE WEB SITE!!!!

(stupid Web monkeys don't know how to do HTML, only Flash)...

You can find them on ebay as referenced in a couple of posts earlier in the thread or talk to your LBS about ordering you a pair if you want them

- eBay? you're kidding, right???

- eBay is *not* a business plan! eBay is for entertainment purposes only!

- dang! i wish these folks were in my area - i'd get 'em some business presence! (i like the drop bars)

yes but distribution through a LBS is a viable business option and I am sure your LBS would gladly help you in ordering a pair

How is the stiffness? Are they flexy compared to other bars you've tried?