I'm equipping my 89 Rockhopper Comp into my S24O {Sub-24-Hour-Overnight** camp bike. Going to carry 30lbs or less for short overnight camp trips.
Would like input on handlebars that would work best, current bike has stock straight Mt. bike bars and I want replace them with either On One Midge bars or Moustache bars, going to use bar-end shifters and road bike levers. My rides will be 20 to 40 miles each way mainly on pave and some dirt roads & single track.
I haven't used either handlebar before and am not sure what would work best, a dirt drop bar or a versatile moustache kind of bar.
Thanks for any help you can provide.

Bob

Dirt drops are great for singletrack riding. They're not so great for medium and long-distance rides, because they really only offer 2 useable hand positions (tops and drops). I only have experience with Salsa Woodchipper bars, but the hoods were completely unrideable. Also, with dirt drops, the top of the bar needs to be higher than the saddle in order to provide a comfortable ride. If the bike's not setup properly, the ride can be quite cramped.

I have no experience with moustache bars, but my gut tells me that it's the better setup for mountain bike conversions because of the way they're sized. People tend to buy their mountain bikes a little smaller, so the extended reach of the forward position on the bars is probably going to make for the most comfortable position. The rear sweep also gets you upright for climbing, or riding that odd bit of singletrack.

I'm going to speak out against moustache bars for mountain bike conversions; they tend to be road sized so you need to do a full component swap, and they have a lot of reach, so they can be very uncomfortable on a mountain bike with an already long top tube.

I actually like dirt drops on road, but because they have to be set up so high, you don't really get the aero thing going. I'll disagree with Strik about the hoods though. At least with some bars and setups it's possible to get the hoods usable and in fact quite comfortable. I used an Origin8 Gary bar, which is much shallower and has a shorter drop than the Woodchipper, and the hoods were perfectly usable for me.

Bob, Looking at a photo of an '89 Rock Hopper Comp the dirt drops look like a nice fit, but it depends if the bike is sized for you more as a road bike. The added flair outwards for the drops should give better control on single track paths, IMHO.

Brad

I couldn't agree more with this! I had a moustache bar on an old Specialized Crossroads (similar long top tube to your Rockhopper,) and it didn't work well off-road. I know that everyone touts the multiple grip positions that these bars offer, but those positions are not all equally comfortable, and only a few are useful in rough terrain. On paved surfaces, I found it to be ok, but I had to go with a short stem to reduce the reach a bit.

I haven't used the Midge, but I'm pretty happy with drop bars on my MTBs.

You might want to give the Riv Bosco Bars a serious look. I have been using them on my Hillborne ( a hybrid ) and plan to put them on my touring/29er during the winter. They are, like most Riv designs, different to say the least; but they are unbelievably comfortable and versatile.



Marc

It's hard to know the right handlebar without trying it out. Each individual's physical makeup is so unique. Have any friends that are around your size with those bars on their bike that you could test ride? Know anyone that would allow you to "try before you buy"?

I didn't consider the Riv Bosco Bars, my brother and I go to the Bay Area quite often on business, we stopped my Rivendell Bicycles in Walnut Creek last week on our way home to So. Oregon, we met Grant Peterson and his crew, rode a couple of their bikes at Grant's insistence. Their bikes ride so nice, love steel bikes with lugs and all the Rivendell bikes are so unique and solid. Of course Grant's the reason I'm into the S24O concept and can't wait to take a few overnight camp trips as I don't have time for a long tour and we have so many great camping places and lakes here in So. Oregon, many within 50 miles.
Thanks for the suggestion I'm going to check into it. I'm also going to visit Rivendell Bicycles again, it was a real treat and a VERY unique business.

I agree too. Here are three pics of my 91 Bridgestone MB 4. The first is stock when I got it of Craigslist. The second is the mustache bars on a grocery run. You can see that even with a new, really long stem, there was way too much drop and the read for the brakes was very long. Some people suggested I flip the bars upside down but that would mean that your wrists are bent IN instead of OUT when you ride the brakes. Annoying as hell but it could be particular to this set of bars (nashbar). In the end I just swap them out for road bars and the bike is really comfortable now!

I think the philosophy of a S24O is to try things out. In that vein, I'd suggest you ty your first S24O with what you got. If you want to have fun with component swapping, or if something doesn't work out well on that first trip, try changing stuff after the ride.

trekking bars have loads of hand positions. i love mine.

Albatross cr-mo accept bar ends or thumbies . You can strap a lite load on the bar . One of my fave out of production bars is the Scott AT4, Full moon rides are the best ,garlic wafting on the breeze !