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| Different Angle But Same Same (all reach measurements when seated to various positions on the bar). well almost.. maybe ~0.5cm +/- |
SOMA Hi-Riser Stem, it's a misnomer if you ask me. More of a hi-stack @ the steerer in the rear to compensate as the rise is actually a -ve 15 deg. And the reason for the change?-- Purely aesthetic after some final tweaks to settings and finding the "perfect" fit on this bike.
Well, this is where it all ended up by now.... Took out the old trusty SOMA Stanyan and dusted if off a few months back... when I had to change up my training routine to reduce running mileage but need to keep up the cardio workout.
At the same time I was contemplating the idea of a new bike. Totally lost!. Never mind the new stuff/ technology which is mind boggling-- but whole frigging categories of biking which I have never heard of. (these aren't exactly new but been around for a while). It just shows how frigging long I've really been out of touch with all things related to biking.
Stumbled upon this Gravel bike thingie... Shimano even has a dedicated gruppo-- the GRX for it now! My knowledge of things, Shimano stopped at Durace and XTR-- and my workhorse in the past (and still in use) are mostly XT on my existing mountain bike. The only other complete bike around the house apart from the Stanyan here...
Anyone that Googled "gravel bike" will be blasted with a wide array of description these days.. Took me a while to figure that its really about building a 1/2 Fcuk "do-it-all" Bike-- you can be closer to a traditional cyclocross or more of a "mountain-bike with drop bars. Really, the spectrum is so broad-- its pointless to try and pigeon hole it.
By 1/2 Fcuk-- of course I don't mean its crappy-- some gravel bikes will cost both my kidneys and probably installments of body parts that my grandkids would still be paying for after my demise.
Just that if you are going purely for speed on the road-- you will never be able to beat a tricked out road bike, while it travels well on hard pack and light gravel which as the name suggest. Due most time to the wider tires that can be accommodated and wider gear range and all these new fangle-dangle components like flared riser drop bars made for such riding... yet it will be outclassed by mountain bikes in full mtb territory.There is nothing like some good ol' 2.4-2.6" rubbers running sub 20 psi to pillage and plunder our meek local offroad Teletubby trails.
Let's face it-- try riding one down a rock garden at full speed with 2 foot rocks and you'll probably be shitting your pants before the front wheel even rolled off the rocky descent.
So ... what exactly is it good for. in our local context, riding fast enough on the road, for an all day long ride, and then scoot off into some unpaved tracks or light trails which would stump skinny tire road bikes.. Pop a little on and off if you are riding a lot on the pavements as many of us are kind of wary about riding fully on the roads these days.. yes, it would be an awesome do it all rig. Just don't expect yourself to be the next Brumotti in terms of tricking out on what can be done on a bike with drop bars for us mere mortals.
Anyway enough of gravel bike description for now..above should give an idea of what is a gravel bike if that is what you started looking for for when reading my excessive bitching here.
If I was willing to lose my fenders, tire clearance would go up to 35 (so says the SOMA website but Im sure it can accomodate 37 or even maybe.... just maybe 40c on my 700c wheels..
Anyway, with the new revelation-- it means I can set it up to mimic some of the things on a gravel bike and see if I really want a new bike
Ok maybe the fork rake would be a tad lesser than modern gravel bikes. And the 73 deg HA is definitely considered as steep. Still, it should work in general. As said, I'm not taking some kicker for a 6ft air time send off when riding a bike like this. Flat gravelling about-- 69 or 73 HA shouldn't feel much different.
Thus the experimenting started -- bigger 28c tires were next... Hitting out the "gravel" hard and fast at Coney and then. yes, doing the unthinkable/ stupidity of checking out BT trail (actually it was ok- only hindrance is the 48/18 singlespeed ratio which obviously wouldn't make it on the steeps without thunder thighs-- something I definitely lack in the first place). Coming down is definitely sketchy but all those XC riding skills from decades ago kick in and it was pretty much about careful line choosing (but of course speed wise I was riding like some pussy that day). In fact on BT's hard-pack, rolling was much easier than the loose rocky sections of T15.
Over the next few month, its just one long ride after another, mostly on roads during the weekend and exploring wherever I go.. Shall not go into details of the places here but from unpaved to old paved but broken roads.. this good old singlepeed took everything in its stride. I stayed off long full off road ride after the last BT romp while still mulling whether to get a new dedicated gravel bike.
Before I go on.. let's state for the record that the last drop bar road bike I rode was 11 years ago.. In between then to now I've only been on mtbs. A long hiatus from the roads and so for every ride since the start of this year, it had been a re-discovery of everything related to drop bar and 700c wheels.
Yes-- it also meant breaking out my old funky smelling padded shorts only this year and having to buy new ones after these old ones simply disintegrated after a couple of use.
The real work done when back home stemming from my pedantic self was getting all the numbers down.. Getting ready for the next bike.
Why Why Why?--- Because numbers don't lie
"Go for a professional bike fit..." I hear someone shouting in the background..
Some might spot and say -- "that is too much steerer, you need a bigger frame..."
Been riding long enough to know what works and what not for me. Short arse inseam and forever caught in between sizes-- its the Curse of the Bicycle-god that I have been living with for over 40 years of riding.
Decided no "slam the stem" on an all rounder setup-- pedaling hard on unpaved paths and hitting some step downs at speed with a low front end is a really stupid idea. The hell with looking cool.
Somehow things work out to a old skool-ish ratio with the handlebar ~1" lower than the seat.. The real hard part here after trying out with umpteenth stems later is to find one that is still high enough but doesn't impart that dorky aesthetic of a upward rising angle to reach that optimal bar height.
Biggest positive change? The bar. The old Nitto Randonneur while perfect on the drops was simply too scrunched on top..
Started looking at these newer flared bars... then saw these even newer ones with riser.
Riser-drop Bar-- "What and OXYMORONIC name!".. I was just thinking but then hmmm it might just work to push the bar height up since my steerer is limited.
Tried a few at bike shops like the SOMA Condor I and II, , Surly Truck Stop Bar etc... somehow either the length, rise, reach or angles stop me from buying.. till I stumble upon the Controltech CLS FL16 GRAVEL Riser. Put a 40cm on the SOMA... (40 here is hood to hood.. C-C is 49cm)
Pros and Cons.. It has a funny rise that starts right around the center after the stem is mounted, leaving little space for extension mounting. At its highest point of the rise (where my bar tapes started).. its a very gradual taper all the way to the start of the bend where the reach starts.
This part is where it felt different from all the other riser drop bars I have tried and gives me the most ergonomic wrist to palm transition when holding behind the hood. I was paranoid at first how the increase in the C-C (49cm) compared to my previous C-C of 42 on the Nitto would affect. It was all a worry over nothing as the only difference was a significantly positive feel in leveraging the bar when holding the ends.
Cranking out 48/18 from a dead stop - -any singlespeeder will appreciate that your top end doesn't feel retardedly slow or squeezed for space while your legs are putting torque on the cranks simultaneously... something that my old Nitto Rando bar was doing to me.
Most time while back on the hook, the width is actually between 42-44cm which is just perfect.
From here I can sense that this bar will also work well on unpaved/ off road conditions- -but maybe the slightly wider 42 cm (C-C @ 51cm) might even be better...
armed with all the numbers.. now I have a good feel of exactly what I want in my next bike...
The search continues-- The Gravel Bike Hunt!
and just a recap of how the Stanyan has served me thru the years
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| (1) First built after patiently waiting for various parts over 9 months that seen this setup hit the many nite rides at TMCR. (2) Then the ridiculous but head turning "monster ratio" craze of a 62/16 before (3) transformation into a grocery/ commuter bike for the next 7-8 years. (4) Recently defaulted back into my regular cardio training rig once again. Fenders and racks stays.. its a signature by now. |
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