{"id":67756,"date":"2024-08-14T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-14T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/7b49c694-2359-44ee-ba51-e55550b37bcf"},"modified":"2024-08-14T17:25:29","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T15:25:29","slug":"why-are-gravel-pros-running-drop-bar-mtbs","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/why-are-gravel-pros-running-drop-bar-mtbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Why are gravel pros running drop-bar MTBs?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We look at why gravel racers are choosing to ride drop bars on their mountain bikes <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 14 August 2024 at 15:00 PM<\/p>

\n\n

The gap between gravel and cross-country mountain bikes is smaller than ever, with many gravel bikes utilising frame designs similar to MTBs and even incorporating suspension systems.<\/p>

Many gravel racers at this year’s Leadville 100 were riding cross-country mountain bikes<\/a> equipped with drop bars.<\/p>

Promising the control of a mountain bike with the aero advantages of a drop-bar setup, the Leadville 100 was won by Keegan Swenson, who rode a drop-bar equipped Santa Cruz Highball hardtail with a RockShox SID Ultimate Flight Attendant<\/a> fork and a combination of SRAM XX SL AXS Transmission married to the brand\u2019s Red AXS shifters.<\/p>

Earlier in the year, we saw Ulrich Bartholmoes\u2019 drop-bar BMC Twostroke<\/a> at the Traka, featuring a RockShox SID Select Plus with 100mm of travel.<\/p>

Are drop-bar mountain bikes the future of gravel tech or a flash-in-the-pan fad? Let\u2019s look at some of the reasons why gravel racers are moving to drop-bar mountain bikes.<\/p>

XC or gravel? <\/h2>
Drop bars make technical descents more difficult, but should offer a better position on long, flat sections of trail. – Taylor Chase \/ Life Time Grand Prix<\/figcaption><\/figure>
While Olympic-style cross-country mountain biking has become more technical in recent years, gravel racing<\/a> has taken the place of traditional marathon cross-country racing<\/a> on a wider scale.<\/p>
While the Leadville 100 is historically a mountain bike race, due to its long, non-technical sections made up of doubletrack and dirt tracks, many gravel racers have started to target the event because its length means it isn\u2019t a good match for dedicated XCO racers.<\/p>
Gravel racer Dylan Johnson is one of those riders.<\/p>
$\"Dylan$
Johnson used mountain bike tyres for Unbound. – Sam Andrews \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>
He rode to a 10th-place finish at Unbound 2024<\/a> on a heavily modified Felt Breed<\/a>.<\/p>
Johnson is a Felt-sponsored rider, but the brand doesn\u2019t produce a mountain bike. This meant he\u00a0had free rein to pick a bike for the Leadville 100, settling on a drop-bar equipped Allied BC40 full-suspension mountain bike.<\/p>
$\"Russell$
Russell Finsterwald’s Trek Supercaliber featured a Project One custom paintjob. – Taylor Chase \/ Life Time Grand Prix<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Alongside Johnson, Trek-sponsored gravel veteran Russell Finsterwald was seen riding a Trek Supercaliber with drop handlebars.<\/p>
$\"Keegan$
Swenson took the top spot of the podium on his drop-bar Santa Cruz Highball. – Taylor Chase \/ Life Time Grand Prix<\/figcaption><\/figure>
All racers using drop bars are SRAM-sponsored or affiliated, likely because the brand\u2019s wireless AXS ecosystem enables road shifters to be paired with mountain bike derailleurs to create mullet drivetrains<\/a>.<\/p>
$\"Keegan$
Swenson has a long background in gravel racing. – Taylor Chase \/ Life Time Grand Prix<\/figcaption><\/figure>
This same functionality is available on Shimano Di2 components, but many professional Shimano athletes prefer to use mechanical mountain bike derailleurs, which aren\u2019t compatible with its drop-bar shifters.<\/p>
Tributes to Tomac<\/h2>
$\"John$
Could we see disc wheels making a comeback soon? – Helen Cousins \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>
It\u2019s not the first time we\u2019ve seen drop-bar handlebars on mountain bikes, with the image of John Tomac taking victories on his Raleigh Signature and Yeti C-26 burnt into cycling\u2019s collective consciousness.<\/p>
$\"Laurens$
Laurens ten Dam used his Epic World Cup for comfort reasons. – Transcordillieras<\/figcaption><\/figure>
In the more modern era, we\u2019ve seen ex-professional grand tour and gravel racer, Laurens ten Dam, using drop bars on a Specialized Epic World Cup<\/a> for his 1,050km Transcordilleras FKT.<\/p>
When speaking to BikeRadar, ten Dam described using the \u2018improvised setup\u2019 to increase comfort levels on the 18-hour-a-day race.<\/p>
What are the benefits of a drop bars on a mountain bike?<\/h2>
$\"Keegan$
There were still many competitors that stuck with traditional flat bars. – Taylor Chase \/ Life Time Grand Prix<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Compared to a conventional mountain bike flat bar, drop handlebars give you more positions to rest during long events. This can help avoid aches and pains that may develop from riding with your hands locked in one position.<\/p>
They also reduce your frontal area, with the drop portion of the bar usually positioning your hands lower than is possible with flat bars \u2013 even with an extremely inverted stem.<\/p>
$\"Keegan$
There were still many competitors that stuck with traditional flat bars. – Taylor Chase \/ Life Time Grand Prix<\/figcaption><\/figure>
This gives riders an aerodynamic advantage on high-speed, non-technical parts of the course, which make up the majority of the Leadville 100.<\/p>
While more capable than gravel bikes<\/a>, cross-country mountain bikes are also incredibly efficient, especially on chunkier terrain where larger tyres and suspension provide better traction and faster rolling speeds.<\/p>
$\"Giant$
There are a few gravel bikes that feature front suspension forks. – Steve Sayers \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Even compared to more extreme gravel bike setups with gravel suspension forks<\/a>, the descending prowess of modern cross-country mountain bikes is unmatched due to the requirement needed in XCO racing.<\/p>
Will we see more drop-bar mountain bikes?<\/h2>
$\"Keegan$
Keegan Swenson seems to have reopened the door for drop-bar mountain bikes. – Taylor Chase \/ Life Time Grand Prix<\/figcaption><\/figure>
With Keegan Swenson\u2019s success, it seems logical we will see a higher adoption of the drop-bar setup in cross-country marathon events, depending on their technicality.\u00a0<\/p>
There seems to be a sweet spot, where gravel bikes aren\u2019t quite capable enough, flat bars aren\u2019t aero or comfortable enough and drop-bar mountain bikes prevail.<\/p>
Perhaps John Tomac really was ahead of the game.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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