Almost everybody- or more precisely; everybody- I have spoken to about it thinks the Busch+Müller Luxos U head light is klunky and ugly. I’m not the one to give an opinion on headlight aesthetics though since I still use the Schmidt E6 light on my commuter bike. But I can say that the Luxos U is heavy, and mounting it anyplace but on the fork crown using the provided fork crown mounting bracket is a bit of a challenge. If it’s not tightened securely it has a tendency to slowly droop so that the lighted patch on the road ahead becomes shorter and shorter. I recently upgraded to this light on my touring machine and went through a couple of iterations before I came up with what I think will be a permanent mounting solution.
I have caliper side pull brakes on my bike and I also use a front bag mounted on top of a Nitto M-18 rack, and either one of those conditions, by itself, would preclude mounting the light on the fork crown. (Note: we do have mounts that will attach behind a caliper brake, but they are not recommended for this light) What to do? Nitto makes a light mount which consists of an eyebolt which slips over the end of one of the M-18 rack stays and a clever little scalloped washer which clamps down on the stay for a really solid attachment. There were two problems with using the actual light mounting bracket that the Nitto lamp holder uses though: 1) The Luxos U is too big to be mounted on the bracket without either being too far outboard or being pushed out of whack by the rack stay. 2) Where the light is meant to mount, the bracket is a single thickness of metal, rather that a U or a fork shape. Simply bolting the light to a flat peice of metal doesn’t seem to be a strong enough connection to keep the light from slipping.
The Nitto Lamp Holder for Nitto M-18
I had the idea to thread the 6mm end of a Sheldon Fender Nut onto the bolt of the Nitto Lamp Mount in place of the stock bracket and then bolt the light onto the 5mm end of the nut. While this was a clean and sort of elegant solution, I couldn’t clamp the bolt tight enough to keep the light from drooping, and when the light rotated down it also tended to loosen the clamping bolt, so eventually the whole thing was just sort of dangling there, with the light pointing straight down at the ground.
This is actually the Gilles Berthoud version of the Sheldon Fender Nut screwed onto the base of the Nitto Lamp Holder.Mounted on the Fender Nut.
I wish I could take credit for the next idea, but it actually was presented by a friend of mine. The Gino Light Mount is designed to be bolted onto a threaded hole somewhere on the bike’s fork or onto a threaded mount brazed onto a rack. It is a short (22mm) cylinder with a diameter of 26mm, which is the diameter of a standard road handlebar. Any light with a handlebar mount can then be mounted on the Gino mount. Drilling the mounting hole of the Gino Light Mount out a little bit and then using a tap to create some threads, I was able to screw it onto the bolt of the Nitto Lamp Holder in place of the stock bracket. Now I had a place to mount the light which I could position anywhere along the length of the rack stay. I just needed a mount designed for a handlebar which would work with the Luxos U. As it turns out, the German company Schmidt makes just the thing. The way the metal band of the Schmidt mount is cinched onto the handlebar, or Gino Light Mount in this case, makes it virtually impossible for it to slip. And the fork in the bracket sandwiches the mounting tab on the light and a through bolt clamps the whole thing together.
Threaded Gino Light MountThe Schmidt handlebar light mount.The Gino Light Mount threaded onto the base of the Nitto Lamp Holder.This shows the metal band clamp used by the Schmidt light mount.For this application, putting the Schmidt light mount on the bottom of the Gino mount places the light where I want it.
So far this has been a rock solid mounting solution and the light is in a good position to light the road with only minimal shadow from the front tire. The downside is that it took parts of three different mounts to cobble it together. Getting the light in the right position and aligned the way I wanted it was pretty fiddly too. You might be wondering if it all was worth the effort. The Luxos U light basically incorporates every technology known to one of the best dynamo light manufacturers in the world. It is not simple and it is not inexpensive. Another post could and should be devoted to the features, advantages and benefits of this light. I just haven’t spent enough time with this light to even do it justice in a review. Giving it a thorough testing, which will require planning some more rides in darkness, is something I look forward to.
For ages, they’ve been the standard. They’re nearly as ubiquitous as racks and panniers on touring bikes around the world but can also be found on road racing steeds, track bikes, cyclocross machines, commuting rigs or even mountain bikes. I’m talking about drop bars. Ask just about anyone what a bicycle handlebar looks like and they’ll likely describe the ramhorn bends of a drop bar. They come on many of our favorite new bikes, like Surly’s Long Haul Trucker, Disc Trucker, Cross-Check and Straggler. It isn’t tradition alone that keeps these gracefully curved tubes on the front of so many different bikes. Drop bars offer an effective and comfortable range of hand and body positions that are excellent for a great variety of riding styles and terrain. There are hundreds of subtle variations in shape available, each with differing reach, drop, width and bend to provide a rider with the perfect fit. In short, drop bars are awesome.
However, there are situations where a drop bar leaves much to be desired. Take a look at mountain bikes or off-road motorcycles and you’ll see what I mean. In order to maneuver his machine through difficult terrain, the off-road rider needs a neutral or slightly rear-biased body position and plenty of leverage. A wide, flat, slightly backswept handlebar does just that. What that flat handlebar doesn’t do is provide a multitude of hand and body positions. For the singletrack rider who is constantly moving and shifting her weight over the bike this is not a big drawback. Her riding position changes independent of her grip on the handlebars. For the touring or bikepacking rider who may cover long stretches of flat and smooth terrain in between steep and rough sections, the limited hand positions offered by a flat bar can lead to soreness, stiffness and accelerated fatigue. This is why we see so many bikepacking bikes with aerobars clamped onto flat bars. The rider needs alternative hand and body positions to ride comfortably for hours at a time.
So – as in most things – a middle ground must be sought and the unconventional thinker often arrives at the ideal solution. When it comes to handlebars for off-road touring and a variety of other applications, Jeff Jones’ Loop H-Bar may just be that solution. A great deal has already been written about the H-Bar’s merits – much of it by Jeff Jones himself – so I won’t waste time adding to the mountain of praise already heaped on these bars. In many ways, the H-bar neatly splits the difference between a drop bar and a flat bar, retaining the best characteristics of each. It offers the width and leverage of the flat bar, the forward reach and hand positions of the drop bar and much more room to shift weight rearward. In addition, the Loop-H bar’s forward extension offers a perfect location for strapping a handlebar roll. Revelate even offers a special 4-point attachment kit to neatly secure their Sweetroll to the Loop-H bars.
The astute reader may recall that I have been considering a different handlebar for my dirt touring bike ever since my experience on the Smoke ‘n’ Fire 400. Given the large number of other touring riders who may be pushing the limits of their drop bar setups and looking for alternatives, I thought I’d share some thoughts and experiences from the process and try to provide a setup guide for H-Bars on a touring or bikepacking bike.
Assuming you’ve settled on the H-Bar as the right handlebar for your application, there are a few other components you’ll need to effect the conversion. Since my bike and most of the touring bikes we sell are spec’ed with drop bars and bar-end shifters, I’ll walk you through that process. If your bike has integrated shifters or downtube levers, your process and the parts needed will be different.
So, let’s get down to the details. What do you need to make the conversion from drop bars to H-Bars on your bike? Every bike is different and there is no one perfect setup. Many of these questions you’ll have to answer for yourself – especially when it comes to fit. I do not claim to be a fit expert and have arrived at positions that work for me through a combination of self-education and trial-and-error. If in doubt, consult a trained bicycle fitting professional in your area before making any dramatic changes to your riding position.
First: Pick Your Handlebars
Jeff Jones offers three different handlebars that provide the same basic positioning but in slightly different shapes and widths. They are the Loop-H, Cut-H and Bend-H. They are all available in 660 or 710mm widths and a variety of materials. If you’re planning on using a handlebar roll (especially the Revelate Sweetroll), you’ll be happiest with the Loop-H. If you won’t be strapping much gear to the bars, don’t need as much forward extension but want the width and backsweep in an elegant shape, get the Bend-H. Other than aesthetic preference, I don’t think there is much to recommend the Cut-H over the Loop. Also, there isn’t really much reason to choose the 660mm width as the handlebars are clearly marked for cutting, if desired. I would encourage anyone other than the smallest riders to try the wide bars first. You just might like them and you can always trim them later. For my purposes, I went with a silver, aluminum Loop-H Bar in a 710mm width.
Second: Pick Your Stem
Now things get complicated. Bicycle fitting is a highly complex topic with very little good research to draw on outside the racing world. The makeup of a comfortable and efficient riding position is different for everyone, so I’ll do my best to offer helpful guidelines you can use to find your own sweet spot. Jeff Jones wrote a useful blog post on choosing a stem to pair with your H-Bar but it is geared toward riders moving from flat bars to H-bars. Since we’re talking about drop bars here, I’ll take you through some of the questions you’ll be faced with.
There are two important variable to consider when choosing your stem: reach and stack. Reach describes the horizontal position of the bars, or how far out they are. Stack (or drop) describes the vertical position of the bars, or how far above or below the saddle they sit. Reach and stack can be measured in a variety of ways but since we’re talking about converting an existing cockpit assumed to be comfortable, I’ll talk about them in more relative terms.
First, let’s talk reach. Most people find that their favorite hand position on drop bars is on the brake hoods or the “ramps” of the bars just behind the hoods. Assuming you are reasonably comfortable on your drop bars, I recommend setting up your H-Bars so that the forward extension gives the same reach as the farthest forward position you can reach on the brake hoods. This will give you roughly the same amount of room to stretch out forward but with much more space to shift your weight back. In this position I found that the junction of the grip section and crossbar landed right on the ramps, providing an ideal perch to simulate the sweet spot on my drop bars. It is worth pointing out that the total front-to-back reach of the Loop H-Bar is significantly longer than a typical drop bar. Compared to roughly 5.5 inches of reach on an average drop bar from the front of the brake hoods to handlebar center, the 710mm Loop H-Bars measure a full 9 inches from the center of the forward extension to the center of the rearmost portion of the grip area. Most of this additional real estate comes in the widest, rearmost grip position. Avoid the temptation to set your bars farther forward to favor this grip position as it will render the forward extensions unusable and prevent you from shifting your weight farther back for descents.
With the H-Bars positioned in the manner pictured above, I estimated that I would need to shorten my stem by 1cm to secure them in place, so I settled on a 90mm long stem.
Now let’s talk stack, or drop. For most riders, positioning the H-Bars so they are roughly level with the saddle yields a comfortable, neutral riding position with good weight distribution between handlebar, pedals and saddle. Depending on your current setup, you’ll likely need a stem with more rise or up-angle to achieve this. By changing my stem from a -10 degree to a 0 degree, I raised the handlebars by roughly 1.5cm, putting them just a hair lower than my saddle.
If you need to raise the bars more than a couple centimeters this stem extension is available which clamps onto the fork steerer tube in place of the stem. The stem in turn clamps onto the extension affording up to 8cm additional stem height.
A handy extension for getting the bars up to the desired height.
All of the Jones bars have a 31.8mm clamping surface, so be sure that any stem you purchase will fit the handlebar and your bike’s steerer tube to avoid disappointment. Thomson’s X4 mountain bike stem is an excellent choice but we offer several less expensive options as well.
Third: Choosing Brake Levers and Shifters
After the complexity of the stem question, the remaining decisions will be fairly straightforward. When choosing brake levers, you’ll want a flat-bar, MTB-style lever that pulls the proper amount of cable for your brakes. Cantilevers, centerpull, sidepull and road disc brakes use a short pull. V-brakes and mountain disc brakes use a long pull. Also, I highly recommend levers with a good reach-adjustment mechanism for the H-Bars. You will need to replace the brake cables and housing so if the new brake levers don’t include cables and housing you will need to purchase those separately.
If you have bar-end shifters, Paul Components’ Thumbies provide a clean and elegant way to mount your shifters on top the Jones Bars and use them as thumb shifters. The bar end shifters will work in the ends of the Jones bars but, given the width and the sweep of the bars, this might be a little functionally awkward.
Hope this guide offers some help and direction to those considering a swap to the Jones Bars.
Wednesday is Surly Bikes’ latest iteration of the fatbike. Starting with the Pugsley and the Moonlander bikes, then bringing out the Ice Cream Truck a few years later- in the meantime inventing the 29+ standard with the Krampus and ECR bikes- Surly appears to be looking for the sweet spot in the crowded fatbike market. The fact that every bike maker now has a fatbike in the line means that there are new standards for components such as hubs and bottom brackets that are specific to the unique requirements of fatbikes, and the Wednesday takes advantage of the resultant economies of scale. There’s Fat and There’s Fat
The Wednesday comes stock with Surly’s 80mm wide My Other Brother Darryl rims which will fit either the stock 3.8″ tires or up to 4.6″ tires. If swapping to the bigger tires all that needs to be done is to slide the rear wheel back in the horizontal dropout for clearance; the fork is wide enough for the fatter tires. Rather than offsetting the rear triangle and wheel in order to use a traditional 135mm rear hub, à la the Pugsley, the Wednesday uses a 170-177 rear spacing, depending on what type of axle is being used; 10mm or 12mm. The front fork uses a 150 x 15mm thru axle. The bike will work well with a 100mm suspension for as well.
80mm rims for 3.8-4.8 tires.
Frame Considerations
The head tube on this bike is over-sized at 44mm. I guess this is from the mountain bike industry because many suspension forks now come with tapered steer tubes and in order to retrofit a fatbike with a suspension fork, a bigger head tube is needed. Still, suspension on a bike with 4 to 5″ wide tires? Seems redundant and unnecessary. Using a Truvativ (SRAM) double chain ring lets Surly use a “standard” 100mm bottom bracket shell which still allows moving the chain out far enough to clear the big fat tires.
The Wednesday uses a 44mm head tube.100mm bottom bracket shell.The Wednesday and the Ice Cream Truck both get a 30.9mm seat post.Sram X5 rear mech.Sram X5 shifter podsHayes MX Comp brakes front and rear with 160mm rotors.This is the port for an internally routed dropper seat post.Plenty of mounts for bottles, racks, Salsa Anything Cages, etc.
The Surly catalog says the “Wednesday sits in the middle of our ride-anywhere Pugsley and the modern trail geometry of the Ice Cream Truck”. I’m not sure what that means relative to ride characteristics, but the Wednesday and the Ice Cream Truck both have shorter seat tubes and longer effective top tubes as well as longer overall wheelbase for a given size than either the Pugsley or the Moonlander bikes. Apparently, also according to the Surly catalog, the ride of the Wednesday is similar to that of the Krampus, their 29+ bike.
