ModeratedUser

OK first of all I'm frightened to even mention these bars here as they aren't really touring bars, but I don't have a forum that I should ask. I guess maybe the "Recreational Cyclocross and Gravelbiking" forum, but I object to using that as I don't classify myself as a "recreational" rider. Anyone have a better suggestion as to where I can ask? Well go ahead and let us know!

So does anyone have any experience with these bars? How do you like them? Any threads you've seen on them? I searched and found nothing.

mdilthey

I found the hand position to be a bit... unnatural. The owner of my local shop, which has been in the same hands since 1987, swears that there's nothing ergonomic about them and, quite the opposite, the position in the TOPS is a poor position to be riding in for long periods of time. Cambering your wrist 30º isn't good. Think about it- why angle your hands out and then put pressure straight down?

That said... the human body is resilient and flexible, and I am sure there are probably hundreds of people using these bars with great success. Either because it truly isn't bothering them, or any discomfort is slight compared to normal aches and pains from long rides. I.E, their palms hurt more anyways so wrist pain goes unnoticed. I think the "Drop" position is similar to classic moustache bars, which a lot of people love.


I wanted a drop bar I could find quickly off-road, so a slightly offset bar like the Salsa Cowbell 2 was my choice. The brake levers are angled, but only a couple of degrees, so it doesn't change much. And, it gives me a nice, stable "Drop" position for off-roading.

BobG

I like my One One Midge bars which are similar to the Woodchippers although the bottom section is shorter. The brake hoods are indeed steeply canted but they are at the same width as a standard drop bar. I thought the wrist camber would be an issue but my hands rest more on the outside corner of the hoods so the wrists remain straight. I like them because they make the brake levers an easier reach from the drops, supplementing cross-top levers. I use the drops more because they are so shallow. The Midge bars have very short bottoms placing bar end shifters really close.

rjl33

I actually like the Woodchippers very much, have used them for touring and long rides with my Fargo without any issues. In fact I recently had some hand numbness/tingling issues with Jones loop bars on another bike, but no issues when I went back to riding the Fargo. I admit that the first time I rode with them I thought there was no way I could like them. I can also agree that the Cowbells are very nice and comfortable, and the new Cowchippers look interesting.

fietsbob

No, I have wide Nitto Noodle bars on a Bike I Toured with , I used Randonneur bars On my last long tour

(custom stem+ 2 narrow bars split so as to be wider and separable for packing)



Woodchipper seems derived of Charlie Cunningham's spread out Cinelli 64 bars .. that his mate Jackie Phelan Raced MTB's on..

Now, jobbed out to Asian makers of course

bwgride

Yes, I am using the widest version of woodchippers and like the angle of the drops. I ride in the drops most of the time. I would also like to try the newer cowchippers.

enigmaT120

Fargos are touring bikes. I like the Woodchippers on mine, but it's been a long time since I've used any other drop bar. I use the drops when I'm on loose stuff like gravel, or in a headwind. They are comfortable for me. I have Bullmoose bars on my Rocky Mountain now.

gorshkov

I have woodchipper bars on my Raleigh Sojourn - original spec. They're pretty good, but I haven't noticed them being any more or less comfortable long-term than the normal drop bars on my go-fast bike. I have found that the wider bars give me a little more control on technical-ish single track, but if you're going to be sticking to roads (even dirt ones), I don't see the woodchippers as much of an improvement on regular drops.

So my advice depends on your situation. If you have other handlebars and you're happy with them, don't get woodchippers. If you have other handlebars and they are causing wrist/elbow/shoulder/neck pain, switching to woodchippers may not be the answer, and you should probably consult an LBS that knows about fitting a bike, not the internet. If you're building a new bike, you might try them.

psy

Love my woodchippers, I'm on my third set. Riding in the drops (where you are most of the time)I find the hand position to be very natural and comfortable with great control.The hoods are another comfortable position but The tops do tend to be a bit narrow. One weakness I've found is that if your bike topples over with a load you can just about guarantee your handlebars will be slightly tweaked,I think due to to complicated bends and the flare.It's all good though, put some aero bars on and you have one of the most comfortable cockpit setups around in my opinion.

psy

Since the main position with these bars is the drops, you need to make sure you have enough steer tube to run these bars high. I run my bars so the drops are level with the seat. Running them too low doesn't feel great to me. I would imagine this is true of most "dirt" drops.

ModeratedUser

Man I didn't realize there were this many choices, and I'm sure more. I forgot to mention that most of my riding is on the hoods. Not sure if I can get things adjusted well enough that I could split time on the drops as well as the hoods. I was thinking that the Woodchip bars would be good experiment, but I'm wondering how expensive it's going to be going that route. I really like the Salsa Cowbell 2 as mentioned. I ride with 44cm drops and thinking I could go with the widest ones offered and see how I'd like that.

cyccommute 

The Woodchipper is a bit too extreme for my tastes but I have old Bell Laps on several bikes that I really like a lot. Those fall somewhere between the Cowchipper and the Cowbell. The flare puts my brake levers/shifter hoods at a very comfortable angle for all day riding.

Pukeskywalker

If you're doing mostly road riding, I'd check out the salsa cowbell instead. The drop positions are very comfortable and natural, and the flare give you a little more control

The Woodchipper seems like something you would use on fire trails and gravel roads, where you need to wrestle the bike against rocks and big bumps... The "drops" look more like mountain risers -- rather than an aero position for headwinds on the road.

bmike

Loved my chippers... they take time to dial in. Second most comfy bar I've owned. First being the CowBell2. But I liked the chipper off road... and the cowbell on road.

N10S

I have been riding woodchipper bars that came stock on my 2015 ti Fargo complete over the past couple of months and can't say I like them too much. Prior to this bike I have run on-one midge drop bars on many other various bikes including a gen 1 Fargo, 2-singular Gryphons, and a Rawland Drakkar to name a few.

I always run my bars high so I am in the Drops 95% of the time. Set up this way the wood chipper is ok, but the weird twist from the top to the drops is way different than the midge and not as comfortable for me personally.

Either way though if you are looking for more of a traditional drop bar where you spend more time on the hoods, or on the tops then I would avoid the woodchipper and the midge as they are definitely not designed for that kind of use.

veganbikes

They seem cool but I would rather have a nice wide ergonomic/aero bar so I have the nice flat top when I am not riding in the drops and also I like a good comfortable brake lever so I can spend plenty of time in the hoods and be all-right. The odd twist at the bottom of the Woodchippers doesn't seem all that ergonomic or comfortable and I don't tend to spend a lot of time down there anyway.

bikemig 

I have some nitto dirt drop bars that look a bit like chippers (flared at the bottom) that came stock on my XO-2. The XO series were in some ways the first serious attempt to design a road bike with good offroad capabilities by combing road geometry with 26 inch wheels (there were no 29er tires available back in the day). It was a good design then and remains a good design. I like my nitto dirt drops a lot.

mstateglfr 

Just used some Origin8 Gary OS Sweep bars yesterday which are similar to the Woodchippers.
Guitar Ted Productions: Gary Sweep OS Bars here is info on a long term review of them.

Loved the bars, they felt great on the tops, ramps, hoods, and drops. My wrists felt great after 10mi of gravel and hardpack. I rode most it on the ramps, which even with the bar angled down so the drops are nearly level, was comfortable. The drops are wide, like the wheel of a school bus, but easy to get used to and made steering very stable.

I personally wouldn't consider them for long distance road riding or touring, but that's just me. I love the Nitto B132 Randonneur drop bar for long day rides and more- they sweep up slightly, have a slight flare, and have long ramps.

djb

I personally dont have experience riding with them, but have been intrigued by the various salsa bars for future use, so have kept mental note of the opinions of the riders here who use them.

if you cannot see some in person in a store, at least check out the salsa webpages for each, as they show them front on and going back and forth from each webpage, you can really see the diff with the models.

I kinda take the decision on what flare to use really depends on how much loose, rough surfaces you will be riding on. The cowbell 2 slight flare appeals to me for mostly road stuff but the slight flare would certainly help with some dirt riding. The comment about having the bars higher up makes sense to me, especially if you would be riding on rougher surfaces a lot anyway, would be easier on the hands a bit and having the drops up higher for more use on rough stuff makes sense to me also.

Woodchipper Bar | Parts & Accessories | Salsa Cycles

Cowchipper | Parts & Accessories | Salsa Cycles

Cowbell 2 Bar | Parts & Accessories | Salsa Cycles

HQQKEM

I really like mine. I wanted drops on my early 90s MTB for commuting. It did take a while to get them dialed in. The brake levers are not nearly as canted inward now as they are in these pics:

.

ModeratedUser

On Salsa's site it states, "40,42,44, and 46cm sizes avalable (measured center to center)"

I'm guessing that the measurement is from the center of where the brake levers fasten to the bar?

seeker333

It's from one side of bar to the other, measured at the center of the tube which forms the bar. Standard method of expressing drop hbar width, although some measure outside edge to outside edge.

djb

I have understood that the measurements are from the area of the top of the bars where the hoods go, middle to middle, middle of the actual tube, but I guess you could ask the Salsa guys by email if this is the case.

Hypno Toad

I just set up my Pugsley with Woodchippers and Gavenalle shifters. I REALLY like the bars and shifters.

This is my first bike with anything like the Woodchippers and I'm mounting them to a fatbike.... not a typical setup. With 40 miles on these bars, I am working on the fine-tuning and I'm looking for other's preferences and let me know how you use the bike with their Woodchippers. I found this blog post from 2010, interesting information.

I changed out the stem yesterday, the stock 110mm stem was too much, I have a 70mm with minimal rise (~7 degrees). This was a BIG improvement in steer-feel on the hoods and drops. I've moved the angle of the drops around a few times; it's currently around 25 degrees, I think I'm going back closer to 20 degrees (how it was when we first set it up). I think we mounted the hoods too far down for this angle, but I'm going to wait to pass final judgement. Additionally, I'm going to move all the spaces below the stem.

My Pug does a lot of diverse riding, including single-track in summer and winter, winter commuting, and plans on some long rides, like gravel centuries. I'm seriously consider an on-snow fatbike downhill slalom race in a week - that will be a test of these bars in challenging conditions.

Here are a couple pictures from Monday, as it was set up when I rode home from the shop.

fietsbob

I have Nitto bars, on my drop bar tourer, now.