THE HISTORIC DROP BAR MTB (not a gravel Bike.. )
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# Classic Curiosities or Mtb Icons of the 20th century
https://fotos.mtb-news.de/s/91247A bit of collected geeky info from the web,
(for coherency, sort pics from below under "manual" so the the date/post will reverse)
Also check out the caption comments under pictures for Information or Links.
Many pics in this Collection have other peoples photocredits
Some focus here goes to WTB (S.Potts &C.Cunningham, Specialized, Salsa, Bridgestone, Fat Chance, ABM & KLEIN especially ..
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Intro: (quoting original wtb/wilderness trail bike and offroad drop pioneers)
C. Cunningham, said once himself
“The mountain bike experience in its purest sense happens when the bike is working in perfect harmony with the rider and the terrain. This experience in its many forms is what so many people in today’s world need so much and what I hope to contribute in some small way."
S. Potts, on another day
Bicycles have such a positive benefit for one's physical and mental well being and also connecting people with each other and nature through riding, it is easy for me to continue being a part of this work. I also enjoy trying to make each bike better than the last one and inventing new useful products. That is the simple, condensed version, I could go on........ Thanks ,Steve.
Key elements & The Cockpit
Bars
Speaking about different offroad oriented drop handlebars, ...?
-back then there were not so many different offroad Drop-Bars for mtb out there,
Cunningham was bending Cinellis and various Road type bars to his needs
. Namely these were CINELLI 64 - GIRO D'ITALIA & sometimes 66 CHAMPIONE DEL MUNDO.
Soon after when "wilderness trail bikes" had formed, they put the Specialzed Rm-2 into production via Nitto in Japan. Probably designed by Steve it was to flared so Charlie did bend it back a little on #CBC. The later mid/late 90s WTB Aricle (Taiwan made) models had different Logos and were silver anodized where the bartape goes.
-the italian wb1 being the european answer to this newly flared hype of handlebars. In shape its somewhere i between the WTB and those early Cunninghams adaptations. Pretty wide and relatively deep hooks with medium/large flare to it compared with the maxxed out RM-2 in total width/span. The italian variant came in 2 versions also with the later having logos printed and longer hooks suggesting the trend going away from barend shifters.
Other known variations at the time came by Specialized again with the Ibis favored RM-3 (also modified typically and used by charlie "later" on his Bikes) & finally the lesser quality, hence not heat threated BB-1 with factory flare reaching quite deep overall yet on one of their production bikes at the time. Another alternative was the old Nitto RM014 as found on Bridgestones and other various bikes of the time..
Comfort/Padding?
For extra damping purpose grab on foam was specifically used by the "cunninghams" on their personal and race team cockpits.
Manipulating bars the old Style (get a BIG Vise,plywood and courage paired with strength)
Sandy Hague says,...
To achieve a typical early era 64-40 Cinelli bar you would come up with a result of
19.5" at the bar ends (49,5cm) center to center after spreading 1 1/2" (3,8cm) and flaring 1 1/2" to widen each side measurably to be correct.
Prior to this process cut off 1" each side (2,5cm) in order to compensate for accessing shiftposition if barend shifters are planned to be in desired use.
... that's how you would do it like the masters !!
Stems
Salsa straight CroMo Style
As its rare to come by these often custom made dropbar stems,
some diamond back roller-version can also cover the need for an original high rise / p10 & p7 aswell as a Nitto or Bridgestone model aluminium stem.
Gooseneck bend crmo Style (also labeled LD`s
)
(made by Salsa, Ibis, Steve potts & CC Cunningham as the current idea holder at the time reviving an old idea from bike building history)
Originating around 1983, Charlie and then WTB/Potts produced their new inventioned stem called gooseneck type or LD's (as Charlies wife used that term later).
"Handlebar stems where the steerer clamp and main extension are made from a single, sharply-curved tube were a hallmark of Charlie Cunningham’s legendary bikes — and he called them “Gooseneck” stems. His young, potty-mouthed apprentice at the time (one @scotnicol) decided to instead call them LD stems (for “Limp D*ck&rdquo
… and that name stuck." G. Halaburt
These stems over time came in different diameter/reach tubing and allowed a rather nice custom fit after a proper measure (often times using the Cunningham-Fitfinder or SALSA adjustable stem System).
"The old LD Stem, ( long distance), made a lot of these in days past. Great for mountain drop bars"-- Steve P. -- retcon or not. But they do reduce vibrating shock between the bike & your hands
Inhouse at WTB they would either go on a sleeve silvered into steerer tube (called "stubby") or the later added taper cone plug fit, but not until 1986.
Both of these solutions were complicated as you had to choose for 1" or oversize stemtubing and then have a step down stub or as with the tapercone there were 2 different tops: one for direct mount flatbar stems and a sliced conecap for custom dropbar material (external clamping!).
https://www.mtb-news.de/forum/t/wieso-soll-man-einen-ahead-vorbau-nicht-auf-gewinde-montieren.965905/Despite some opinionating on the web, WTB-Etiquette was to have the rider geometry setup simply going the way to have top of dropbars 1-2" below Saddle as a guideline
Want to order one ? here the go to guy if you cannot talk someone else into it..
https://www.flickr.com/photos/clockworkbikes/albums/72157626508240301Frames!?
As noted by CC, a tall headtube is key for a) reducing stress on the headset and b) getting barsposition high enough even for flatbars (if riser bars arent a choice
A drobar stem and bar will only increase leverage of the cockpit.
Since not all frames out there were build with sloping toptubes for the better aspect of "leg clearance" combined with a tall headtube,
there must be a wise choice of stems to get the dropbars high up. The wider and/or deeper the bars get which bring you in position where you can decent while braking, the migher the stem has sit/compensate. WTB conceived the envisioned Gooseneck tubular ahead clamp back then which was rigid and eye pleasing. Apprentice Scott Nicol (later Ibis) called the construction LD-stem which word(s) were relabeled by Steve Potts to signify L(ong) D(distance) and in fact the dropbars prooved very appropriate for touring on your MTB or ATB back then. Luckily they make Dropbar Gooseneck stems again now, on the other hand Dropbars became shallower yet headtubes become bigger nowadays ...
Check out the comprehensive scanned catalog material from Bridgestone here..
Braking & Shifting
☆ Widely favored brakelevers were the non aero type, meaning the cable went straight to the brakes without going underneath bartape. There is a noticeable modulation and performance advantage combined with standard brakes of the time. Positioning the brakelevers low enough was crucial yet some preferenced the uphill position for resting on the hoods like todays gravel riders do mostly.
☆ Shifting from within the drop section of handlebars was essential on race mtbs. Thus before adaptations for suntour friction (sausage links adapters) and later xt sis indexed shifters (multimount handles) were designed by WTB pioneers once again, but bar end shifters with heavily shortened dropbars were the common norm up until the late 80s as was on Cunninghams personal bikes.
After Dkg made an attempt to allow riders their mounting of trigger shifting ("shift ease" mounting plates), the dropbar phase seemingly went into a deep sleep until "gravel bikes" of the 21st century caught up again.
Hacks
CUNNINGHAM was famous for inventions which later many times became industry standard. But Charlie also improved parts of other manufacturers besides his own crafted products. Below a few of these can be seen.
What comes to mind of the more wider known tweaks and tunes from Charlies headquarters ? Those were often, custom bend and again heat treated race bars, foam padded drops underneath bartape, brake levers manipulated for short reach, on the fly grease port for headsets but yet the list could go on and on......
Common confusion and brand wording
What do LD stems, barcon shifter and dirt drops have in common ?
All three labels belong to the phrasing of individual persona/bike industry.
So they aren't a given category or style but rather what Scot Nicol, Suntour and Specialized called their observations and partly own products at the time being
The famous names/brands in the relatively short and unpopular Dropbar MTB phase go like: WTB (CC&SP), IBIS, Specialized..Merlin. early KLEIN.. and a few others.
Among the bikes for inspiration here, there are especially valued to spec, some KLEINs, AMERICANs & the odd rad steel M.T.Bike 😉😁
https://www.oldschoolracing.ch/archiv/wtb/http://mombatbicycles.com/MOMBAT/BikeHistoryPages/WTB.htmlhttps://www.mtbr.com/threads/charlie-cunninghams-1986-indian-s-n-cbc.801711/ :
15. Flare reduced on the RM-2 bar
16. Ends of RM-2 bar reduced
