Going Back to My Old Ways - Re-re-reinventing the Pak� C'Mute

A few weeks ago, I had the idea of getting back to the set-up I had on my Pak� C'Mute before going to the traditional drop handlebars: MTB risers and a 1X set up. For the last 2 1/2 years, my C'mute has gone through a number of transformations - mostly me just swapping parts bin bits and moving things back and forth. However, a little disappointed with riding the drops and never really getting used to them, I decided to go back to the sweet spot that I loved so much.

My musings can be chronicled in this MTBR thread.

"For me, I used to race with a flat bar and felt SUPER comfortable with it. I could just fling it around - and with drops... not so much.

Then, for some dumb reason I thought, "Well, I should go back to pure traditional 'cross". What I ended up with was a bike that hung in my garage most of the time. What really made me go back, was the amount of seat time I was putting into my 1986 Rockhopper Comp.

I completely modernized [my Rockhopper] with a wide handlebar, 1X9 set-up and modern wheels and tires. I also upgraded the brakes to XTR V's with the love from my homie, Froride1 on MTBR. I LOVE that bike!

So... I thought it'd be awesome to put the ol' CX bike back to where I felt best with it: non-traditional, huge bars, 1X set-up. I had a double on there before, and I hated shifting through a front DR, so I found that the 38T X 11-36 was a big enough gear ratio for long CX rides, road rides, and even racing for my level. 

I'm having a blast on the new set-up. MUCH better than the drops I had. I feel way more confident on dirt descending and flicking it around rocks and roots. I can hold my line in sand and mud - and I don't feel like I'm straining my neck. The only drawback is the lack of aero [I had] with the drops - but I feel the benefits [of this set up] (for me) outweigh those drawbacks. My justification is - if I feel super great with wide handlebars on my MTB... why not just replicate it on my CX bike?

Really, the only reason why to have drops for racing would be rules or maybe personal preference. But for the local organization here, they don't have a bar width rule, so it's all good.

I get made fun of for my wide bars, but hey - they work!"

I don't know why I fought my "natural" place with a wide MTB riser on my cyclocross bike. Quite possibly I fell into the "purist" trap, or maybe I thought my riding would be better with drops. It wasn't.

Additionally, switching to mini v-brakes proved a significant advantage over cantilever brakes. Hard braking, modulation and scrubbing speed before turns improved vastly.

Put a carbon fiber fork in this bike - wide-bar'd 1X set-up is DONE. I'm leaving it this way!

Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2013/01/going-back-to-my-old-ways-re-re.html

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