Off Road Drop Bars

Took my new Bontrager Privateer 'Monster Cross' through the Oak Leaf trail a couple of weeks ago to hit up some singletrack (when there was snow) at Grant Park and the Seven Bridges Trail. This build/ride has a couple of firsts for me: 1. This is the first time using Dirt Drop handlebars off road, 2. I've been starting to use Revelate Design Bags on the trail. These two endeavors were sparked by two of my Madison friends registering for the Tour Divide race this summer. The idea of combining two of my favorite hobbies, camping and mountain biking, got me excited to try some new products!

I've used the dirt drop bars on a rando build so I'm very familiar to the shape and feel. I was a bit skeptical on using them off road but I was surprised in how well they handled. I didn't feel like I would slip and the wide ends helped on the climbs. Now, the ride quality rests a lot on the stem and how the rest of the bike is set up. After a couple of changes, I'm very happy with the build.
I plan on using this bike and set up for many gravel road rides/races this coming spring and summer. These bars would be great for touring and those long non-paved rides. We have WTB and Nitto RM-013 and RM-014 versions in stock with some Salsa ones coming in soon. It is quite the deviation from your traditional road bar but with certain set ups, they'll work perfectly. More on Revelate Bags and bike packing soon!...