Gravel: shift lever bang

[cantunamunch]

Rode just barely over 30mi of some pretty heavily rooted path yesterday and now I have imprints of the underside of the shift levers on my middle fingers of both hands.

I taped them up today but OW! Rubberized gloves and a suspension fork are on the horizon. Not quite ready to switch to flat bars yet.

 

[Josh Matta]

why would you ride roots path on a gravel bike? its funny how gravel is evovling most people would be better of on a rigid 29 with 2.0 tires and flat bar or alt bars than what our gravel bike are...

 

[cantunamunch]

why would you ride roots path on a gravel bike? its funny how gravel is evovling most people would be better of on a rigid 29 with 2.0 tires and flat bar or alt bars than what our gravel bike are...

Because that's what I was riding when I arrived at the rooted section.

 

[cantunamunch]

Anyone have any downhome remedies, then?

The problem can be thought of as a propensity of the hands to slide forward as the handlebar is bouncing away from them.

I immediately put a loop of hockey tape around the hoods; now I'm wondering if I should actually abduct the hoods so that sliding forwards hits the meaty part of the hands before the fingers get damaged?

(Yes, I know I should just go ride a Niner MCR or something, but work with me here).

 

[Ron]

thats a tough one. you could ride with your hands on top of the bars if you think you could ride the section without brakes or shifting of course.

 

[cantunamunch]

I'll do cross levers if it comes to it.

 

[Ron]

or find a different route?

 

[cantunamunch]

or find a different route?

To this brain, that's roughly analogous to finding a different ski resort when your groomer zoomer fave gets pow and slush bumps instead.

You know I'm going there again, damn the OEM appendages.

 

[Ron]

 

[cantunamunch]

Followup- incremental changes: Levers were abducted outwards ~15 degrees, lifted 4 mm on the bars. Bar was rotated up towards the rider.

Between that and the hockey tape around the hoods, the bike honestly looks horrid. Like a newb roadie's bike doing a cow impression. Cow impression? For values of cow including "Longhorn Picasso".

But I think I feel less forward slide. I'm not ready to do that ride again, at least not without chunky gloves, but I feel something akin to progress.

 

[scottyb]

I can not see it from my house.

 

[cantunamunch]

I can not see it from my house.

I'll try to make it uglier?

But, seriously, the new lever position gives me hand cramp about halfway to HF.

 

[cantunamunch]

Update: I am not allowed to own aero-routing brake levers anymore.

The sweat not only ate the shifters but managed to get 4" into the brake housing and eat that.

 

[Wilhelmson]

why would you ride roots path on a gravel bike? its funny how gravel is evovling most people would be better of on a rigid 29 with 2.0 tires and flat bar or alt bars than what our gravel bike are...

I was riding my kid's xs giant cross bike on a trail at dusk and went over the bars. Won't do that again.

 

[cantunamunch]

UPDATE:

First effort - abducted levers - bad idea. Hand cramp.

Second effort - levers with taller towers, mounted straight on - onto something here.

Third effort - levers with taller towers, mounted straight on, wider handlebar with flatter tops - oh, much nicer.

Fourth effort - Dirt drops - TBD.

 

[Bill Talbot]

Anyone have any downhome remedies, then?

The problem can be thought of as a propensity of the hands to slide forward as the handlebar is bouncing away from them.

I immediately put a loop of hockey tape around the hoods; now I'm wondering if I should actually abduct the hoods so that sliding forwards hits the meaty part of the hands before the fingers get damaged?

(Yes, I know I should just go ride a Niner MCR or something, but work with me here).

Yes, dump the damn brifters and run indexed bar end shifters (or downtube).
Note; I dislike brifters

 

[cantunamunch]

Dislike duly noted. FWIW both Raleighs are set up with aero levers - the singlespeed one also has cross levers.

What I completely didn't expect was to find a strong dislike for downwards ramp on the handlebars, especially since most 'gravel' bars on market have a fair bit. I never was a randonee bar fan before - but that's where I am now.

 

[Bill Talbot]

This works so well...

 

[cantunamunch]

Take that handlebar and get rid of the ramps and I'm with you. Right now the best fit to what I want is the VO Grand Cru Rando bar - 120mm reach and flat tops with flat drops.
Notice that the VO Neu rando is exactly what I want to move *away* from - 14 degree ramps with a 75mm reach is what I was getting two weeks of ouchy fingers per ride with.

 

[martyg]

I just reviewed a Niner bike of GearJunkie. The Shimano GXR group is genius - particularly the touch points.