Salsa Cowchipper, Dajia Far Bar?

[zuren]

Does anyone have firsthand experience with either of these bars?

I'm looking to change up my Ogre a bit and move from flat bars with clamp-on aero bars to a drop bar.  I know, the Ogre is not "designed" to run a drop bar but lots of guys do it on Ogre and Karate Monkeys.  I run an Alfine 8 hub, so the plan is put an accessory mount on the drop bars and simply transfer the trigger shifter to the new bars.  It is not an elegant solution, but until I can get a set of Gevenalle brifters, it is a cheap solution.  If I set this up right, I should be able to swap handlebar setups with minimal fuss.

I've looked at dedicated dirt drops and don't feel they will work.  I like to ride the hoods a lot so the Dajia Far Bar and Salsa Cowchipper looked like good options.  Neither is inexpensive so I'm hoping to get some first hand reports before I commit.

Far Bar -
http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/dajia-far-bar-handlebar-black.html

Cowchipper -
http://ridinggravel.com/gravel-news/fresh-gravel-salsa-cycles-cowchipper-bar/
https://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f40/salsas-new-cowchipper-bars-41237.html

Thanks!

[threepin]

those two bars are very different, I use the gary sweep os ergo which is the same as the dajila. It is also sold under the name satori boondocks, genetic digest and on the koga beach racer its called koga oversized
.
 I actually like it quite a bit. the hooks facilitate using hoods and drops better that the woodchipper i previously used.  It is also wider between the hoods and flares in such a way that you gain several inches of potential bar bag length. The little extensions at the end turn out to be a super comfy addl hand position.

The other notable difference is in the give or flex  of the bar, it is noticeable when on the extensions. I have grown to like it and feel like it aids comfort on long days. I don't think a single speeder would like it though. Too me the flare and sweep  in a mountain bar are what i like and the cowchipper  seems too close to a road bar for my tastes.

http://forums.mtbr.com/commuting/budget-dirt-drop-bars-843841-post10238007.html  -start at post 49

[RonK]

I don't know about the other bar, but I also prefer to ride on the hoods, and the bend of the cowchipper allows a comfortable lever mounting position that I could not achieve with a woodchipper.

[zuren]

What width bars did you guys go with?

The bars on my mountain bikes are wide (~60cm).  I tend to be out on my bar ends a lot since I have long arms.  The randonneur bar on my commuter is ~42cm and at times I feel cramped and would like to "open up" a bit.  I was considering the 48cm offerings despite the guidance that drop bar sizing for me would be 42-44cm.

Thanks!  

[threepin]

definitely get the 48, the width helps with control on trail and allows a bigger bar bag (bags on drops are limited in width by the drops and hoods compared to straight bars). I also feel like my chest is more opened  up and i can relax more. The drops vs hoods as primary position is somewhat related to desired use (road/trail etc.) The standard explanation is for trail use think of the drops as primary position because sudden impacts drive your hands into the bars rather than off the hoods and the drops should be placed about where your grips would be on a standard bar. For me this works well and seems to have the added benefit of making more overall hand positions work. Many others especially folks with a lot of road or cross experience may prefer hoods. Its pretty easy to experiment with stems and spacers to try both approaches. I found using a stem calculator to really help as sometimes i might want my hands higher but farther away etc.

http://yojimg.net/bike/web_tools/stem.php     is a good one

you might consider riding with an adjustable stem till you find out what you like


Hey RonK,
what tent or tarp is that? the bag looks familiar

[threepin]

why is  that upside down, its not in in the file on my desktop, is there a way to rotate once posted?

[bumbler]

+1 to threepin's thoughts.

I run the cowchipper and find it very comfortable. Most of the time I ride in the drops, but on less technical singletrack or gravel, being on the hoods (or even tops) is nice.

I've never ridden the Dajia Far Bar (or the woodchipper), but I'd be worried that they have too much flare, and that the 'on the hoods' position wouldn't be as comfortable.

RE threepin's upside-down pic: I right-clicked the image and clicked 'Open in a new tab' (Chrome browser) and it displays right-side up; dunno why it's upside down here.

Edit: went back and re-read threepin's earlier post, as well as RonK's. Not surprisingly, seems like comfort, and how much flare is too much flare, boils down to personal preference.

[RonK]

Hey RonK,
what tent or tarp is that? the bag looks familiar

It's a Tarptent Protrail.

[threepin]

Thanks, the stuff sack is the same size and color of my skyscape x

how are you liking the spyres? Mine have been pretty good but i am hoping recabling might firm the up a bit

to Bumbler, they definitely flare but the hoods feel (to me) better than expected- hopefully this is right side up

[Michael_S]

I have been using the new Ritchey Venturemax bar which is similar to the Cowchipper. Both have the hood position for less technical terrain and 24 degrees of flare for the steeps.
The Ritchey has less drop which allows you to use both hand positions without one being too high or too low. It also has a nice ergo bump in the drops which nests your hand nicely.

mike

 

[threepin]

nice find, did not know that one existed. What are the dimensions? i couldn't seem to find them on the ritchey site

[Michael_S]

here is the link https://ritcheylogic.com/venturemax-handlebar

they have been out for about 6 months. Got mine from Bike24 in Germany

mike

[threepin]

thanks

i did see that page , could not find any dimensions like width, reach and drop

[Michael_S]

the drop is 102 mm according to this article. http://www.bikeradar.com/us/road/gear/category/components/handlebars/handlebars-road/product/ritchey-wcs-venturemax-review-51076/

It seems shallower then the cowchipper which I was using prior to the Ritchey.  The reach seems a bit longer though.  I had to go to a 1cm shorter stem to get the same lever position as the cowchipper. 

mike

[threepin]

interesting, thanks for the info. looks like a good addl option

[RonK]

how are you liking the spyres? Mine have been pretty good but i am hoping recabling might firm the up a bit.

They work well enough for cable brakes, but I have discovered the stock pads wear very quickly on steep descents - so much that I run out of lever travel. I'll be looking around for a better pad once the originals wear out. Also I found that the stock rotors cause a lot of vibration and I've replaced with a set of less wavy discs.

I would love to go hydraulic, but the price of S700 lever and brake sets is outrageous.

[RonK]

Here is an interesting graphic comparing the shape of Salsa bars...

[threepin]

i like that diagram- my dream bar would have a longer straight section on the tops, flare and hooks  like the cow chipper but more sweep like the wood chipper- i would make the tensions shorter though aiming for the same overall widths but taking the length off the ends and adding it back to the top cross area.   Ohh, and carbon for strength width absorption

[threepin]

They work well enough for cable brakes, but I have discovered the stock pads wear very quickly on steep descents - so much that I run out of lever travel. I'll be looking around for a better pad once the originals wear out. Also I found that the stock rotors cause a lot of vibration and I've replaced with a set of less wavy discs.

I would love to go hydraulic, but the price of S700 lever and brake sets is outrageous.

I switched to semi-metallics and have had good results with the kool-stops and swiss stops