The Best Alt-Bar Conversion? | Surly Corner Bars with Velo Orange Happy Stem
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- Опубликовано: 19 янв 2022
- I put the Surly Corner Bars on my old Trek Mountain Bike last summer. I was really digging the faux-drop bar hand positions but I was way to slammed. The Velo Orange Happy Stem fixed that - bringing the bars up and back. It even made room for a handlebar bag behind the cable routing(Swift Industries Catalyst) I also put a bar end shifter on for the front triple and took the vintage Spin Carbon wheels off for the winter. Running the 45Nrth Gravdals on the old wheels.
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Развлечения
"couple of beers" that's rolling in style 😎
Thank you very much! I used this happy stem 90 and corner bar! Perfect upright position for bike commuting.
Awesome! I’ve since out one on another bike too.
Cool Winter bike! 👍
Thanks! Its kind of cool that this is the only bike I've ever bought new and it is still ticking.
Love that Happy Stem and Corner Bar combo. I think I may have to try this out. I've got a lugged trek 930 just waiting in the wings for a drop bar conversion bikepacking machine.
Awesome- I’d say go for it! Long as you don’t mind a shallow drop that is.
@@TimFitzwaterDoes the happy stem work with older bikes, VO page says it doesn't work with a stem converter?
Cool video, Dude. I've been looking into those corner bars lately. They are pretty funky.
Thanks! They are super unique - I was surprised by how much I ended up liking them.
of all the corner bar videos this one helped the most -- my neighbor has a spare (corner bar) for $60... will give them a go on my bridge club. I've been running vo granola bars angled down with a vo cigne stem, which provided a nice 'hood' curve, but no real drop position. thanks for posting this.
Awesome. Yeah - the best way to switch to drops and keep a reasonable budget.
Its funny - I've been running the VO Granolas on my newer bikepacking build and dig them - definitely less hand positions though.
I think I might give those bars a try. Thanks for sharing.
I like them even better than I’d expected so I’d say go for it!
Nice, I might snag those bars for my old Litespeed that is quickly becoming some sort of gravel touring bike with fat smooth tires, a rear rack with old paniers...I wanted more hand positions for the longer rights but didn't want to have to rework everything--this can work, still use my old thumbshifters that came from my Bridgestone. I like it...thanks for showing your setup!
Awesome!
It is an excellent way to get that drop vibe w/o breaking the bank.
That's a super fun build!
It really brought this bike back to life! Thanks!
This is the video I was waiting for! When I saw the corner Bar for the first time, my thought was: I need a high stem if I want to use it on my vintage Bianchi mountainbike.
Yeah - I felt like I was on a time trial bike when I put the Corner Bars on at first. The Happy Stem makes all the difference. I’ve since used the Happy Stem on 90s MTB with regular drops and it is great there too.
Thanks for the info, great vid!
Glad you like it! 🥰
I love my corner bars mine are coupled with an adjustable stem that was on an old hybrid bike - mine is angled very up rather than flat - like your happy stem.
Yeah - putting them on older style bikes like this definitely needed them to be bumped up!
I got the chinese carbon clone version of these bars onto my hybrid with mtb geometry and with the 10 deg 90mm stem that came stock I’m having issues with numb hands.
I’m gonna try a 45 deg 90mm stem and a 7 deg 45mm one to see which feels better. The handlebar bag tip is great. That might tip the balance toward the 45 deg stem.
Thanks for the video. Very helpful.
Awesome - glad it could be helpful. Before I had the Happy Stem it was just far to slammed - game changer to get the bars bumped up and back. Good luck!
The spin wheels definitely gives it a little extra eye candy and you always have to play around with a new set up to get it to fit right
Yeah - I am really happy with it now - just rode 25 miles today.
@5:56 lovely footage 😁
Thanks ❄️❄️❄️
I think I’m going to see if I can get the wife to get me these bars for Father’s Day. Cheers Tim!
Awesome - I haven't talked to anyone who has regretted buying them yet.
Velo orange makes a great bar and Alee Denham has a bar that is very nice
I have some Velo Orange drops on an old MTB conversion
I'd call the bike a monstercross. I might do the same setup.
Monster Cross - I like that!
I like your style. I've been messing around with the Znino carbon copy of the Corner bar on a newer Scott Scale. No way the old stem is going to work and was thinking of the VO Happy stem. I appreciate your comments on how it worked for you.
Yeah - just way to stretched without it.
@@TimFitzwater And for what it's worth, that carbon bar on Aliexpress is LIGHT!
@@jefmichel2302 for my build it doesn’t matter as it’s a snow bike on studs - but the Surly bars are stupid heavy. I bet the difference is very noticeable on a regular build.
I looked into putting this on my hybrid, but I really don't think it would work out well with the shifters. Ultimately decided to just save and put the money towards getting a new bike. They seem great if you can pull 'em off though.
What are your shifters? The point of these is that they generally do work well with flat bar brakes and shifters.
Way to go. High stems let you use the hooks as your primary position. This is the way dirt drops are generally designed to be used.
I've used the Happy stems as well as the Cigne stem. I like to use steerer expanders better than star nuts for these stems. The threaded hole stays centered better. I also needed to grind down the head of the tensioning bolt to keep it from binding as well. Always use a washer the same diameter there.
I dig these bars. If I really dig 'em after some time, I'll make my own out of titanium.
You can work TI!?! I hear it’s so hard to do.
But yeah - have the Happy Stem on two vintage MTBs now - killer product. We had to do some machining as well to get it to play nice with my 96 Team Marin.
I’m glad I have smart friends 🤓
I'm a retired machinist by trade. I did lots of defense, aerospace and medical type work. Now I wrench part time in a nice shop for fun and laughs.
I'm beginning to learn brazing and tig welding. I've already made a couple brazed low trail forks and a bunch of weird 'LD' stems out of cromo. I want to eventually make a frame from mostly Kasei tubes. I've never had a more comfortable and stable fork. I forgot I wasn't riding my hardtail! I broke the 1st fork that way! That tubing is amazing.
A friend who's a framebuilder was teaching me, but he moved his business to Reno. I have another friend who's a veteran high vacuum welder at SLAC. He's helped me on my Toyota rig projects and he's got a nice tube bender.
Making the metal parts is fairly easy. Machining Ti isn't bad, as long as youve got the right tools and patience. One of those guys will help me with welding.
Are you Fitz cycles?
No. I’m a photographer in Cuyahoga Falls, OH
@@TimFitzwater A RUclipsr in N. Wackofornia, Henry Wildberry, uses Fitz handbuilt frames. They look really nice and they rave about the ride. I'm just loyal to my old buddies. We all contribute to each other's projects, trade and barter services often. I built some frame, a fork blade bender and adjustable stem building jigs for a couple frame builders I've known for decades. I love building tools that last.
I'm going with an adjustable Ritchey stem for the cornerbars I'm gonna put on my Breezer
Yeah - that should work really well!
@@TimFitzwater And I'm gonna use some NOS Shimano XT Dual Control shift/brake levers I've had laying around for some dirt STI action 👍
is there a threaded version or analog of the happy stem? I've got a threaded fork, so I suppose I need a threaded stem? sorry if this is a newb question, I'll learn!
There isn’t. I used a quill stem adapter because my fork is threaded. Basically it is a quill stem with a modern style cap on top. To make it work with a happy stem though(happy stems don’t have normal top caps) we had to modify a top cap by grinding it to fit inside. I know it sounds complicated- because it was ! 😃
The bars and stem cost more than the bike!
With more not cost more.
Love these bikes, have one, make fun of them too. $40 old MTB. $100 in tires, $150 Brooks, $100 bars, $150 front rack with platform, $200 frame bag, there should be a good nickname for these bikes.
I have an older mtb bike I want to use these on but the friction shifters are on their last leg. I like the idea of the bad end shifter. I too have used this bike for 20 years as a commuter and mountain bike. Now I’m ready to give it new life. Any other ideas for shifters?
Cool! I think friction bar ends are the right idea. You could probably find used index "rapid fire" style shifters but then you are worrying about compatibility in speeds and sizes etc. Bar ends - cheap and easy!
@@TimFitzwater thanks for your thoughts! I’ve been wanting to try bar end shifters on one of my bikes anyway.
Hi! Where did you get this rised stem?
It’s a Velo Orange, you can get it from Velo Orange. I bought mine at Dirty River in Akron but if you’re not in Akron then get it from Velo Orange. It’s called the Happy Stem - in fact the name is in the title of the video you commented on. Velo Orange Happy Stem.
@TimFitzwater what size did you take? I can't decide between the 46 and 50!
I like the wider ones on this build - its so personal though as to what you are comfortable. If you can put your hands on something similar at a shop it might help.
@@TimFitzwater thanks. currently running 620mm riser bars on the retro xc, but ride a 44cm drop bar on cx. have been holding arms outstretched to a tape measure for too long now. cheers!
I don't think this set up would work on my old Ritchey mtb, it has a 1" steerer tube. What is the Happy Stem, 1 1/8"?
I do think it is 1 1/8 so yeah - hard to get new stuff for those 1 inch.
But at least you have an old Ritchey!
Was that a snow shovel strapped on the bike? So what’s the story? Enlighten the southerner here.
Notice how he just glossed over that?
I ditched my car in a lot and walked home Sunday night because the storm was so bad. I didn’t want to go down a few hills. So I had to ride back and dig it out on Tuesday.
“Star nut”? Sounds like someone I know.
Just the nut part. 🥜
@@TimFitzwater faux-star? Star-lite? Star-lett? Starry decisis?
So…we’re just not going to mention there’s a shovel strapped to your bike?
You mentioned it.
@@TimFitzwater clean up crew here
I’ve been using the VO limp dick stem for a few years with Jones bars and it’s a great combination.
Why not go 1x and get rid of the front shifter completely?
I’m not a fan of the 1x. I still want those other gears for when I need them.
That stem needs to calm down!
🍆🧨
Surly didn't develop a new handle bar. From the 1950s when cable brakes came in and some cyclists turned their traditional 'urban' bars upside down, the Great North Road bar soon became quite popular. It was a compromise to the dropped bar and was far more comfortable. Sorry Surly but not applause for reinventing the wheel. Added gizmos don't alter the fact. I had a bike with a GNR bar for several years back in the early 60s.
Um, what? These are hardly drops turned upside down. Weird and off base comment. You don’t have to buy the Corner Bar but it is a unique item.
@@TimFitzwater Please read comments more carefully before you make rude remarks. No-one mentioned turning drop bars upside down. Sorry but the Surly bar is as unique as grass.
They're superficially similar to a flipped north road bar, and while they do give a similar position in the "drops", they expand your options closer to a true gravel bar. Because of the horns you tend more to ride in the hooks, which depending on your setup, feel something in between traditional hoods/hooks. Yes, they're derivative, but unique enough that they can't really be matched by anything else for their purpose.