My First Dates With Mary

A few days ago, I told you of how I traded various armaments for some cool On One Mary Bars. I think this worked out well for Brian too, since I don't believe Mary Bars are legal in Michigan. This particular bend violates some aesthetics law from what I understand. Everything but marijuana is legal in Nevada, so I decided to mount them on Kristy's 29er.

We've been meaning to cut down her tractor sized, 28 inch wide, On One Fleegle bars, but just haven't gotten around to it. At 25 inches across, the Mary Bars seemed like a good choice to demo on her bike. The effective width seemed to be a bit wider though because of the dramatic back sweep...more tubing, less width.

Ok, the real reason is that I just wanted to steal her 29er for the week (29ers are fun!). I threw on some Kona foam grips I had in the parts bin and called it done.

Time to ride. Visions of Miss Gulch entered my mind, and became my very first impression of the bars as I pedaled across town to the trails (please sing aloud the music that goes with this picture for full effect). It didn't even feel like a mountain bike anymore! Not to say it wasn't very comfortable though. Casual riding, commuting, and long distance riding would be great with this bend, as they naturally fit the bend of your wrist as you extend your arm.

We picked a hard hill climb that is pretty tough on any single speed no matter what bars you are running. I noticed right away that there was a different muscle group involved in pulling myself up the hill. I'm not sure if this is the wrong muscle group, or one that I just don't have developed. It seemed a bit more difficult though. Wide bars are best for climbing on a single speed in my opinion.

Descending was perhaps the strangest part of this bar test. Monday's descent wasn't that great; it felt like I was holding two ski poles! Today's descent was much better though. I used the bend to get my weight back a bit, and bend my arms like I do on my road bike. It is certainly a less aggressive stance on the bike...not the wide "Larry Craig" stance I'm used to with my 27 inch bars. I was having a blast today though. It felt like I was bombing the hill on a beach cruiser! I didn't have much courage on the final jump though, as it just didn't feel right to get airborne with these bars. Just a little bit o' air today...

Another thing you might consider with these bars, is to make sure you have an ironclad sense of humor. You will definitely get weird looks or comments from folks used to their humdrum, quotidian styled handlebars. On the "bad" side of the spectrum of comments I've received, "heinous", "retarded", "gay". On the "good" side was the comment, "They look great! But no, I would not like to try them, because uhhhh....I don't have the right shoes on."

I'll throw them on my 26er single speed for further testing. Stay tuned!

Something About Mary

There's just no accounting for some people's tastes! These Mary Bars, first seen HERE over at my brother from another mother's blog, BG Phone Home, have made their way to my house in Nevada.

Brian didn't care for the bars, and neither did some of his readers. Chris from Texas had this to say about the Mary's, "They should call those bars, 'Pee Wee Herman Bars'. I don't know how they steer, but they look like shit."

So naturally, I thought I had to have them!

I almost bought some On One Mary's a while back, but the local bike shop had sold them already. I've read some favorable reviews from owners of the Mary's, and this was my chance to snatch them up and see for myself. I'll get them mounted up, and have a full review soon. Brian included the stock grips, but I know why he didn't like those...they are prophylactic thin! The On One stem was included in the deal too. I like four bolt stems, and I'm sure I'll find a use for it.

The lady bug bug bell was wampum for the mojo bag. I was delighted to receive it, but Kristy quickly snatched it up before I could get attached.

So what did I trade for the bars you ask? A couple Kalashnikov rifles, a Howitzer, and an RPG launcher (sorry Brian, couldn't get my hands on the BFG you wanted...) Good trade I think. Brian has a score to settle apparently. I don't know all the details...not my place to ask, and I probably don't want to know!

Kristy's 29er

Kristy ordered an On One Inbred 29er last week, and it arrived on Monday. We assembled it on Monday night, and Kristy has ridden it a couple times this week. Today I rode my On One 26er...basically the same bike with smaller wheels. Both are single speeds, steel frames, with no suspension. The 29er has a slightly higher bottom bracket, but the flat bars are about the same height as my riser bars.

Kristy even let me ride it towards the end of the dirt section. I've been wanting to try a 29 inch wheeled bike for quite some time now. I was going to try to be very careful during my first test ride, and note any subtle differences in the way the bikes handled. I thought I may even have to ride a section a couple times to notice something.

I ended up being surprised instantly though. The bigger wheels rolled over stuff much easier. Little bumps and rocks seemed to disappear. I still felt the larger impacts of course, since it has a rigid fork. Conversely, Kristy said my bike felt like a pinball...bouncing off every little thing in the trail. Kristy will be riding her Stump Jumper with some friends in Reno tomorrow, and has agreed to let me test ride the 29er some more. I can't wait!