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Social distancing at its best. 17 miles of listening to the sound of rushing rivers and bird calls.

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I kind of went extreme today. I drove to one of my favorite woodland trails, originally planning for a 40 mile out-and-back, but I decided to go all the way to the next "major" town. I ended up doing 49.3 miles. Beautiful day with weather that was actually fairly cool much of the morning, but hit the low 80s by the time I got back to the car. It didn't help that I ran out of water and protein bars for about the last 8 miles. I was wiped, and it took a lot longer to get back to my car than I'd planned. Note to self: 40 oz of water is not enough for a nearly 50 mile bike ride. Note to self #2: pack more snacks.

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I just bought a Jones H-Bar for my Norco Bigfoot to complete it's transformation into a bikepacking rig.

It should also alleviate the numb hands and lower back pain I've been getting on long rides from leaning too far forward...
 
I just bought a Jones H-Bar for my Norco Bigfoot to complete it's transformation into a bikepacking rig.

It should also alleviate the numb hands and lower back pain I've been getting on long rides from leaning too far forward...
That was a big problem for me yesterday. At times I had a lot of pain in my neck and shoulders, and hand numbness as well. I finally stopped and adjusted my stem to try to alleviate the issue, but by that time I was so exhausted, it only helped a little.
 
That was a big problem for me yesterday. At times I had a lot of pain in my neck and shoulders, and hand numbness as well. I finally stopped and adjusted my stem to try to alleviate the issue, but by that time I was so exhausted, it only helped a little.


I recently bought a new very short stem for my dual suspension XC bike (a little bit less than 50mm but no rise) because I always felt like I was leaning too far forward to hold the bar. The difference is chalk and cheese, much more comfortable to ride and no back pain.

That prompted the move to a H-bar for the Bigfoot, much more relaxed wrist angle and more rise too... I'll probably be spending alot more time on that rig when I move down south soon...
 
I recently bought a new very short stem for my dual suspension XC bike (a little bit less than 50mm but no rise) because I always felt like I was leaning too far forward to hold the bar. The difference is chalk and cheese, much more comfortable to ride and no back pain.

That prompted the move to a H-bar for the Bigfoot, much more relaxed wrist angle and more rise too... I'll probably be spending alot more time on that rig when I move down south soon...
Thanks for that info, Troy. I'll investigate those options for my Trek.
 
Well guys, I ordered a Jones SG Loop H-Bar with 2.5" rise and 710mm spread. It also comes with a set of Jones Kraton grips. Monday was not the first time I've had neck and shoulder pain on long rides, so hopefully this will put that to rest.

I took the updated Bigfoot for its first outing this afternoon, 11km up hill and down dale with no pain... :yahoo:

I'll grab a photo of it tomorrow, when I take the long way home along the salt flats after work. I was having too much fun to stop today. Feels like I'm riding a Harley...
 
Before and after. I was a real shade tree mechanic this afternoon (an old American coloquialism).

From the mind of Jeff Jones in Oregon, USA, the new bar arrived right after I got home from my early morning bike ride. I'm hoping it makes a world of difference. I rode 8.4 miles (13.4 km) this morning, and had planned on going further, but started getting numbness in my hands, wrists, and elbows starting around 7 miles. Jeff said he originally developed his version of the H-Bar to alleviate the same numbness issue, and a short test ride around our neighborhood felt a lot better on my arms and back. The original bar had a 750mm span, 9 degree backsweep, and 15 mm rise. The new one has a 710 mm span, 45 degree backsweep, and 63.5 mm rise. Looking forward to taking it out Monday for a much longer ride.

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