Was the Hunqapillar designed for Albatross bars?

[John Phillips]

   I was looking at my 2013 Hunqapillar's geometry on the Bike Insights website, and it described the stack & reach as more aggressive than most off road touring bikes, and designed for swept back handlebars.

I don't remember Rivendell specifying the Hunqapillar was designed for swept back bars in it's emails or flyers or website, although I was steered firmly toward Albatross bars when I bought it.

Does anyone know if indeed the Hunqapillar was designed for Albatross bars or Bosco bars? The Choco & Billie bars weren't around yet back in 2013.

I looked back through all the old Hunq info I could find, and didn't find anything written that specified a particular bar was best the the Hunqapillar.

Slightly puzzled,

John

[Ryan M.]

I think the bosco bars came after the Hunq, so I don’t believe the bike was designed for those.

In the Riv video that Jay Richey made that featured the Hunqapillar he was riding it with albatross bars. I think the bike would also do great with a set of bullmoose bars.

[Jay Lonner]

I’ve had Boscos (bullmoose and regular) on my Hunq at various times and they were fine - good, even. (The regular Boscos were a bit flexy though.) But both varieties resulted in a rising posture that was too upright for me. After some trial and error I’ve landed on Jones loop h-bars as my hands-down favorites on that bike. Crust sells a quill stem with a removable faceplate that is just *chef’s kiss* a perfect match. 

Jay Lonner

Bellingham, WA

Sent from my Atari 400

On Jul 13, 2020, at 7:46 AM, 'John Phillips' via RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:



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[John Phillips]

  Jay, can I ask which quill stem you went with for your Jones bars? I see a 3 different 31.8 quill stems with the removable face plates on the Crust bikes website: 15 degree & 30 degree Nitto UI stems & the Nitto BJ stem.

  I agree about the upright posture with the Bosco's, every bump in the road seems targeted on my brain, and riding downhill makes me feel like I'm about to fly over my handlebars. Plus the cockpit is just way too darn cramped. I had to search for the longest & lowest stem I could find just to make Albatross bars comfortable, and that's with my butt and saddle all the way back on a lugged seat post.

  I thought remembered trying out the Bullmoose Bosco bars at Riv back in 2013, so I double checked my memory on the Internet Way Back Machine, and Bosco's, Bullmoose Bosco's, Dove bars & and Albatross bars were all in the 2012 Riv catalog when I ordered my Hunqapillar. I wouldn't trade my Hunq for anything, but it seems like somewhat of an outlier in Rivendell design geometries, and was trying to understand why.

Happy but puzzled,

John

[Garth]

 

   The Hunqapillar was/is a lower-cost substitute for the Bombadil, which wasn't designed for any particular bar, the initial prototypes used both drop bars and moustache bars. Regardless of the frame and it's relative reach you just can't limit it to any particular bar, not even the designer. There are infinite body types and preferences. Whoever thought in the late 70's you'd ever see those early mountain bikes being ridden with drop bars ? Who imagined a vintage racing/touring frame being used with swept back bars ?  

 

   So the best bar is whatever works for you. I realize some people want to be told what to do, and for those there's endless people to tell you, each with their pet set of relatives/isms/theories/beliefs. Others prefer, if not must, find out for themselves "what's it all about ?" , what works with a given frame at any given time. Like a "hunq" of clay for the potter. Again,  such is Infinite, pure creativity, and such is Life !

[Jeremy Till]

The flat bullmoose bars (i.e. not the Bosco- or choco-moose) came out around the same time as the Hunqapillar and I remember those featuring prominently among many of the early builds.

-Jeremy Till
Sacramento, CA

[Jay Lonner]

This one right here:

https://www.crustbikes.com/products/nitto-ui-31-8-30-degree-3/

Some of the best money I’ve ever spent on a part - just a perfect stem for Jones bars. 

Jay Lonner

Bellingham, WA

Sent from my Atari 400

On Jul 13, 2020, at 9:57 AM, 'John Phillips' via RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:



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[John Phillips]

Thanks Jay, I'll take a look.

John

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[Jay Lonner]

Here’s a not-so-great photo of bike, bars, and stem. Doubles as a post your Riv submission I guess. 

Jay Lonner

Bellingham, WA

Sent from my Atari 400

On Jul 13, 2020, at 10:24 AM, 'John Phillips' via RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:



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[John Phillips]

Hi Garth,

    I apologize, my post must have been as clear as mud. I'm not asking for handlebar recommendations. And I certainly don't want to be told what to do. I sincerely apologize if my post was offensive.

Right now I'm super happy with my Albatross bars & 12cm Nitto NP stem.

I'm just trying to understand, if there is anything to understand, why the Hunqapillar. According to Grant, the Bombadil was actually a little bit different that the Hunq, having a taller head tube.

Again, my apologies,

John

[John Phillips]

  Thanks Jay! Nice set up, you've got a lifetime's worth of hand positions there!

How much can you carry on your Pass & Stow rack without the load taking over the handling?

Thanks,

John

PS: Cool bike bell!

[Bill Rhea]

I don't know if it was designed for them, but FWIW the Bosco Bullmoose bar on my 62cm Hunqa is practically perfect in every way :-)

You can sit bolt upright for downhill fire road bombing (knowing the bars will never slip in the stem) or put forearms on the grips and grab the flat part for headwinds and steep climbs.  Only downside might be if you do tons of rocky, super-steep, slow-speed, butt-behind-the-seat technical downhilling as your hands might want to slide forward from the grips....  My Hunqa is more set up for commuting/touring and shopping these days anyway.

Bar choice is so personal, whatever you pick for your Hunqa you really can't go wrong.

Cheers,

Bill Rhea

Napa, CA

[Bill Rhea]

Attachments didn't take; here's a link to some Hunqa photos.

Bill

[Jay Lonner]

The Pass and Stow rack is great - the weak link is the basket and its high center of gravity. I’ve probably carried 15-20# with no issues, and I wouldn’t hesitate to carry more than that in lowrider panniers. 

I’m glad you noticed the Rat Fink bell. My youngest daughter gave it to me as a birthday present when she was 6 or so - it has a lot of sentimental value to me. 

Jay Lonner

Bellingham, WA

Sent from my Atari 400

On Jul 13, 2020, at 10:58 AM, 'John Phillips' via RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:



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[Garth]

It's all good John, we're all here to shoot the breeze about bikes ! 

As I recall, and you know how recollections can go .... The Bomba was apparently, according to Grant, one of if not the most expensive Riv frames to build. The H frame is a response to make it more appealing costwise for more riders. Yes, the geo changed somewhat, less stack and reach, but the whys and whats of that only Grant knows. If you can catch him at a not so busy time, I'm sure he'd love to talk about it over the phone. This, from someone who loves to talk on the phone for the lively, direct and immediate interactions.

Garth !

[John Phillips]

Hi Jay,

    Funny thing, after my last post, I thought to myself, "I'll bet Jay's kid gave him that bell."

There's absolutely no better kind of bell, bar none! (pun intended) ;)  You're a lucky dad!

John

On Monday, July 13, 2020 at 12:16:26 PM UTC-7, Jay Lonner wrote:

The Pass and Stow rack is great - the weak link is the basket and its high center of gravity. I’ve probably carried 15-20# with no issues, and I wouldn’t hesitate to carry more than that in lowrider panniers. 

I’m glad you noticed the Rat Fink bell. My youngest daughter gave it to me as a birthday present when she was 6 or so - it has a lot of sentimental value to me. 

Jay Lonner

Bellingham, WA

Sent from my Atari 400

On Jul 13, 2020, at 10:58 AM, 'John Phillips' via RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:



  Thanks Jay! Nice set up, you've got a lifetime's worth of hand positions there!

How much can you carry on your Pass & Stow rack without the load taking over the handling?

Thanks,

John

PS: Cool bike bell!

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[John Phillips]

  Hi Garth,

   Thanks, but I believe Rivendell is overwhelmed & understaffed these days as they struggle to manage their business in the middle of this pandemic. I doubt Grant has time right now conversations about the geometry of a bike he stopped making years ago. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm not going to bother him.

   I was just hoping someone here in the group had some insights into the Hunqapillar's geometry.

John

[Ryan M.]

I remember the Bomba being marketed pretty heavily with the old style mustache bars, which I'm sure would work great on a Hunq frame too. 

I was very close to buying both a Bomba and a Hunq at different times and did a bunch of research about those frames (I still think the Hunqapillar headbadge is the best headbage) and the handlebar I always thought I would stick on it would be the Bullmoose bars. I never did pony up the cashola to get one of those frames and instead wound up now with an Appaloosa with a Bullmoose bar. Lol. 

[Takashi]

Hi John

Here's the Hunqapillar page I found on Wayback Machine. I hope the link works.

Hunqapillar page on Riv website

I don't know how Wayback Machine works; frames should have been grey/red at the time this page was archived, but pictures shown here are the new green ones.

Anyway, the 7th paragraph says "Every bar in the world is suitable for the Hunqapillar, so put on what you like."

And if you scroll down (a bit above geo chart), they say:

"Which handlebar?
This is the hardest decision you'll make, because every option makes sense."

I remembered these words well because I read this page over and over when I was contemplating which model I should buy.

Takashi

[Marc Irwin]

The Bosco Bars came the year following the Hunq.  I bought my Hunq, rode it for a year and ABSOLUTELY had to have a lighter version of the same geometry, so I ordered a Hillborne.  The first Bosco shipment was coming at the same time as my Hillborne frame so I added those to the order.  After riding the Hillborne with the Bosco's and the Hunq with wide drop bars for a season, I added Bullmoose Bosco's to the Hunq and lived happily ever after.  The Bosco's absolutely confound club riders when they see my Hillborne at charity rides, it's hilarious.

Marc

[dstein]

FWIW I bought a Hunqapillar around 2013 or so and Brian (former Riv mechanic) steered me to the Albastache bars which are fairly aggressive. I was concerned about it being to aggressive but with a short stem and a high position it felt natural and I like it. I played around with a few different bars after that but went back to Albastache ultimately. I sold the bike in 2016 or so though.

David

Oakland, CA

[Joe Bernard]

The Hunqapillar was/is a trail bike, in current Riv parlance a Hillibike. As others have noted no specific type of bar was promoted as ideal, but the Nitto Bullmoose emerged around the same time and seems to work well with that frame.