Bosco for small bikes

[Peter Fray]

Hello everyone

The rivbike page for the Bosco handlebars mentions this -

"Here’s its best use:

- Longish top tube bikes and upright riding. Mountain bike conversions to supa-comfee cruisers.

- Making too-small bikes fit and feel better."

I think I understand the first use - since the handlebar reaches far back it would make long reach bikes easier to fit. How do you make sense of the second one? Wouldn't it make the small bikes feel smaller? Or perhaps the reference is to the handlebars rise and not reach?

Thanks for your thoughts,

Peter

[Joe Bernard]

Yeah the second one has never made sense. It'll get your bars up high on a bike with a tiny headtube but said bike will also have a short toptube. 

[DavidP]

Yes, I always guessed it was talking about rise and assuming the use of a long stem.

My townie is an old Univega MTB that is a bit small for me that is setup with a Bosco and 120mm stem. The use of a sprung saddle helps with the seat post height and the Bosco helps with the stem height. The result is very upright when on the grips, but I can slide my hands forward on the bars to lean forward a bit. I've tried a bunch of configurations with this bike and like this setup the best but the overall feel is still not quite as good as a larger bike with swept back bars (I've been spoiled by my Platypus).

-Dave

[iamkeith]

Nice bike, Dave.  I kind of interpreted it the same way as you.  The caveat being that not all old mtbs are created equal, and it probably works better the older they are.  By '88 / '89 or so, the frame angles had gotten so steep, owing to NORBA fashion, that they required a good portion of the rider's weight to be distributed to the handlebars.  At least that's what Ive concluded when trying to turn them into more upright riders.  They just feel twitchy without weight on the front.

[iamkeith]

Here's one that I built when the bosco bar was brand-new.  The xtracycle rear end effectively gave it ultra-long chainstays, which made the weight distribution work pretty well, even upright.  That's a 140 or 150mm stem though, just the same.  

(Incidentally, this experience was how I knew I wanted and would like the Clem Smith Jr when it came out.  Other than the appaloosa mystery bikes, that was the first long chainstay riv, and those long chainstays are part of what allows a more upright position without wonky handling)

[Patrick Moore]

I have to differ about NORBA-era mountain bike conversions compared to earlier, much slacker designs. I've converted 5 NORBA-era rigid mtbs to all rounder use, with "tourist" and with drop bars -- the latter using upjutter stems -- the 10 cm Nitto Dirt Drop worked very well; and I've converted at least 1 slacker, pre-NORBA design. The NORBAs rode nicely -- sedately but very pleasantly; a wee bit slower to turn in than my Ram -- this with sufficiently fat tires; they're horrible with skinny tires; while the slacker one rode like a wheelbarrow.

With upjutter stems I was able to get a comfortable drop bar position with weight comfortably distributed despite the too-long top tubes, where I could ride comfortably on the hoods and in the hooks with my torso and not my shoulders-arms-hands taking the weight -- essentially, a relaxed road bike position.

Different people, different preferences of course, but I do think that how you set up a NORBA-type frame makes a huge difference in how it fits, feels, and handles.

[Patrick Moore]

The pre-NORBA bike was a pristine Cycle Pro, as I just recall.

--

Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

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