Is a Drop Bar MTB Actually the Fastest Leadville 100 bike? 2024 Race Report and Power Analysis
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- This year 3 pros, including the Keegan Swenson, chose to run a drop bar mountain bike at the Leadville Trail 100 MTB race. On paper they should have save a bit of time on race day but did they actually end up going faster on race day?
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I literally lowered my blinds and grabbed popcorn to watch this
Haha me too, me too…
This may be a controversial opinion, but I think drop bar MTBs are one of, if not the most beautiful style of bikes.
For me, it's hard to beat the simplicity of a track bike. I don't think drop bar MTBs are ugly, though.
@@rlm4471 That’s fair. The modern Olympic track bikes are ugly af imo though.
Monster cross ftw
I have no need for one, but I want one. I like the look.
@@jgreenjeans Dude exactly. I ride gravel, but nothing that necessitates a drop bar MTB.
But man do I want one.
"It's so easy to blow up when you're this high" No truer words spoken...
....he was referring to altitude 😀
Thank you for giving the meters correspondence for those of us ("everyone else around the world ") 😅🙏
Ayo, where's the real DJ? No word about tyres, you cannot fool me like that
So grateful that you’ve translated the “feet” and “miles” to normal measures. Thanks man!!
Underrated part of Keegan's win was his bike handling on those descents with drop bars. What an absolute demon.
Travis Brown rode Leadville on drop bars in 2009. That was the first year Dave Weins lost to Lance. Glad to see it's coming back around!
Sorry to hear you felt so bad
Congrats on all the rest. VERY impressed with you
Tiago Ferreira said in a brazilian podcast that you were much more aero in the flat sections. In climbing he said there were no diferences.
I’m just gonna say it - 17th place Dylan is cooler than top 10 Dylan.
I follow him for 17th. We can’t have top ten finishes get to his head lol
Blackjack Dylan: he hits on 16 and stands on 17.
That shot at Lance, fucking EPIC!
DJ back in the house…. Spinning them monster cross vibes. Nice numbers bro… we need a top 10 soon.
1:29 - I legit laughed out loud haha. Comedic timing gold!
Your TH-cam game is top 10. Thanks for the quality content over the years.
I love these videos and the Lifetime Grand Prix should be funding them. I don’t think I’d really know what it was without Dylan Johnson.
Thought that one was not gonna drop tbh, great to see another race report video again
Backwards hat Dylan is the highlight of the video. As one who rides in the small buckle group at Leadville I hope I don't see drop bar MTB as riders of my speed probably don't have the skill set needed to navigated the downhills as well with drop bars.
The “Spirit of Mountain Biking” makes a noteworthy appearance @17:11. Outstanding graphics and dark humor! 😅
only 4 min slower on back half is not totally blowing up. Good on you for having the balls to Go faster on the front half to see if you could place higher.
great ride, well done, fantastic analysis; the interesting thing about drop bars off road is yes you have an aero gain, however the real aero gain/energy saving is drafting others vs just being in the wind in a lower position with the drop bar, I'm sure being behind others is the ideal and has greater aero gains. Now the bigger issue for me is the loss of leverage the wider bar offers (and ability to unweight), picking lines on high speed descents etc, and maybe that's why k punctured. Just a thought from my experience mtb and cx racing.
Props to the OG drop bar mountain bike rider: Jacquie Phelan. Long live the queen, and Charlie Cunningham for building the first ever drop bar MTB.
I’m new to your channel. I love the way you are able to post such great power numbers and still be so humble about it. It’s important I think for most people to learn. Don’t let the watts go to your head people.
lol, love that you made the joke acknowledging how long it took to get the video out. I had been thinking, I was surprised you hadn't released one.
FINALLY!!!111 Been hanging out for this recap for MONTHS or at least weeks now. Phew! Been avoiding results and everything. Good to see Dylan.
Your science, fact-based & experience driven willingness to explore the cycling world, continue to impress me. Keep exploring Dylan, new frontiers can always yield something.
In the late 70's, gear inch charts (weight & my budget) filled my physics driven brain. I mixed a 1st gen DA custom 13-28t 5spd, their friction shifting & French 60/46T chainrings when nobody was building race-bikes with such gearing range. In the 18yrs that bike filled my needs (before being stolen) it moved to 13-30t 7spd & a 32mm rear tyre.
"If ya neva eva try it, you'll neva eva know!"
Belief, faith, hearing, feeling & knowing? For cycling, continue to give me 'knowing', anytime.
Crazy how backloaded the lifetime grand prix is with three races still to go in mid-september. I would argue that cycling interest probably peaks in mid-summer and the races should be closer together but it's probably hard to change the dates of such long-standing races. Would love a video from you talking about potential changes to the format of the LTGP. They need to introduce some more intrigue because maybe it's getting a bit stale. Maybe they need a leaders jersey or some other jerseys (KOM, white) to win like the TDF.
Dylan, thanks so much for all the transparency and honesty in this one. It's really helpful and inspiring.
5:28 gold!
Your a innovator and a individual who wants the best out of himself and the bike , not a can I say this a follower great set up 👍💪
I stuck a Antelope Hill tyres (55mm slicks) and a Surly Corner Bar on my old full-sus trail bike and it is now the most fun bike in my stable. I even kept the dropper post.
Excellent video DJ! Your a beautiful monster! Beautiful storyteller and Monster numbers!
you seem rather miffed in the intro to this :), i have a spare old hardtail mtb in my garage and i put drop bars and fairly low end components that were in a box, have to be honest it's brought a new lease of life to the bike, thoroughly enjoy riding it now. i notice Drew is following suite with the drop bar thing too :) good to see you back posting videos, hoping for more with shorter breaks between if you can manage.
Dylan, you are a beast. I love that you are always thinking outside the box… well except for suggesting Drew use 40mm tires for a wet crit….even that made me ponder…
Thanks for sharing. Great job! Also props to showing times… bar vs drops and watts💪🏼
Another great video that I watched from start to finish.
I love that the video you post is Kerry Werner flying past you on flat bars when you talk about your fastest descent on powerline on drop bars😂
The original drop bar king was John Tomac is 1990. Hey if it’s faster just do it. All the haters are jealous they didn’t think of it.
Climbing on the hoods of dropbars is much nicer and so probably more efficient than the awkward mtb position.
Awesome report buddy. Contrats on the inspiring ride, and awesome bike tech report!
You're doing very well at these, Dylan, no curse or any of that. And I appreciate you and your buds for trying all sorts of configurations. And something better than a mountain bike with 10-speed bars would be one with chrome high-rise bars and a banana seat. 😀
im going to say, i just saw my first bullhorn bar xc bike this weekend
most bizarre thing i ever seen, now a video of drop bars on one
its bizarre af, but you did get thinking of i should try this myself
This pacing issue is important. My life experience has shown me that whatever time I go over my proper pace I’ll lose double on the back end. So I’m delighted to see that your data confirms that. I also feel that if I’ve selected a pace that’s a bit too slow for the first half ‘should’ give me great legs for the second half and a way more enjoyable race as opposed to the usual death march.
Nice race report really nice to know the struggle. Keep it up.
I’ve been racing my Lefty f29 with Tri-bars for 8 years
One, you're a beast and I love your channel. Two, you pulled for huge chunks of the race and seem to wonder why your time was slower. Pacing is great but not at the very beginning. Get on fast wheels early and sit. Coming back in a race this long is not a thing. No? Also, I suck as a cyclist so this is 100% an armchair judgement LOL. Great video!!!!
The video I'd been waiting for in weeks!!
Great race coverage! And I, for one, like all the geeking over numbers and equipment.
Could you do a video about heat training? There's been quite a lot of talk about it lately.
And no, i don't want to use a rectal thermometer.
Yes you do
I like how they just conveniently slipped that in at the end of that GCN video (no pun intended)
@@MarlowWhere what? No! Do i want to watch it? :D
It's not very good it's just Connor wearing alot of layers getting sweaty as hell riding indoors and then he talks to a doctor at the end that VERY briefly mentions tracking body temperature with a rectal thermometer ( I paused and rewinded the video to make sure he said rectal thermometer). It just cracked me up because they never really acknowledged it anywhere in the video and Connor just nods along during the interview when the Dr mentions it...it made me think at some point Connor put a thermometer in his ass for GCN lol which has Buzzfeed interns piss drinking vibes
I keep thinking of that monocycle thing ridden by the gay teacher in South Park. It has a rectal controller and he somehow gets everyone to start riding these things and no one seems to mind sitting on a dildo essentially.
Sounds like heat training is going that direction; either that or there are a lot of people in wish fulfillment mode considering the talk about the core temp thermometers. 😂
Have been waiting on this one. Nice stuff!
“See what I mean” -BHD
Had me laughing out loud.
Dylan pleaaaseeee let me pay for your "17" tattoo
Been waiting forever for this vid!! Thanks
Tomac did and a few others did this a long time ago.
I have been riding a full suspension bike with aero bars for many yaers, looks great and no compromises, too bad aero bars are banned
Dylan found his YT password
Keegan breaks that record without the flat
Great video / report
#1 - maybe the top 10 - 20 even have the bike handling skills to ride drop bars down powerline or the goat trail on Columbine.
#2 - your drop bars put you more aero and you sat at the front across the flats to take advantage of that burning matches you didn’t need to if you’d worked for in the group
#3 - 6 min savings
Well done Dylan!
Ride what ya like dude!, I ride a Felt F95 road bike with Mountain bike flat bars for comfort :D
I find this drop bar phase very interesting. I think that drop bar MTBs are much better to ride than gravel bikes.
Fascinating to see how this played out; many questions remain! When the more aero setup leads to more time spent pulling me solo, is that ‘faster’? In this instance, no. But that’s far from confirmation that drops are the worse option.
21st is excellent Dylan. You’ll see plenty of more drop bars next year. If I get through in the lottery I’ll def be fitted for that but that’s also bc I suck with flat bars
Your bike is gorgeous!
Love the validating theme. VNR
i had a custom made ibis built in 1990 with drops rode that way for years rigid fork been done long before me everything cycles around
Excellent stuff
I love dropbarmtb riding and honestly nothing at Leadville would lead me to think a flatbar would be better for it. I don't even know if suspension would be necessary either but it sure would make it more comfortable to do. I spent a couple years riding singletrack on a full rigid dropbarmtb and it had its own challenges and limitations but for the most part it did great. The only thing I would change is to add a suspension fork to take some of the beating my wrists took down to a manageable level. I do understand the arguments against them and no I wouldn't suggest doing Enduro or DH racing with it but some trail riding and definitely a lot of XC riding on them is very realistic. I think dropbarmtb has a solid future in store.
Definitely agree on XC depending on how tame the course is imo. If there's a number of climbs, using dropbars feels a bit better for climbing especially out of teh saddle imo than flatbars.
Your bike looks awesome!
Dylan you have been proven to be right. Top work buddy
I enjoy the analysis, thanks
When I raced XC in Alaska in the 90s, some of our races were essentially “gravel” races on dirt roads; but I would never want to race those races on a gravel bike due to the washboard. Hitting washboard on a bike is BRUTAL and I remember what it was like before suspension forks became available. But even with suspension forks, the drop in speed is immediate and it’s like riding through quicksand. Sometimes an actual mountain bike is the better choice.
P.S., I will note that we rode narrower bars with longer stems back then, so we had a lower, longer position on the bike than modern MTBs have. Bar ends helped provide an even lower position as well.
Washboard will always suck but 29 vs 26 is a big difference
Great vid. Remember to consider air density with those aero drag calculations.
Great video! (+ Performance)
I'd like to know more about the whole Setup:
Why Schwalbe and not your beloved Race Kings?
Why full suspension and not a hard tail?
Any more special Details?
THX!
Thank you so much I'm a mountain biker and a road cyclist who used to do rides with the original 7-Eleven team on little thin tires on gravel roads long before they called it gravel bike back in the day in Boulder. I turned towards mountain biking back then doing Pearl pass to Aspen in Colorado the original long distance mountain bike event multiple times. So I actually understand what a real mountain bike race is LOL. By the way the reason they changed the name of the Leadville 100 bike race to the Leadville trail 100 is purely marketing as if it really is a mountain bike race. I've watched Roadies flock to it over the years and just laughed. They have not a clue what a real mountain bike distance race is such as breck epic
We gotta get this man to the BT Epic
That bike looks awesome
Congrats great result
It’s a mountain bike for us mortals. For you pros, do what you want (I want one)
Awesome ride, drop bars for the win. I would love to try this race, living at sea level doesn't help.
Video ideas - after watching Limitless, what are the benefits of fasting? Not fasted riding but fasting with only water or juice for several days.
Also ice therapy and sauna heat therapy benefits.
Dylan, thanks for the great video. What I do not comprehend is that a rider of your level, makes the mistake that pretty much all riders make and goes out at 300w in a race of this length. I do not know how this relates to your weight, but a race this long ca not be done at threshold, just because you are used to racing in this zone! where are your heart rates in the climb ? With a little more raceplanning you can do top 10* and it will not require drop bars even
Drop bars are the thin end of the wedge, I can see a future where the geomtry of a bike is taylored to the course, stack height, head angle, chain stay length, BB drop.
Looks like the duel suspension gravel bike that can fit MTB tires will be the next evolution. Don't think anyone makes one with enough travel.
18:08 Bunny rabbit!
Very nice ride!
Life is good
I just realized that backwards hat Dylan is basically just Scott
😆
Great video and good luck with the final three races.
yes comes down to the heart of the racer. and lungs, bicycle fit!!
Great report and great job Dylan. Was temp any different this year? I can't ride drops at all and feel weak and out of control. So I think that MTB bars also leave even confident drop bar riders more relaxed over long distances. Plus there's a couple other positions to ride flat bars dropped without extensions that I think are also more relaxed. I used to put simple elbow pads near my brake levers and just drop with hands clasped. Also the position I often used climbing, especially gentle gradients, was literally sitting straight up with arms completely straight and hands by the stem. Even though sitting tall and high you are quite narrow and the straight arms deflect some of the wind, I found this position very relaxing and perhaps even faster wind wise compared to conventional MTB position. I would do a good 20% of typical NUEs in this position.
Hmm something worth considering is how much the thinner air impacts the significance of aero gains.
Hey Dylan- Thanks for the overview. If you’re looking for a “real” MTB race checkout Park City’s “Point to Point”. Billed as the toughest one day MTB race in the US. 90% + of single track.
Want to talk to you about a custom body cooling system. Hit me up if you are interested in being a testor for a slow development of a project to do this. Seems like you may be willing to test on a shake out ride. The amount of water you carried on unbound to cool off made me think there is room to lighten your load. Love the vids!
Very nice ride.
Do you adjust your power to the weather? Heat and especially humidity can be worse than altitude.
0:47 that's what I'm talkin' about
Thanks this is 👍
yes , no excuses , you did your best and that was what it is!! If you could have done better you would have !!
It would be interesting to see a Surly Ogre or something equivalent with 29x2.5 tires with a 80mm suspension seat post and suspension stem on drop bars doing this since suspension stems and seat posts are significantly more efficient than suspension rear triangles and forks.
Dylan, I am considering buying a lactate meter so that I can measure my own lactate thresholds, and train accordingly. As it is quite expensive, could you give some insight on the pros and cons of lacte training and how to use it properly?
Keep up the good work!