Holy Dirt Drops, Batman!!

Way back when in the earliest days of mountain biking (say 1988), there was a enterprising and original company named WTB. They did things their own way, and sold bicycle parts to bike companies that did things their own way. WTB designed a handlebar that looked kind of like a drop bar you'd see on a road bike, but it was used on a mountain bike. They called it the Dirt Drop(fifth picture down). The bars dropped only a little, flared quite a lot, and looked about as cool as cool could be back then in the era of big hair and neon colors.

As with all good, heretical ideas, this one couldn't last. And it didn't. Nobody but Bridgestone Bicycles would spec them, and soon WTB stopped making them. And there was much sorrow.

But now, dear readers, another brave company has started making the much-missed Dirt Drop. The manufacturer calls it the Midge and will charge you and arm and a leg to ship it to you from the UK, but I'll be durned if it ain't the dear old Dirt Drop of yore!