Major US race organiser bans drop bar bikes at iconic event as a 'safety measure' – what were they thinking?

Life Time Announces Ban on Drop Bars in some of its MTB Events

Just last week, we reported on two production hardtail mountain bikes with drop bar builds from both Pivot Cycles and Pinarello. The commercial availability of these bikes is undoubtedly tied to the proliferation of drop bars on custom mountain bike builds in the pro field of iconic races like the Leadville Trail 100. In fact, Keegan Swenson raced his drop bar Santa Cruz Blur to his fifth consecutive victory in last year’s Leadville race and his…

A ban on drop bars by the organisers of America's most famous

Life Time, the US events company behind races such as the Leadville 100 and the Life Time Grand Prix, has announced a ban on drop handlebars at the Leadville Trail 100 and Little Sugar MTB races. The timing is awkward for Pinarello, perhaps, as it has just unveiled the Grevil MX drop bar MTB, but the bigger question is simpler: does this ban actually solve a problem? Not in my

Major US race organiser bans drop bar bikes at iconic event as a 'safety measure' – what were they thinking?

Life Time’s decision undercuts their own success without actually addressing the most pressing safety issues