Current Projects chat and miscellany

That actually is a midge bar on there, with levers on the flats. It's the weird angle making the drops look deeper than they are.
Perhaps it's just because i've never ridden any kind of drops before but the angle of my back/neck when in the drops doesn't seem all that comfortable to me, which is why I'm considering something a little more upright (think the way the bars are on a guvnor, swept back with a tiny drop)
Will give these a proper go before I decide though.

I actually considered the 2 speed kickback hub, but looking at the weight/gear range compared to the 5 speed hubs I'm not really sure whether I'd really gain much from having it.
At the moment i'm running 71 Gear inches which is mostly fine but I'd love some lower options for when I'm lazy or can't be bothered to crank it up a hill full pelt.
I looked it up, and with the 2 speed I could get around 50 and 70 gear inches from it, or with a 5 speed I could be looking at around 86, 72, 54, 40, 34 Inches.

Decisions!

I think you should try one cog up and see what happen, spin to win (and kinder to your legs) before resorting to internal hubs.

as for the drop bar, try flipping the stem upside down and put brake hood instead of cross brake, those midge bar are different to normal drop bar and require a different set-up.

you should talk to sopariva or smallfurry (I think) as they have midge bar on the bike.