N+1 (where N is the current number of bikes owned) might seem like the ideal number of bikes to have in the stable, but unfortunately practicalities like a lack of necessary storage space and the desire not to destroy personal relationships can get in the way of this goal.
One solution to this is the 8bar Mitte, which can be converted from a road bike into a cyclocross bike or adventure bike by swapping the fork and changing the position of the rear dropouts. Making these changes will alter the 8bar Mitte's standard road geometry and give it slacker head tube and seat tube angles, a longer wheelbase, and great tyre clearance in an attempt to make it rideable off road.
The 8bar Mitte has three different configurations
8bar claims that changing between different setups takes just 15 minutes, although we're not sure whether this includes and changes that need to be made to chain length and swapping the disc brakes between the different forks.
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The bike will be offered in two different builds. The Comp version will cost €1798 (~£1410) and will be equipped with Shimano Tiagra, while the Pro version will cost €2398 (~£1880) and will have Shimano Ultegra as well as other upgrades to the finishing kit. All versions of the bike will come with Shimano hydraulic disc brakes.
Changing the fork and rear dropouts slightly alters the bike's geometry
However, one of the benefits of Kickstarter is that it gives you the opportunity to snap up early bird offers at a hefty discount, and there are a range of such deals available for the 8bar Mitte. That said, the project has proved extremely popular, hitting its €20,000 target in just days and is now moving towards its €50,000 "stretch target", meaning that most of the best deals have already been snapped up.
If you do decide to invest, then the German company expects to ship its bikes from September, so you should have your new bike just in time for the cyclocross season.
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Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
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