Advocacy & Safety - flat bar road bike vs. drops

I went to my LBS today because I'm interested in getting a drop bar road bike. An employee kind of talked me out of it by telling me that flat bars are really more ideal for me. They don't have any drop bar bikes in stock for me to test ride right now, but he said that they're not very comfortable. I argued that they should be more comfy because they have three hand positions as opposed to one.

I'm a college student doing primarily commuting-type riding and maybe some 1 to 2 day tours. I had a Cannondale hybrid for several years before it was stolen and now I'm looking for something a little sportier. I'm also drawn to the aesthetics of the drop bar road bike, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker:)

So, what do you all think?

I think he was trying to sell you what he had and not what you wanted.

go to another LBS or talk to another person there.

I commute on my road bike and wouldn't want anything other than drop bars.

agreed,just trying to sell what was in stock. not working in your best interest. You want the 3 positions of hand positions.

I concur.

I should add that many people, including probably this guy, tend to compare a hybrid with straight bars slightly higher than the saddle, to a racing-road bike with curved bars a few centimetres below the saddle.

But I can tell you that drop bars at a convenient height are truly good for commuting.

I went the flatbar route but can't say it's perfect. This bike (flatbars) was the only line they had that was roadlike but w/ eyelets for fenders/racks, and I got an additional line that w/ the flat bars it wouldn't look as steal-able. I now know that anything ride-able is steal-able; eggbeater pedals might help, but handlebars sure don't.

Anyway, I just don't ride enough, never as far as 30 miles a day, to suffer from lack of hand positions, so I don't really hold that against the bike. I do wish I'd hit the last LBS in town before making the decision I did. I might not have bought a functionally different bike from the one I did, but I would have been happier buying it from that last shop rather than bringing the one I have to them all the time for service, like I do, 'cause the one I did buy it from, free maintenance, upgrades, and all, is not so much up to par after all.

I definitely think you should keep shopping until you've at least had a chance to ride everything you've considered. As a college student, I tend to agree that drop bars will give you more flexibility and more variety in your riding than straight bars.

Sure, when commuting to class, you'll probably tend to ride more upright - but there will also be times when you want to ride just for fun - and in those cases, I think you'll grow to appreciate drop bars.

In the end, only you can decide what best for you - and test rides alone may not proves definitive, but they certainly will help.

You wouldn't want to purchase a flat bar without having tested drop bars, and, then, every time you see a drop bar bike, you'll be second guessing your purchase.

I say, keep looking until you are satisfied that you have enough info to make a decision.

Good luck and happy riding.

Caruso

I went to my LBS today because I'm interested in getting a drop bar road bike. An employee kind of talked me out of it by telling me that flat bars are really more ideal for me. They don't have any drop bar bikes in stock for me to test ride right now, but he said that they're not very comfortable. I argued that they should be more comfy because they have three hand positions as opposed to one.

I'm a college student doing primarily commuting-type riding and maybe some 1 to 2 day tours. I had a Cannondale hybrid for several years before it was stolen and now I'm looking for something a little sportier. I'm also drawn to the aesthetics of the drop bar road bike, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker:)

So, what do you all think?

I think the "more positions" for drop bars is bunch of bunk, and will say it over and over. With a good set of curved bar ends you can basically have a minimum of three positions on flat bars, being hands on straights, hands on the ends, and hands where the bar ends attach (very similar to hoods). If the bar ends are nearly horizontal you can ride with your hands splayed out flat with excellent control, giving a fourth position. The bar ends can also be adjusted up and down for a change or a more upright position.

I ride a flat bar road bike and love it. Plus, good rapid fire shifters, in my opinion, are crisper than all except the top end STI's.

I would stay away from that shop.

I ride a flat bar as my commuter or when it's raining and I think it's great. It has 28c tires and a suspension seat post so it offers a softer ride than my road bike. The rapid fire shifters are almost as good as the shifters on my road bike for crispness.

Ultimately though, test ride both. If you are planning on ride more than 1.5 hours at a time I'd probably go for the drop bar set-up (pedalling into the wind is easier in the drops as well).

To me this is first and foremost a qustion of how fast you want to go. If speed is important to you, go with drop bars set as low as you are comfortable with. If you are looking for an allpurpose bike I think you are better off with flat bars.

I think the "more positions" for drop bars is bunch of bunk, and will say it over and over. With a good set of curved bar ends you can basically have a minimum of three positions on flat bars, being hands on straights, hands on the ends, and hands where the bar ends attach (very similar to hoods). If the bar ends are nearly horizontal you can ride with your hands splayed out flat with excellent control, giving a fourth position. The bar ends can also be adjusted up and down for a change or a more upright position.

I ride a flat bar road bike and love it. Plus, good rapid fire shifters, in my opinion, are crisper than all except the top end STI's.


Well, having done long rides on a bike with flat bars and bar ends, and on my drop bar cross bike and ancient road bike, I have to say you are right! Both combos have a lot of hand positions. However, the drop bars are more comfy, and give a greater number of different angles to rest the wrists (btw, I can get more like 5 positions out of my drop bars - very end of drops; forearms lying on drops, hands by brakes; brake hoods; curve of bar before hoods; and straight bit directly out from the stem) and are definately the better choice for me for long distance riding. The shimano 105 shifters on my cyclocross bike are just fine, and as crisp as the xt rapid fire shifters on my mtn bike. When they wear out or are crashed out, I am going to use the best bar end shifters I can find and light weight brake levers.

To the OP: if you feel pressured by this kind of sales pitch, laugh and leave. The sales guy is being a lazy bugger and wont sell you what you want. If you are considering multi day tours and a lot of long distant riding, go drop bar, but think about the over all bike geometry for comfort.

Flatbars are great for mountainbiking, but after 15 minutes on the road I hate them. Even with bar ends wrist positions are limited, then try moving your hands inboard of the brake levers, not so good. My commuter-utilty bike is Miyata Quickcross with road bars, a big improvement IMO.

I run a cut down flat bar with bar ends on my road bike. It's partially because my frame is too small, making for an already large drop from the saddle to the bars. If that size wasn't an issue, drop bars would be comfortable. However, that doesn't mean a flat bar isn't the bar for you. I agree with the rest of the suggestions here: try the drop bar bike before you buy one you may not be completely happy with.

It's amazing how many people you see riding "in the drops" at all times, even when struggling up a hill. A fairly large segment of riders seem to think that's the only acceptable hand position for traditional roadster bars.
Of course, where I live, the stereotypical "redneck racer" is the norm. That's an ancient 10-speed roadster with the handlebars turned upside down....

I think he was trying to sell you what he had and not what you wanted.
+1 on that
I suppose they could be more comfortable do to having nice cussy grips like a hybrid bike. But over all you got more options with drop bars you can use hand position wise than a so called comfort bike. if your gona go with a non drop bar theres so many other nice option that also just look realy cool other than strait/flat bars.

Like ones ive seen called mantis bars and mustache bars.

Still i prefer the old standard the drop bar. Though id kill for a set with lots of space between the tops and drops. I like to have 2 dramticly diffrent positions between drop and tops.

I think he was trying to sell you what he had and not what you wanted.
+1 on that
I suppose they could be more comfortable do to having nice cussy grips like a hybrid bike. But over all you got more options with drop bars you can use hand position wise than a so called comfort bike. if your gona go with a non drop bar theres so many other nice option that also just look realy cool other than strait/flat bars.

Like ones ive seen called mantis bars and mustache bars.

Still i prefer the old standard the drop bar. Though id kill for a set with lots of space between the tops and drops. I like to have 2 dramticly diffrent positions between drop and tops.

I like those mustache bars, but I have never seen them come from a bike at a bike shop. Always put on afterwards.

With flat bars and bar ends you get a lot of comfortable hand positions.

But the comfiest of all? Under seat steering. But you gotta get a recumbent for that.

I'd try a couple other bike shops. Perhaps you will try the drop bars and decide that yes flat bars are better. Or maybe you will confirm your choice. But you won't know unless you try. That's what we tell potential recumbent buyers all the time. They always "know" what they want, (and with more choices there's more chance to be wrong about it) so we tell them to make sure, try everything.

Hard to believe that an LBS doesn't have ONE drop bar bike to test ride.

What's the name of this place...Flatbars-R-Us?

I went to my LBS today because I'm interested in getting a drop bar road bike. An employee kind of talked me out of it by telling me that flat bars are really more ideal for me. They don't have any drop bar bikes in stock for me to test ride right now, but he said that they're not very comfortable. I argued that they should be more comfy because they have three hand positions as opposed to one.

I'm a college student doing primarily commuting-type riding and maybe some 1 to 2 day tours. I had a Cannondale hybrid for several years before it was stolen and now I'm looking for something a little sportier. I'm also drawn to the aesthetics of the drop bar road bike, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker:)

So, what do you all think?

That's funny, I was in an LBS in Tallahasse yesterday (Saturday) afternoon and overheard almost that exact converstion between an employee and another customer.

Having a flat bar roady hybrid (that had bar ends on it, currently doesn't) and a drop bar road bike, the drop bars are more comfortable (giving more hand positions) for any ride over about 30 minutes. The flat bar bike is more stable and controllable. Yes, some of that has to do with frame geometry, but it's inarguable that bar type also has a big effect on this. The drops are nice when bucking a headwind.

And my bike that sees the most miles per week? My Townie3.:)

Last winter I put drop bars andSora shifters on my hybrid, because I want an easier time in head winds. I thought I would do most of my riding on the hoods so I wasnt worried about thumbshift difficulties in the drops. I have the bars set level with the seat, and have my hands near the ends of the drops most of the time, so I fitted hooks hanging from the end of the shift buttons to do the shifts to the smaller cogs. The narrower drop bars are also easier for lane splitting.

Sorry for my reply, but what is this thread doing in A&S in the first place. And why did you cross post it here?

-D

Drops are nice, but as mentioned before, for some, they are not the choice of handlebar for all-purpose commuting.

However, I am 100% against flat-bars for anything except MTBs. Sure, they serve a purpose on an MTB, and that is to have excellent force and control against any backlash from odd-shaped objects contacting the front wheel/fork setup.

That said, do you need excessive control over your fork/wheel when riding on the pavement? 'Course not. No reason to be bending foward either.

Solution? What the Brits used for over 70 years - the North Road handlebar:

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/images/nittonorthrd.jpg

(From Harris Cyclery - see here: http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/handlebars/index.html)

Some of you may say it looks like the handlebars from your Granny's bike, but you'll find the North Road design to be one of the most comfortable upright-bar handlebars ever made.

For that matter, they are also fantastic as mild drops when mounted in an inverted fashion.

I'd suggest it to anyone who prefers riding upright or in mild drop mode (with bar inverted) who can't stand the flats. I use them on my upright-bar machines, and wouldn't use anything else.

Take care,

-Kurt

I think the "more positions" for drop bars is bunch of bunk, and will say it over and over.

Sounds like a flat bar inferiority complex.

I have eight different positions on my drop bars.
Two on hoods
Four on top
Two in the drops

All I could ever get on my flat bar with bar ends was three. Which is fine for rides under an hour. Why limit yourself, regardless of how many times you say it?

I commute with drops, flats, and risers at various times of the year.

On rides of less than an hour, there is very little real difference in comfort or speed. For longer tours you may notice the advantage goes to drops.

Ride with whatever you like the look and feel of.

Don't let some hack from a shop (or a forum) sway you.

I ride a flat-bar foad bike with curved bar ends. I love it. That being said, the only way for you to find out which one works for you is to test ride as many as possible. Go find a bike shop with lots of different styles of bikes.

And my bike that sees the most miles per week? My Townie3.:)

TOTALLY off topic, for which I apologize, but how do those ride? I've had my eye on the Townies for a while, but what I can't grok is hills on the Townie. Not that I'm saying you should be attacking hills like Floyd Landis on a Townie, but how do they take hills? Can you mash out of the seat? Or is it largely a sit and spin endeavor?

Sorry for my reply, but what is this thread doing in A&S in the first place. And why did you cross post it here?

-D
I posted it here first on accident and couldn't figure out how to delete it.

Solution? What the Brits used for over 70 years - the North Road handlebar:

I'd suggest it to anyone who prefers riding upright or in mild drop mode (with bar inverted) who can't stand the flats. I use them on my upright-bar machines, and wouldn't use anything else.

Take care,

-Kurt


Werd!

Representin' (http://mysite.verizon.net/tegants/mybike.jpg)

I was thinking about this topic this morning and realized how lucky we are right now. Back in the early 90s I needed a new bike because mine was stolen. I found myself totally out of luck about getting a road-style bike because the mountain bike craze was in effect. Road bikes were like $1500 or $3000 to start. Only mountain bikes were in my price range.

Now at least you have choices. If that bike shop doesn't have the bikes you like you can go to another one.

I ended up getting a mountain bike with bar-end extensions. I found them to help so you could reposition your hands for comfort and for help getting up the hills. I've always thought the straight bars don't give you enough power for hills.

Werd!

Representin' (http://mysite.verizon.net/tegants/mybike.jpg)

Nice Shimano 600 group on your Capri there, great upgrade from the original components. Love the drilled Brooks.

You're only missing black fenders for a 100% English ride ;)

-Kurt

Werd!

Representin' (http://mysite.verizon.net/tegants/mybike.jpg)

Nice Shimano 600 group on your Capri there, great upgrade from the original components. Love the drilled Brooks.

You're only missing black fenders for a 100% English ride ;)

-Kurt

Nice Shimano 600 group on your Capri there, great upgrade from the original components. Love the drilled Brooks.

You're only missing black fenders for a 100% English ride ;)

-Kurt
Thanks Kurt. The 1 1/4" alloy hoops and Dia-Compe center pulls were a big plus too :)

Sorry, but I abhor fenders :o

Desperately seeking relevance to cycling advocacy for this thread, I will say this: any bike shop that carries no bikes with drop bars, and promotes flat bars over drop bars even to someone who has expressed an interest in drop bars, much less to folks who don't know better but who may also prefer drops if properly informed, is no friend of cyclists or cycling advocates.

Don't give them a dime of your business.

Desperately seeking relevance to cycling advocacy for this thread, I will say this: any bike shop that carries no bikes with drop bars, and promotes flat bars over drop bars even to someone who has expressed an interest in drop bars, much less to folks who don't know better but who may also prefer drops if properly informed, is no friend of cyclists or cycling advocates.

Don't give them a dime of your business.

Gotta agree... reminds me of my misadventures about 2 years ago when I thought about replacing one of my bikes and the kids in the shops I visited kept pointing me to "comfort bikes."

I suppose it was my fault for wearing a button down shirt and "manager pants" when I visited the shops... sigh.

I spend 95% of my time on my brifter brake hoods. The hand position and posture just feels right to me on both of my road bikes.

I tried some cowhorn bars once, but I quit experimenting with different brake and shifter combinations before I found something I liked as much as riding on drop-bar hoods with brifters.

can you interchange a straight bar and drops? I was thinking of getting a trek 7.2 or 7.3.

for me, flat bars are more comfortable. they have a wider grip. the grips on drops have less cushion. touring bikes have drops but the geometry brings the drops higher. drops provide more aerodynamics and strong cyclists use them to pull themselves down during hard pedaling. with the higher flat bars i am more upright and see the road ahead better without straining my neck.
but if you want drops, your lbs should be eager to get you what you want.

if you change from one to the other, they also require that you change the shifters and probably the deraileurs.

if you are going to ride anything but trails or around a city for more than an hour drops are ideal. there are pretty much infinite positions to kee your wrists from getting all numb. besides, bar ends are hideous.

You guys should try trekking bars:
http://static.flickr.com/36/124151009_08f22e6907_m.jpg
(Not my bike, just a randomly searched photo.)

Drop handlebars will give you up to 6 different hand positions. Those of us that used downtube shifters in the past had three different position on the flats, one on the hoods, and two in the drops.