Fifty Plus (50+) - Report your long rides on non-drop-bar bikes

A take off on the thread about flat-bar vs drop-bar. I'm expanding this topic to go beyond just flat vs drop.

I'm interested in reading about those of us who have made longer rides using handlebars other than drop-bars. "Long" rides in the sense of riding for 2 or more hours. Someone who takes 3 hours to ride 30 miles would have approximately the same hand, arm, and shoulder issues as someone riding 60 miles in 3 hours.

What type of handlebar did you use, how long was ride (in hours, miles or both), how comfortable were you, do you have any alternate hand positions set up on the bars like bar ends or aero bars. Share the pics of your handlebars.

Some alternate handlebars include flat bars, trekking bars, riser bars, Albatross bars, Dove bars (the Nitto ones, not the chocolate ones), Mary bars, North Road bars, cruiser bars, etc.

Please note that my purpose is to not to criticize drop bars, but only to gather some data from 50+'ers about what works for them. We know drop bars work for long distances, and we know that most bike forums strongly recommend them for such. But some of us have difficulty being comfortable on drop bars and so are interested in what is achievable using alternatives.

If someone has ridden 3-4 hours on non-drop-bars and had a negative experience, feel free to report that too.

I thought it might be valuable to collect these experiences into a single thread.

I regularly ride 35 to 45 miles on a Giant Cypress DX hybrid without a problem. The bike has 2 inch riser bars with bar ends. Tires are 700x40c pumped up to 80 psi.

We have flat bars on the tandem. We installed bar ends on the stoker compartment and I put them inboard toward the shifters on the captains bars. We have just over 4000 miles on the tandem starting in the first of November. We have done 5 centuries. The longest time was 7 hrs, 30 min. The shortest was 6 hrs, 50 min. We have done one Time Trial and the flat bars hurt our time, although we did finish a 34K TT, averaging 22.51mph. This last week we put in 152 miles so far. The fastest ride was last night where we did 33 miles at 22.4 mph overall. The flat bars work okay although I would like drop bars. On my next tandem I will have drops. I sometimes have numbness in my left hand and on a couple of centuries my shoulders and neck were a little stiff. I don't think that is a bar issues so much as a posture one. I tend to stiffarm the bar after a while and if I loosen up my shoulders I can make that go away.

Hope this helps the debate.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w76/cgallagh/DSCF0331.jpg

You've seen these before, they are my own personal compromise between flat bars and drop bars. They feel great for now but I will have to acquire more data on long term riding to be sure. Except for the drop position, they offer a multitude of hand positions and are more aero than straight flat bars. They really are like a flat bar with bar ends (or a drop bar cut off beyond the hoods.) They serve my desire to have the brake levers more laid back than is possible with STI Shifters.

I had only a stock flat barred MTB when I started training for my first double century. Past 50-60 miles several parts on my body started to hurt. I clamped a set of drop bars to the flat bars and turned out a 130 mile ride the next weekend with no pain.

I have done tours from a couple of weeks to several months on both drops, and Straight "Comfort" bars, with bar ends.

Riding anywhere from 6 to 12 hours a day, over hill and dale, tarmac and rough roads.

For faster, single day rides (Audax and centuries) I also use both types of handlebars.

No difference, IMHO.
for pics of the bikes

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/imjibi/Bikes

On my time trial bike with ITM Aerobars, I do get back pain when I do 50 or 100 mile time trials.

george

When on Ocracoke Island, I regularly take my daughter from the inn to the pony pen and back, using a rented Solar Cruiser and either a child trailer or a Trail-A-Bike. It's about an hour each way, and perfectly comfortable.

Paul

I have half-a**ed bars in my stoker spot, but since I don't really have to do anything, I guess it doesn't really count. They're not comfy, and if I don't pay attention to changing position I get numb.

I wonder if flat bars with ends would be better.

My bike is a Cannondale Road Warrior 500 with a flat bar. Yesterday I rode 53 miles in 4 hours. My hands and wrists were tired but not a real problem. I regulary ride it for more than 30 miles and 2 hours. I have only had it for two months but I am considering getting bar ends just to provide an alternate hand position. I don't experience any numbness just the fatigue, of course, after 4 hours everything on my body was suffering from fatigue.

I have a bad back and don't know if I could handle drop bars.

late entry: I'm doing my first century tomorrow so I will have more to report then!


Wishing you a great ride and lots of fun! We'll be looking for the ride report! :)


I ride a Giant Cypress SX with the stock bars and stock adjustable stem adjusted all the way toward me. I've ridden 24 miles (2+ hours) with some hand numbness that I've been able to work out by paying more attention to my hand/wrist angle and position. I'm starting to briefly grab the end of each grip for a new position, so I think that signals that it's time for bar ends. (PS: I've decided to keep the bike and make whatever adjustments are necessary.)

Glad to see posts from long-distance Hybrid riders..... it gives me hope! :)

I routinely ride 30 to 40 miles on my Coda, and have done both a metric and imperial century on it this summer. The bar is a not quite flat MTN bike bar with barends installed inboard of the handgrips. It is very comfortable for me and I do not have numbness in the hands or pain in my shoulders.

I'll chip in to my own thread.

I have ridden my riser bar Trek hybrid on several rides from 2 to 5.5 hours. This bar has a 3" rise and about a 12-15 degree sweep. My hands, arms, and shoulders were comfortable on all of these rides.

I have recently added bar ends in a forward position configuration and have found them a good change of pace on a couple of recent rides.

A take off on the thread about flat-bar vs drop-bar. I'm expanding this topic to go beyond just flat vs drop.

I'm interested in reading about those of us who have made longer rides using handlebars other than drop-bars. "Long" rides in the sense of riding for 2 or more hours. Someone who takes 3 hours to ride 30 miles would have approximately the same hand, arm, and shoulder issues as someone riding 60 miles in 3 hours.

What type of handlebar did you use, how long was ride (in hours, miles or both), how comfortable were you, do you have any alternate hand positions set up on the bars like bar ends or aero bars. Share the pics of your handlebars.

Some alternate handlebars include flat bars, trekking bars, riser bars, Albatross bars, Dove bars (the Nitto ones, not the chocolate ones), Mary bars, North Road bars, cruiser bars, etc.

Please note that my purpose is to not to criticize drop bars, but only to gather some data from 50+'ers about what works for them. We know drop bars work for long distances, and we know that most bike forums strongly recommend them for such. But some of us have difficulty being comfortable on drop bars and so are interested in what is achievable using alternatives.

If someone has ridden 3-4 hours on non-drop-bars and had a negative experience, feel free to report that too.

I thought it might be valuable to collect these experiences into a single thread.

I did a tour into Baja on flat bars... basically on a bike I designed as a commuter. Earlier I had done a long tour on a Trek with drop bars... So I have seen the road from behind both bars and I see the advantages of both.

On the drop bar bike I had down tube shifters, on the flat bar bike, thumb shifters that were made for a very short time... they are on the top of the bar and look quite a bit like DT shifters but mounted horizontally. (I love them)

On the tour had numb hands every day. And frankly I missed the positions of drop bars, however as a commuter, the shorter distances of about 11 miles either way plus the easy ability to hit the shifters or brakes and the upright riding position make flat bars good for a commuter.

But for longer rides, I prefer drop bars for the ability to change hand positions.

JMHO.

I haven't been more than 3 or 4 miles on a drop bar bike since I weighed well under 200 pounds. I have completed at least 2 metric centuries and several rides over 50 miles on my Sedona DX in the last few years with semi-slick 26 X 1.5 tires and riser bars. I did have to get a little creative with hand positions, but it really wasn't too bad.

The last couple long rides, and many shorter rides have been with bar ends.

Wow! They make bikes without drop bars?!

On my time trial bike with ITM Aerobars, I do get back pain when I do 50 or 100 mile time trials.

george
100 mile time trials???!!! Wow!
I use riser bars on the mtb and have done 8 hour rides on them. I have tried flat bars on different mtbs and don't like the angle of them. Riser bars feel more like motorcycle bars, which I like.
All my road bikes have had drops.

Most of my rides are over 4 hours but there are the ocasional long rides that I get in. Most of my past riding has been offroad and these are straightbar bikes. Well not really as they both have riser bars fitted--And both are a bit unusual in that they have wider than average bars fitted to them.

The Bianchi solo was bought in 2000, the year after my bypass as I had to admit defeat and go for a suspension fork. At the same time the Wide risers went on and I reversed the stem to get the bars above seat level. The bars are 27" wide and are a generous sweep. Made of Aluminium- they do flex a fair amount so give me Extra suspension other than the forks.

Then The Tandem. Now this thing breaks any ordinary equipment and after I broke the Straight bars-and I am the stoker- I got a pair of full downhill wide riser bars for me. The pilot took one look at them and said that they were going on the front. He admitted that he was getting worried about the amount of flex he was getting when steering. Checked his bars and They were flexing- They were also cracked and bent. He got the Dowmhill wide bars and I got a cheaper replacement. Not quite as wide at 25" but I should not be steering on this thing.

Now as to bar ends- On the T the pilot has them but I do not need them- If I need a change of position I can move inboard- Ride with just the fingertips on the bars or even no handed, As to the solo- Short stubby bar ends. In 2000 it was sacrilidge to fit bar ends on risers- according to the Style Council-but I had always used them so I compromised and got the stubby's. Nowadays you see a heck of a lot of riser bars with short Bar ends.

I have both a drop bar road bike (LeMond Buenos Aires, don't ya know) and a Cannondale Road Warrior 1000 with flat bars. The flat bars have nice bar ends (it came with them) and I find the entire arrangement quite comfortable. I am old and overweight and have only been riding regularly for about 3-4 years.

Today I took the Cannondale on my usual Friday group ride, so can report my most recent experience. The ride was 61 miles in just over 4 hours, almost entirely on roads in and around the USDA Agricultural Center in Maryland just outside DC. It is rolling with a few good climbs. I find virtually no difference in my level of effort, except the LeMond climbs noticeably better and goes measurably faster on fast downhills (due mostly to the aerodynamics of getting tucked down in the drops, I suppose). On a ride like today's I prefer the LeMond, but in the city and on MUPs the Cannondale is more at home--I like the thumb shifters and the brakes are more readily at hand. I have no issues with my hands, arms or shoulders with either bike.

So why do I ride the LeMond 10 times as much as the Cannondale????? It is like the difference between a good sports sedan (say BMW M3 or and Audi A6 Quattro) and a sports car (say Corvette or a 911 Carrera 4s) The sports cars (and the LeMond) just make the driver/rider feel more connected to the road. I wish I could explain it better. I don't think it is quantifiable.

If you want to argue that a flat bar hybrid will do all sorts of good things and be a fine bike, I can't argue. But when it comes to the pure pleasure of riding--not the going fast, not the smelling of the roses, not the seeing of the scenery--just the pure pleasure of turning the pedals, leaning into a corner, cresting a hill, the pure exhilaration of cycling......I think that only a true road bike can deliver that sensation......IMHO

That help??

Last week my teenage son, wife and I did the Erie canal ride,
traveled 682 km in 8 days. My bike- a Surly cross check with
1x9 gearing and Albatross bars. The whole set up worked well,
have the bar ends pointed slighly upward to fit the slope of my
hands as i reach the bars, bars are just slightly above the seat.
i can lean into the curve of the Albatross bar to create a slightly
more aero profile or for peddling up a steep hill.

Some alternate handlebars include flat bars, trekking bars, riser bars, Albatross bars, Dove bars (the Nitto ones, not the chocolate ones), Mary bars, North Road bars, cruiser bars, etc.


Are there pictures somewhere of all these bars? I don't know what I've got. I ride a Raleigh Passage 4.5 and the bars are kind of straight......
Anyway, I did 67 miles today with it. Hands didn't hurt too bad, but I was thinking of looking into some bar ends. I had a bike once with drop bars and I NEVER used the drops, so it would be senseless for me to have them.

We have flat bars on the tandem. We installed bar ends on the stoker compartment and I put them inboard toward the shifters on the captains bars. We have just over 4000 miles on the tandem starting in the first of November. We have done 5 centuries. The longest time was 7 hrs, 30 min. The shortest was 6 hrs, 50 min. We have done one Time Trial and the flat bars hurt our time, although we did finish a 34K TT, averaging 22.51mph. This last week we put in 152 miles so far. The fastest ride was last night where we did 33 miles at 22.4 mph overall. The flat bars work okay although I would like drop bars. On my next tandem I will have drops. I sometimes have numbness in my left hand and on a couple of centuries my shoulders and neck were a little stiff. I don't think that is a bar issues so much as a posture one. I tend to stiffarm the bar after a while and if I loosen up my shoulders I can make that go away.

Hope this helps the debate.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w76/cgallagh/DSCF0331.jpg

Man is that bike long.:D

A take off on the thread about flat-bar vs drop-bar. I'm expanding this topic to go beyond just flat vs drop.

I'm interested in reading about those of us who have made longer rides using handlebars other than drop-bars. "Long" rides in the sense of riding for 2 or more hours. Someone who takes 3 hours to ride 30 miles would have approximately the same hand, arm, and shoulder issues as someone riding 60 miles in 3 hours.

What type of handlebar did you use, how long was ride (in hours, miles or both), how comfortable were you, do you have any alternate hand positions set up on the bars like bar ends or aero bars. Share the pics of your handlebars.

Some alternate handlebars include flat bars, trekking bars, riser bars, Albatross bars, Dove bars (the Nitto ones, not the chocolate ones), Mary bars, North Road bars, cruiser bars, etc.

Please note that my purpose is to not to criticize drop bars, but only to gather some data from 50+'ers about what works for them. We know drop bars work for long distances, and we know that most bike forums strongly recommend them for such. But some of us have difficulty being comfortable on drop bars and so are interested in what is achievable using alternatives.

If someone has ridden 3-4 hours on non-drop-bars and had a negative experience, feel free to report that too.

I thought it might be valuable to collect these experiences into a single thread.

Straight bar, with Profile Design Split Second fold up aero bars. Twist grip shifters, Brooks B67 saddle, Power Grip pedals.

Longest ride: 117 miles (8 hours).
7 centuries, too many 50- 60 mile rides to count.
I've gotten to the point where I don't really want to go out for anything less than 30.

Originally got the aero bars to get out of the wind. When I get a new bike with drop bars, the aeros are coming too- they just offer so much comfort. On a flat, I can "lay down", get into a comfotable cadence and cruise... With the geometry of the bike (Specialized Expedition Sport), when I'm on the aeros, I'm in about the same position as riders in the drops on a more conventional road bike geometry.
I put the flat bar on to get "stretched ou" a little- the orignal bars were swept back, and I got to where the upright position was just too upright.

Wife has bar ends on hers- about 10 inches long, with a bend (30 degrees?) about 4 inches from the end. She has them angled forward, bends in, about 10 degrees up from horizintal. She spends most of her time with hands on the bar ends.

Another data point- I can ride on the aeros for about an hour without sitting up and stretching. And I'm not all that flexible- I can't touch the floor ( can't come close).
If I'm sitting up, riding 14-15 on a flat, no wind, if I go to the aeros, I'll shift up two cogs (harder), pedal at the same perceived exertion level, and end up doing 16-17.

I've done double century fixie rides on bullhorns. Bullhorns are similar to riding on the hoods on drop bars so they are pretty comfortable.
I've also ridden moustache bars long distance but that didn't quite work out for me. They're fine for up to a couple of hours. I currently have one bike set up with these bars.

Back when I was a pup of 47, I rode a skinny-tired mountain bike pulling a bob trailer on Ragbrai, 500miles in 7 days. Very comfortably. Now at 55 all I ride is flat bar bikes. 70 miles is no problem. I prefer Titec Hellbents.

I don't know what I've got. I ride a Raleigh Passage 4.5 and the bars are kind of straight......


If you have the stock Passage 4.5 handlebar, then you a mild version of a riser bar. Probably has around 40mm of rise with a 10-12 degree sweep.

If you want to argue that a flat bar hybrid will do all sorts of good things and be a fine bike, I can't argue. But when it comes to the pure pleasure of riding--not the going fast, not the smelling of the roses, not the seeing of the scenery--just the pure pleasure of turning the pedals, leaning into a corner, cresting a hill, the pure exhilaration of cycling......I think that only a true road bike can deliver that sensation......IMHO

That help??

+1

I have 66 miles on a Dahon folder and few other occassion's over 60. That 70+ is kind of elusive still.

I have an `05 Jamis Coda Sport upon which I`ve added Easton 40-mm rise EA-30 handlebars shortened to 22 inches, with Ritchey TGV grips and Serfas Stabilizer bar-ends. I routinely do 20-30 mile rides without the need of my gloves with no problems at all. The Serfas bar-ends have more of an ergo design and give me a couple extra hand positions, and the Ritchey grips are nicely padded, allowing all-day long numb-free rides. Like many, I prefer a more upright position and the nearby availability of controls when riding in banzai urban settings. A lot of times I have a finger riding on my brake levers in heavy traffic, just waiting for the next goofball, cellphone yakkin` cager to do something hideously stupid. It`s usually not a long wait. Oy.

So far, I guess I'm the only person here that has ridden centuries on an MTB with North Road bars. I get strange looks when I roll into the 50mile turn-arounds. Typical time is about seven hours on this rig, six on the roadie with drops.
http://i17.tinypic.com/5x8flo1.jpg
http://i11.tinypic.com/4tfp4ie.jpg
http://i18.tinypic.com/4zu6a85.jpg

I rode many metric centuries and one century on a C'dale hybrid with flat bars. I developed nerve damage in my elbow in part from the static position. I bought a Specialized Roubaix and have been much happier.

Bumping this back to the top for the start of the week, just to see if anyone wishes to add to the collection.

This is an interesting thread. I am getting back into biking after a 30 year hiatus and went with flat bars with an adjustable stem extender to get as high up as I could (on a Specialized Crossroads hybrid). I have been doing 30+ mile trips comfortably and was looking at bar ends. After bumping into this forum I got the feeling that I would be out of place on any long ride unless I switch to drop bars.
but this thread clarifies that it is an individual thing. I think I will withhold judgment for a year or so until I can get a better feel for this stuff.

Trek 750 hybrid, original flat bars with extenders.
Typically ride 40 to 60 miles on a weekend ride, with a 13 - 15 mph average.
Been on longer rides, up to 85 miles. Taking lots of breaks.
As I ride I vary my sitting and hand position. With the extenders I have 3 good hand position and 2 temporary ones. If I don't let my arms, hands and back get tense, I'm usually ok for the longer distance.
The only hand problems I've had are when I use my thinner road gloves instead of my heavier-padded mtb gloves. The heel of my palm can get tender if I ride on it too long. With the thicker pads that has never happened.
I'm planning to ride a century this year, probably in September. We'll see how it works out.
The one drop-bar hand position I wish I had would be to put my weight at the base of the thumb rather than on the palm. Just can't deal with the back position in the drops.

I've done 14 centuries on this guy:

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k165/lsits/Bike.jpg

No major problems aside from flats. Oh yeah, some engine problems too. :)

Just can't deal with the back position in the drops.

I'm sure everyone knows this, but I'll say it again anyway. Most riders using drop bars, including those like myself who would not want to think about doing long rides without them, only use the drops for short periods of time and in certain situations. Being comfortable in the drops for long stretches is not something you would expect to be able to do. Having the top of the bars close to level with the saddle makes that position more comfortable, but even then it is not a position many people would stay in for a long time.
Don't rule out drop bars for that reason.

In another thread, I see that jm01 has put in some significant rides on his flat'ish bar bike. So I'm bumping this back up to give him and others a chance to add to this thread.

A couple of metric centuries and more recently two imperial centuries over two days. During my workup/training I regularly did 35-40 miles at a pop on group rides, solos etc...

My bike leans a bit closer to the flat-bar road bike model than some bikes out there, weighs in at 27 lbs with a fairly heavy rear rack attached. Aluminum of course, but w/Carbon fork.

I do have problems with hand numbness, and have to remember to move them around. On balance I am looking to buy a "true" road bike in the sport touring geometry flavor and will turn my quite trusty and problem free current bike into a full blown commuter with all the requisite commuting bells and whistles. However, that is mainly a choice not a mandate, I could continue to do decent distances on my Trek without any issues.

I have done a 1000 kilometer week long tour and 3 back to back metric centuries with a mountain bike (with slicks) and a 26 inch riser bar with bar ends (man that looked nerdy). Now having said, that my new bike has drop bars (really wide with a a very shallow drop, Nitto Noodles) and I don't think I would go back. To each his own however.

Just finished a 72- and 75-miler with my Specialized Sirrus Comp. I replaced the stock flatbar with a mid-rise (1") Specialized bar with a 7 degree sweep, plus short bar ends. Each ride was 5 hours plus, and no problems with wrist/hand pain. I've also found the Specialized stock seat is very comfortable on these long rides, and I am confident I could ride all day on this bike.

I'm on a business trip tomorrow but will post a picture when I get back.

I am playing a little with seat position and bar end angles, but that is mostly out of curiosity rather than fixing a problem.

they sucked...all of them...is that good enough?

When I got my Sequoia in September 2005, I wasn't comfortable with drop bars, so I had flat bars with a bit of a rise put on it. I rode it during the week-long 463-mile Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska in June 2006. The longest days were 82 and 89 miles. I had so much neck and shoulder pain--felt like someone was stabbing me with a hot ice pick between my shoulder blades--that as soon as I got home I had drop bars put back on the bike.

Now I'm trying to find the right drop bars. I just had smaller (narrower with shallower drop) bars put on, and I still can't reach the already-shimmed brakes/shifters comfortably from the hoods or the drops. I'm still searching for bars that will work with my small hands and short fingers. Till then I spend a lot of time on top of the bars with the interrupter brakes.

I do like the multiple hand options of the drop bars, I just haven't found the ideal setup yet.

I've done about 250 miles in the last week or so on my Cannondale Road Warrior 1000 (a flat bar) because my Buenos Aires got smashed by Ms. Inattentive driver. It reminded how much I like the Cannondale.

Also before I got the BA, I did about 12,000 miles on a variety of hybrids (Specialized Crossroads, Giant Cypress, Jamis Coda Comp) since knee replacement surgery in 2004. If it hadn't been for those bikes, I probably would not have gotten back into biking. I've done centuries, rode my age lots of times and loved riding those bikes.

My average ride on my hybrids was in the 23-26 mile range at 13.5 to 14.5 mph. Not spectacular, but reasonably respectable for a senior citizen.....

On the BA, my average ride has risen to more than 40 miles and the average speed is just over 16. That says that even though I am older, I now spend more time in the saddle, go farther and faster. Conclusion: I like riding the road bike better.

When I ride the Crossroads or Cypress now, I feel like I am dragging it down the road, but on the LeMond we sailed into the wind as partners in an exciting adventure.

I have a Specialized Sirrus with flat bar (and bar ends) and a Trek Pilot 1.2 w/ standard drop bar.

Longest on the Sirrus was about 50 miles, but it was a ride with a number of stops for lunch, ferries, picture taking, whatever. I know that my hands really really hurt by the end of it, but I wasn't using the bar ends as much as I should have/could have). I'm sure that I had some neck and shoulder pain, but I don't vividly remember it.

Longest ride on the Trek was 72 miles and a more concentrated ride. My hands really really hurt by the end of it, as did my neck and shoulders. My recollection of the neck/shoulder discomfort from that ride is a lot more vivid than my recollection of the discomfort of my 50 mile ride on the Sirrus.

I think that I don't have quite as much neck mobility as some, so keeping my head up on the Trek is probably more work for me than it might be for some others.

I can say that I get significantly better speed on the Trek than on the Sirrus.

This weekend I'm going to make a point of riding the Sirrus to try to remember what sorts of neck/shoulder pain I do or do not get.

I have nothing to report, haven't owned a non-drop bike in over 35 years!

Road Fan

I assume there are some non-drop bar bikes you are leaving out? My longest rides so far are close to 50 miles.

Century ride on a Trek flat bar 7.5 FX. Regularly d0 20 through 50 mile rides.

I ride 90% of my time on my Schwinn MTB including the Apple Cider Century last year (7.5 hours on the MTB) that was my gift to myself for turning 50 losing 70 lbs and being medication free.

I regularly ride 3-4 hours 40-50 mile rides on the MTB I won't say I'm pain free...however I've herniated every disc in my neck and had to have one set fused, had the right shoulder surgically rebuilt, and seperated the left in February, so I'm never pain free at this point (though Yoga 1 hour 3 times a week is helping some)

Did 53 today on the Raleigh. After resting up I felt like I could have done much more.

Trek 7700 Hybrid, flat bars, T-bar ends, Aerobars. Have done so many centuries on that bike that I cannot remember.
Will do century starting tomorrow from Reedsburg to the Mississippi and Perrot State Park and return Friday.

I take some long rides on my Trek 7500 with stock bars. No problem. I'm converting my Pilot to flat bars as I type. I'll be putting on bar ends and 28c tires, also. It should weigh around 17 lb and make a great paved path bomber. I've grown tired of the drivers around here. :mad: