Introductions - Flat Bar Bikes

Hi People,
I'm new to all this but found this forum when looking to see what people were saying about flat bar bikes.I'm interested because I've just decided to put flat bars on my Specialized Tricross Sport. I've had a couple of flat bar machines previously and found they suited me due to my being a once was a Rugby player. By the way I'm in New Zealand so rugby might be a bit unknown to many of you in the U.S.

My interest in biking is fitness and health - following on from cancer 3 years back - I ride around 200 plus kms per week and currently training for a charity ride around one of the bigger lakes here in the North island of NZ. By running my tricross on narrower tyres I've improved its speed but can switch back to tyres with more grip for some light off road.
Cheers
Tommillar

Lake Taupo?

Welcome, Tom. Looks like a nice bike. It sounds like you're pretty much looking to turn it into a hybrid mountain/road bike. What kind of road riding do you do?

Aluminum frames have a reputation for being a pretty rough ride, so be aware that it won't be as comfortable on ATB/offroad stuff as an actual MTB.

If money is there, you might want to consider buying a used mountain bike - there are an awful lot of used MTBs out there.

You'll have to deal with stem issues as well; a search on the bicycle mechanics forum will doubtless turn up many threads about this.

Hello tommillar, I've got rellies on the North Island, and one of these days I'm going to make it over there to see for myself how great the riding is :) .

Welcome to BF!

East Hill

No...Rotorua....its a bit smaller 42 km around, but you can it it twice for 84.

Tom

Welcome, Tom. Looks like a nice bike. It sounds like you're pretty much looking to turn it into a hybrid mountain/road bike. What kind of road riding do you do?

Aluminum frames have a reputation for being a pretty rough ride, so be aware that it won't be as comfortable on ATB/offroad stuff as an actual MTB.

If money is there, you might want to consider buying a used mountain bike - there are an awful lot of used MTBs out there.

You'll have to deal with stem issues as well; a search on the bicycle mechanics forum will doubtless turn up many threads about this.


thanks for the thoughts- I had my dealer check stuff out with Shimano re the deralleur etc and its being done now. I wanted one of those "almost do anything bikes - some road ( by changing tyres) and light off road - bike path/walk tracks with my grandchildren. But I mainly ride tarmac, and charity type rides. At a grandfather's age I don't bounce off rocks very well these days -!!. Cheers

Hi people, I'm blown away by how quickly someone responded to my joining this forum. Seems as if you folk are a community. Nice ! For those of you who might know little old New Zealand - for whom rugby union is our national sport and almost nation religion .....I live in New Plymouth its on the west coast of the North Island. If you think of a fish and look down on it, N/P is on the edge of the left hand fin !! We have one mountain around which we have 2 bike events ..1 at 180 kms and 1 at 150 kms. I am a church pastor and in a few months am due to be out to pasture - appropriate probably because this cow country.

Looking forward to learning off you folk.
Cheers
Tommillar

Hello Tom - welcome to the forum. I'm a Kiwi too and I discovered the delights of this forum a few weeks ago now. They're nice folk here and I've discovered all kinds of things about bikes I didn't know and I think I've made a few e.friends too. I had a long patch of illness and it's my return to cycling that helped to improve my health too.

Cheers,

Annie

Hello Tom - welcome to the forum. I'm a Kiwi too and I discovered the delights of this forum a few weeks ago now. They're nice folk here and I've discovered all kinds of things about bikes I didn't know and I think I've made a few e.friends too. I had a long patch of illness and it's my return to cycling that helped to improve my health too.

Cheers,

Annie

Hi Anne,
Nice to meet up with a Kiwi on an international forum. What kind of biking do you do and what do you ride? Are you doing Rotorua or Taupo this year? I've not done Taupo but some day hope to do so.
Cheers
Tom

My main interest is in classic English bicycles, but I do have an awfully soft spot for 1970s and 80s ten speeds; - especially the NZ made ones by Morrison and Healing. My main transport for around town is a Hercules tricycle with an electric hub motor to help out on the hills and for when I'm hauling a heavy load of shopping back home.
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/2172/annieshercules01fm6.jpg

I'm afraid I don't do anything intrepid like the Rotorua or Taupo rides, - or at least not yet, - but once my health improves a little more and I get one of my 'good' old 10 speeds like my Healing GTX-105 properly overhauled and fettled I may be looking for something like that to test it out on.
Most of my cycling at the moment is purely for getting around as I don't own a car, but I'm hoping to get out and about for a bit of an explore around the Hauraki Plains this Summer.

My main interest is in classic English bicycles, but I do have an awfully soft spot for 1970s and 80s ten speeds; - especially the NZ made ones by Morrison and Healing. My main transport for around town is a Hercules tricycle with an electric hub motor to help out on the hills and for when I'm hauling a heavy load of shopping back home.
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/2172/annieshercules01fm6.jpg

I'm afraid I don't do anything intrepid like the Rotorua or Taupo rides, - or at least not yet, - but once my health improves a little more and I get one of my 'good' old 10 speeds like my Healing GTX-105 properly overhauled and fettled I may be looking for something like that to test it out on.
Most of my cycling at the moment is purely for getting around as I don't own a car, but I'm hoping to get out and about for a bit of an explore around the Hauraki Plains this Summer.

Hey thats' an intriguing machine..perhaps I'll get around to one of those one day. There was an article in our local New Plymouth paper about a guy 90 yrs or something who could no longer drive and was using something like your machine. What are they like on hills, around here hills are about all we have !!
Cheers tommillar

I've set my tricycle up so it's electric assist rather than having the grunt to ride around on the electric hub motor only. I live on the edge of the Hauraki Plains so anything worthy of being called a hill is pretty rare. I can coast about a little on the motor, but the battery doesn't last as long as when I'm working the pedals too. My aim is to keep a level of exercise going so I don't want have a whizz about on the motor only machine. The trike has a Sachs two speed hub which is useful on the slight rises (not hills!) we have about town. In fact I did have a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub on the trike when I first put it together, only I found that I just plain didn't need 3 gears and fitted up the Sachs hub instead.
For more hilly terrain it might be best to use a 500watt 36volt hub kit and it could be worth checking out the supplier who provided me with my 250watt kit.

http://www.motrax.co.nz/

I have no connection with Motrax save as being a satisfied customer. :)

Hi All,

Thought I would follow up on my original post. Had the flat bars fitted to my Specialized Tricross and have had several rides up one of my usual hill climb routes. I am happy with the f/bs ...actually think I am more confident - perhaps due to the more upright position. I might trim the width of the bars a little a bit further down the track. I've still got the drops in case I wish to put them back at any time. My bike shop as down this kind of thing before with road machines apparently. So as the NZ winter disappears I shall be out in the fresh air a lot more - got to get fit for my Round the Lake ride in November - which has 2 big hills but I'm taking comfort from an pro rider who says " there is no hill too big to not walk over " !!
I'm adopting that as my motto !!

Cheers All
Tom

Had a phone call in the middle of writing..hence some blues...the pro biker was an ex pro biker...from around the 1980"s .....just a few days back !!
Tom

An excellent motto to adopt, Tom,

I have definitely experienced that.

East Hill