Cmeyer

I'm trying to make a decision about a new bike (I'm currently commuting on a mountain bike and want something lighter and easier to ride)--I initially was thinking of going with a touring bike, but the people at my LBS seemed to think a road bike with flat handle bars would be better. I'd like to be able to carry loaded panniers since I carry a lot of stuff to work; I haven't decided how I feel about dropped bars, but I've read mostly positive things about them. My commute isn't terribly long, so the dropped bars aren't *that* necessary at this point in time (though I anticipate moving farther away within the next couple years)--even so, does anyone have thoughts? Does it make the bike harder to control? Also, a lot of online descriptions of road bikes with flat handlebars describe them as being more comfortable--does anyone have an opinion one way or the other?

To give you an idea of what I'm considering, I found a lightly used 2004 Cannondale T800 on craigslist which I'll be trying out this weekend ($500); the bikes I looked at from the LBS were roughly the same price range (within $100)--the Scattante Roma and the GTw Legato 2.0.

Thanks for your help!

Durward_Kirby

I like the flat bars and the quick access I have to shifting and gears. My hands go numb eventually on any bar I use and I cannot truly say that I think one type is more comfortable than another.

VolGirl

How long is your commute? The advantage to drop bars is the extra hand positions for me. Of course you can get much more aero too. Can you ride both bikes? Ultimately comfort trumps all else.

bkbrouwer

I use a flat bar but have added bar ends like these...

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...slisearch=true

Gives me plenty of position options. Also if you have hand numbness problems, try these...

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=5251

caloso

Everyone's different. Personally, I can't stand flat bars. Drops for comfort. Drops for aerodynamics. Drops for multiple hand positions. Drops for style. Drops for the win.

modernjess

Comfort comes from many things, but by far most important factor is proper bike fit for you and your riding style and they type of riding you do.

I far prefer drops on my commuter (Cross Check SS) because of the many hand positions and since my bike fits me well I am comfortable in all of them. It really makes a difference to me to have all to have the options for my commute. Handling is not an issue once you are used to drops.

With that said I'm comfortable an all my bikes with all different bars styles, but they aren't all used in the same way. My mountain bike has downhill style risers bars with bar ends, for off road use. On my office/errand bike it's upright north road style cruiser bars, for urban use. My road bike of course has drops. They are all comfortable and properly outfitted for what their intended use is. Ok, not everyone has the want nor need for 4 bikes, but If I had to choose only one (god forbid) it would be a proper fitting cross/touring frame bike with drop handlebars.

UberIM

My latest endeavour is this:
Fuji Touring bike with drops and converted to a single speed for commuting......does the following:
1. bomber proof (including winter travel with studded tires and fenders)
2. takes panniers
3. no toe overlap as in X bikes
4. ss makes it almost maintenance free
5. faster than my mtn bike with regular mtn bike tires
6. I prefer road geometry for commuting.

I think that any style-drops, flat, etc comfort is really determined by bike fit.....too often folks don't realize that the fit of a bike trumps all else in terms of comfort..........that said, I like having drops and riding the different hand positions.............

I am working with my LBS to swap out the real wheel for a single speed dedicated wheel and hub...........

going with bomber rims/spokes...........

My first bike purchase in years and am stoked.................

Thank you whoever stole my previous commuting bike...............and thanks to my wife for allowing me this purchase (reconfiguring our budget)............

Bat22

I believe drop bars are better as you get more hand positions to help relieve the numb.
That said, I use a flat bar 10 speed as I commute in high density traffic.
Brakes and shifts are at my fingertips,(no reaching for panic stops).
My bike has braze ons, but I prefer a pack. Somehow, I seem to do the opposite of
most commuters. Flat bar for 3 seasons. drop bar cross bike for winter.

uke

I've got both. One flat bar, and one drop bar. The flat bar is more stable, less theft-prone, and, as mentioned, has surer braking. The drop bar is more nimble, allows for slightly faster travel (~2mph), and looks fetch. I use the flat bar more because it stands out less, but I'll start using the drop bar more, since it lets me duck the wind more.

joninkrakow

I would think the bars are secondary to your decision. If you want panniers, and potentially fenders, and possibly larger tires, a road bike may be severely limiting--and some or all may not even be possible, depending on the frame. You can get a touring frame and add straight bars to it if you like, but if you want to add the other things, a touring bike will serve you much better.

BTW, I'm on the "road bars" side of the fence, after buying a "trekking" bike this summer, and surviving only a couple weeks before I had to refit it with drops. It was too painful for me, regardless of position (my stem adjusts in multiple directions) and bar-ends. I just prefer the hoods, and the ability to move to different positions as my mood fits me. But again, it's a personal choice--but get the touring frame simply for the flexibility it will offer you. :-)

-jon

bugly64

I use an atb bar or butterfly bars. They have multiple hand positions and brakes/gears are easily accessable.

samsmeg

bat22, nice setup!

Longfemur

Ok, for the millionth time, comfort is not about the specific type of handlebar, it's about how you are positioned on the bike (there isn't just one way, no matter what websites tell you). This involves playing with both saddle position and handlebar position -- and eventually achieving a good balance that works for you. Assuming you don't have an all-out racing bike or a bike that is too small for you, you can pretty much position the top and corner sections of a drop bar the same more or less as what a flat bar gives you -- which is why it's not really a comfort issue. Then, all you have to do is ride on the tops and corners, and stretch out to the brake hoods whenever you feel like it (the same as you would use bar ends on the flat bar). It doesn't matter if you never use the drops themselves. They can be there for you when you want to glide down a hill or push into a strong headwind. In that case, if you had the flat bar instead, there wouldn't be anything there.

Only newbies and people who have never bothered to ride the right way think you have to ride in the drops all the time.

That being said, some of those flat bar "road bikes" are excellent, relatively affordable alternatives to a sport touring bike. Just swap to drop bars, and there you go... you've now got yourself a more traditional and very versatile randonneering bike at a fraction of what the boutique builders' similar bikes cost.

Yan 

The online descriptions are lying so they can sell bikes. Flat bars suck for everything other than technical mountain biking. A "road bike" with flat bars isn't a road bike. It's a hybrid. Road bikes are harder to control than mountain bikes. Finding a job is harder than living off of wellfare. What's your point?

HardyWeinberg

Is it possible they're recommending the flatbar roadbike because it's what they have vs you getting a touring bike off CL?

pinkrobe

I'd have to agree. They can't sell you what they don't have. That said, if I didn't have to do sprints in traffic I would go back to the flat bar with maybe some barends for standing climbs.

uke

On the contrary, I find flat bars offer much better brake access without compromising visibility than drop bars. The wider stance also makes them more stable and easier to steer.


According to wikipedia, a road bike is just a bike primarily designed to be ridden on the road. I agree with that definition. Their hybrid definition includes a reference to flat bar road bikes, but doesn't classify them exclusively as hybrids. In America, some cyclists tend to classify any bike with drop bars as a road bike, but drop bars are neither necessary nor sufficient to make a bicycle a road bike. A Cervelo P3 doesn't become a hybrid simply due to the addition of flat handlebars, and a full-suspension mountain bike doesn't become a road bike simply due to the addition of drop bars.

SlowRoller

I think the bike type is your main decision. I would say to look for a bike that has braze-ons, etc. for racks to carry your panniers, saddlebags, etc. I would think that this would be your number one priority. If so, in general, a touring bike would most likely fit the criterion better than a road bike.

You can work with the bar situation. I use upright North Road bars, which are good but a little limited. If I were commuting long distances, I would be inclined to switch to drops.

Bat22

Last winter, my cross bike rode like an ace. Last spring 5 miles of my commute was
under construction. My cross bike rode like a jackhammer. The flat bar 10 speed
handled the broken concrete surface and pot holes lots better. I have a road
bike with drop bars. I use it for joy rides and centuries. I haven't had a touring
rig yet. samsmeg thank you. Not too bad for a Galway boy!

Yan 

I flat out disagree with the first point, but agree that wide flat bars are easier to steer. I do not feel that this should be a factor in deciding between bike choices, however; If you find something difficult, you should get better at it rather than avoid it.

As for the definition of a hybrid vs. MTN bike vs. road bike, it's a matter of criteria satisfaction:

Road bike = optimized for efficiency in all aspects
MTN Bike = optimized for control and rough terrain
Hybrid = not good for rough terrain, not optimized for efficiency, supposedly merging the other two types of bikes, but in reality failing at both.

Logically following the above:
* The Cervelo with flat bars would not satisfy the criteria for road bikes;
* The MTN bike with drop bars would not satisfy the criteria for road bikes.
* A Cervelo will become a hybrid with the addition of flat bars;
* A full suspension MTN bike will become an unorthodox hybrid with the addition of drop bars.

After disecting your other comments, here are mine:
* You're suggesting that a road bike is a bike designed to be ridden primarily on roads, therefore since hybrids are designed to be ridden primarily on roads, they are road bike. This is not true, because although hybrids are designed to be ridden primarily on roads, they are designed badly, and therefore cannot be considered road bikes.
* You mention that Wikipedia does not classify flat bar road bikes as hybrids exclusively. You are suggesting that hybrids can also be considered road bikes. We have already disproved this theory above, therefore Wikipedia is wrong. When did Wikipedia become an authoritative encyclopaedia anyway?
* "Drop bars are not neccessary to make a bike a road bike." Yes they are.
* "Drop bars [alone] are not sufficient to make a bike a road bike." Well no sh*t. Strawmen alone are not sufficient to prove a point.

JeffS

1) get wide cross/dirt drop bars, position them higher
2) ride in the drops

Any other bike design issues I can address for you?

-------

As usual, people are overthinking this. A bike is nothing but a collection of parts. A handlebar should be about nothing more than what position you want your hands and wrists at. Things like access to brakes, visibility, aerodynamics, etc. are all side-issues. You can build an aero flatbar bike and an upright dropbar bike. If someone chooses to buy a dropbar only to spend most of them time on the tops... well, that's just a poor purchasing decision on their part. Don't fault the bike or the bar for that.

uke

Does this mean you should ride a mountain bike on the road instead of a road bike because you should get better at it?

We would have to agree to disagree on very point but the second.

We're going to disagree here too. You're seemingly willing to dismiss all hybrids as badly designed bikes. I'm not.

We didn't disprove anything. You don't consider hybrids to be road bikes. I believe many road bikes can also be classified as hybrids.

I didn't say it was. But it's one more source than an opinion, which is all you're arguing with.

Once more, we're going to disagree.

Neither are curses. You seem to be conflating your opinions with facts. You can have the opinion that all hybrids are bad bikes, and that no hybrids are road bikes, and that no bike without drop bars can be considered a road bike, but these are all opinions. They aren't facts. There's a difference between the two.

Booger1

Cannondale T-800,hands down.You'll be much happier on the touring bike carrying loads than on the others.The handling issues alone would make me buy the Cannondale over the other bikes you listed.That's a nice bike.

Yan 

Fair enough Uke. Atleast we can agree on those P7 lights.

dynaryder

Good to know.