From drop bar road commuter, to flat bar city?
#26
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Well...surely this?! I mean, the o.p. works in an LBS for crying out loud. I have six rideable bikes with every kind of grip except Trekking (shudder) and one project in hiatus, and do not have an LBS affiliation. The o.p. should have both platforms (at least) on the go, and should be the one telling the rest of us about the merits of n+1 as a way of life. JMHO.
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#27
DancesWithSUVs
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Meh? My Dew Deluxe is based off a MTB,my BBU's are MTB's with skinny 700's,and my Marins are both basically rigid MTB's;they all ride and handle very well.
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#28
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I think I confused some of you. when I was discussing choice between the seek or the drop bar bikes I was not talking about converting them to flat bar. just discussing my options.
and yeah, I agree that my bike quota is way too low. I spent nine months off the bike. my fixed gear commuter is in pieces, and my roady isn't the best for commuting. (stiff, no rack/fender capability, aggressive body positioning) I have only worked at the lbs since my accident and I've been loath to spend money on bikes I can't ride. hell, when I started I had a bad limp and was about toast after a six hour day.
about to get the gf the avail road bike, and just having huge indecision about what to get myself. something with gravel grinding/dirt/adventure riding capabilities speaks to me, but at the end of the day my riding will be 99% in town on pavement, or riding up valley on pavement.
maybe I'll get the seek for fender/rack commuting with some gravel adventure on the side, and the defy for my road needs... defy with 700x28 might even be able to handle the odd shortcut...
and yeah, I agree that my bike quota is way too low. I spent nine months off the bike. my fixed gear commuter is in pieces, and my roady isn't the best for commuting. (stiff, no rack/fender capability, aggressive body positioning) I have only worked at the lbs since my accident and I've been loath to spend money on bikes I can't ride. hell, when I started I had a bad limp and was about toast after a six hour day.
about to get the gf the avail road bike, and just having huge indecision about what to get myself. something with gravel grinding/dirt/adventure riding capabilities speaks to me, but at the end of the day my riding will be 99% in town on pavement, or riding up valley on pavement.
maybe I'll get the seek for fender/rack commuting with some gravel adventure on the side, and the defy for my road needs... defy with 700x28 might even be able to handle the odd shortcut...
#29
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This notion that flat bar = upright and drop bar = aero has to stop; it's all about picking the right frame and doing the right setup.
Here's my flat bar commuter/ute. Great for hauling trailers, stoplight sprints, and 20 mile rides to parties carrying several bottles of Champagne (grower only, of course). Also great for quickly efficiently riding around town and to go to work:
#30
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the tight geometry of the seek is designed for climbs not for long rides on pavement. moreover, i suspect the rigid mtbs you use have do not come equipped with 50c tires. i to commuted on rigid specializeds with slicks back in the day and those bikes were far better equipped for riding on tarmac than the seek, imo.
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OP hasn't said what his commute is like. If he's in the city,those bike will work fine(see my post 27). I actually had an older Seek;only reasons I sold it was I didn't like the ride of the straight blade alloy forks,and the first year models had a wonky seatstay bridge that made mounting fenders a pain. Nothing was wrong with the riding position or handling. Oh,and I've got 2" Marathon Supremes on the Pt Reyes.
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#32
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that's my main concern, hand positions. I know I can get bar ends and things like that for more options. also my work commute is sub three miles one way, just about anywhere in town is four miles or less... so I know it could be done. I just don't know how happy I'd be with it.
Over those short distances, that's probably OK.
there are a couple of other in between bikes I'm really eyeing, that my lbs coworkers make fun of me for. the revolt looks okay for a nice wet weather commuter/adventure/swap on slicks for longer road rides. but they think of anything not racy and specific road/cross/mountain etc as a grandpa bike.
Even better, why not look into recumbents -- how about a recumbent trike! Then you'll be rollin in ultimate comfort, and no problems with hand pressure either!
#33
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I have bikes with all types of bars. My favorite is the bull horns, then the drops, then the flatbars. Now with that being said, I find Flats to be the most comfortable by far. The drops are the most versatile and offer the best performance all around. And the bull horns are a cross between the other two. I commute 31 miles round trip on either. It really doesn't matter. If you are trying to heal up from an injury then I think the flatbar bike will be the best choice IMHO.
#34
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the tight geometry of the seek is designed for climbs not for long rides on pavement. moreover, i suspect the rigid mtbs you use have do not come equipped with 50c tires. i to commuted on rigid specializeds with slicks back in the day and those bikes were far better equipped for riding on tarmac than the seek, imo.
And as said earlier, my commute is very short, I could do it on a fifty pound beach cruiser just fine. It's also mostly flat besides a couple short yet very steep overpass climbs. I feel the upright seek would be a lot more comfortable just hoping on and going. I've never had an issue with hand/wrist pain on my drop bars, but I always felt the need to speed everywhere and turn into a sweaty mess. I think I'm just entering a slower realm of cycling and having trouble with adjusting.
I could probably sell any of them and at least break even since my cost is generally close to 50% retail price. In the long run I really think the tcx is what sings to me the most. I just don't know if what my heart wants is what my body currently needs.
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For what it's worth, I think the Seek is cool, and it strikes me as the kind of bike that would always be welcome in your stable, if at some point you decide to go pure road. It looks perfectly suited to nipping around town on, and can easily be made sportier and/or more utility friendly.
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look at an old-school rigid mtb:
and look at the frame of the seek:
the seek has a frame designed for climbing, picking an aggressive line, and hopping over obstacles. imo, the seek is a rigid 29er masquerading as a hybrid.
and look at the frame of the seek:
the seek has a frame designed for climbing, picking an aggressive line, and hopping over obstacles. imo, the seek is a rigid 29er masquerading as a hybrid.
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I'm pretty bad at judging ride characteristics from pictures and geometry charts. the main thing I'm seeing is a much more sloping top tube, which is throwing my eyes off for the rest of the geometry. possibly shorter wheel base is what you are basing most of this on?
it's certainly not going to be a road bike, or even average hybrid on the tarmac, and that is part of the appeal to me, and I also get the hopping over obstacles vibe you do... and I kind of like it. I'm just really not sure what exactly brings me to this conclusion... but these traits aren't all bad for my in town commute, sprinty, nimble, upright seating position....
plus yeah, I'd love to eat some fire roads on it.
it's certainly not going to be a road bike, or even average hybrid on the tarmac, and that is part of the appeal to me, and I also get the hopping over obstacles vibe you do... and I kind of like it. I'm just really not sure what exactly brings me to this conclusion... but these traits aren't all bad for my in town commute, sprinty, nimble, upright seating position....
plus yeah, I'd love to eat some fire roads on it.
#39
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BTW,you didn't mention which model of Seek you rode. You have ridden one,right? And you caught the part where I said I owned one?
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#42
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https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/...0/14810/66190/
Answer to the Defy flat bar ^ Its called the escape.
Answer to the Defy flat bar ^ Its called the escape.
#43
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I can't seem to ride on flat bars for any length of time. I'm slowly converting my flat bar bikes to drops. With this one, I started with rando drops. It's currently my favorite commuter.
P4170263 by galoot_loves_tools, on Flickr
P4170263 by galoot_loves_tools, on Flickr
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