hybridbkrdr

If I wanted to tour some places where they have dirt trails, does anyone think this is an awkward solution? Do you really think thin tires, drop bars and clipless pedals are so much better that you wouldn't try flat bars, 700x42 tires and platform pedals?

oneredstar

I tour with a flat bar, platform pedals and fat 26" tires. Do it, what ever floats your boat.

SweetLou

Well, I'd choose clipless, BMX or quill pedals over platform pedals. But, that is me. I like to have my feet secured to the pedals, but easily remove them if needed especially when riding off road. Your other two choices seem fine to me. Many people tour on road with flat bars. The 42s sound like they would be a comfortable ride and handle loose ground pretty nicely. Most of my trips have been with a flat bar with bar ends.

CCrew

You can tour with anything. It's all about what works for you.

I wouldn't build a tourer in that config, but that's just because it wouldn't work for me.

ClemY

For me tiresize would be determined by how soft the riding surface was. If it is fairlyhard packed, 700x42c would be large, but not unreasonably so. On pavement Itend to favor 700x37c, but I am over 250 lbs. Softer surfaces would call forlarger cross section tires. That is what I use my mountain bike for. 700x42c isprobably the lower end of 29” mountain bike tires. If you bike has room, youcould go even larger.

Straight barsor drop bars are a matter of personal preference. I have a mountain bike withstraight bars, but I have barends on them that are drop bar hooks. I prefer alower position for going downhill or into the wind, but it is mere mypreference. For most riding I ride road bars, spending most of my time on thetops. I have recently put in-line brake levers on so I can use the brakes frommy preferred position.

Pedals areanother matter of personal preference. I used toe straps and cleated road shoesfor years. I finally went to SPD pedals and shoes a few years ago. I like beingable to walk in the shoes. If you prefer platform pedals in street shoes, thatis ok too.

Cyclebum

I'd add aerobars 'cause I like them, but otherwise sounds like a solid setup for on/off road.

MassiveD

Your wording is so vague it could be the best of bikes, it could be the worst of bikes. I'd just be guessing what you are asking. My kind of question!

First your name seems to imply hybrid bike which Wiki decides not to define, but just subsumes a half dozen other catagories of bikes, from trekking to comfort, and cross to comuter.

Flat bars, bad design for road touring, and really anything. This is possibly the single worst feature of MTB tech. Very non-ergo. But people use them all the time, so have fun. Options in drops would be wide rondo style drops that will allow you to have control in the dirt, Dirt Drops, and their more modern successors.

42 mm tires. Is this some comfort standard? MTBs used to often come with 1.75" tires as a compromise. It will work in the dust, but is not idea for the road. That said, Thorn seems to prefer 1.95" as a touring standard, and I used those a lot for comuting, the slick version. OK tires. I do almost all my touring in slick 1.5". Robert Beckman opines they are always enough, even for stuff like the Great Divide. It is all just a few mm here and there, everyone has to decide on the happy medium. It really depends what "have dirt trails" means. Are the 100% of what you will ride, and are they hard stone dust or pig wallows. For most anything on bike trails 1.5 is plenty and runs very nicely on the road. Tires are easily swaped out, and not that expensive, and in real touring you burn them up. So not much money saved for not running the proper tire for a given course.

Platform pedal, again depending on the specific pedals, no problem. I can't run clipless due to knee problems, so I get by on what works.

Have fun.

P.S. If you want a somewhat more refined approach, look at what Mike Barry uses and builds. He has a good sense of what has been out there all along, as opposed to what US marketing and shippping departments think is correct for department stores.

https://www.randonneursontario.ca/history/mbarry1.html

fuzz2050

I would never build a touring bike like that, but only because I can't stand flat handlebars. Throw in some deeply swept handlebars and I might be ok. More likely, I'd use widely flared drop handlebars for an all dirt bike. Set up right, they work like a charm, and I feel more control in the dirt than on any flat handlebar I've used.

For pedals, I like flat pedals for road use but I don't trust them for off road use. I've tried, and one too many times I've had my foot bounce off. All it took was one accident; I was heading down a hill at a good clip, off the saddle, when I hit a rock in the trail. I bounced up, lost contact with the pedal momentarily and had it spin out from under me. When I came down, the pedal wasn't there anymore, and I went down hard. Since then I've always used some sort of foot retention.

Tire choice is also personal; I've done more dirt millage on 35mm slick tires than on my actual mountain bike. Thin, slick tires are fine off road as long as you go at an appropriate speed and be mindful to avoid obstacles. If you're good about picking your line, you can do surprisingly technical trails.

Northwestrider

I'm very happy with platform pedals, love fat tires. OTOH I prefer trekking bars, or even drop bars to flat bars even with bar ends. But as oneredstar indicated, what ever works, works.

martianone

Had a CrossCheck with Albatross handlebars, 42 mm Marathon tires, Shimano flat pedals and a rear rack - did several lightly loaded short tours with it Tour with what you have or what works for you. The large tires and slightly springy frame made a comfortable ride.

staehpj1

Everyone has their own preferences. Mine are as follows:

Tires...
For me I wouldn't consider tires that wide unless I was going to be on poor surfaces a good bit. I personally would be inclined to either stay on the asphalt or go completely off road rather than dirt road or mixed road and trail touring.

Bars...
My preference is for drop bars unless it is full on technical trail riding.

Pedals...
I prefer clipless pedals for any type of riding including technical trails. The only time I might go with platform pedals is to hop on and go a mile or two to the store or something. I do have spd on one side and a cage in the other on my folding bike. I would not tour with that set up though.

Thulsadoom

Flat bars with bar ends mounted at shoulder width are very comfortable.

staehpj1

Some people love them, but with them I was never able to duplicate my two favorite hand positions, the hoods and the corners.

fietsbob

I'm +1 on Trekking Bars, I have 2 bikes wearing a set,
and straight bar's controls slip right on.

Though having just purchased a set of Ergon GC3 , a grip/bar-end combination , integrated.

the way they hook around does offer some similar handholds to the Trekking bars.

I fitted a set with short grips , made for gripshifters..
hated them with grip shifters right away
felt too cramped around my hand on both sides,

But for my Brompton M bars they work OK., because the thumb side is open..
fit is good, bars have a short grip space anyhow .. before the bend curve down.

(just have to loosen the clamp bolts for the bar ends, & rotate them a bit,
to fold.. and latch, not quite latching for the compact fold, otherwise. )