Originally Posted by
GeorgeBMac
I sort of have the opposite problem -- I have road bike with drop bars and I want to get a hybrid -- but that is forcing me into a straight bar.
I road my friend's mountain bike again today and it was OK. But not my preference. I like the more forward lean I get with my hands on hoods but I never use the actual drops... I also like the ability to move my hands around a lot -- which is aided by the fact that the bars are completely uncluttered: the brake levers are at the end of the hoods and the shifters are on the downtube.
I was thinking that when/if I end up with a hybrid, I might at some add bar ends to it to simulate the flexibility of the drop bars...
Just get a cyclocross bike with the mounts for fenders and racks and you'll be good to go. Most people with drop bars don't actually spend much time in the drops. A cross bike with interupter levers will give you 2 positions (hoods and tops) with brake levers easily accessible and all the other hand positions are available even if you choose not to use them.
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Bikes: 1996 Eddy Merckx Titanium EX, 1989/90 Colnago Super(issimo?) Piu(?), 1990 Concorde Aquila(hit by car while riding), others in build queue "when I get the time"