Originally Posted by
raqball
I'm all but done responding to you..
You keep making statements about drop bars and I can not find anywhere in the OP's post where she says:
1) She wants to compete in the Tour de France (you referenced that out of nowhere)
2) The OP never says she want to go real fast (you referenced that again, out of nowhere)
3) The OP never said she wanted to be in an aerodynamic position (again another out of nowhere reference)
What the OP asked was for a comparison of Hybrid bikes. She never asked about drop bar bikes..
She was very clear what she want her bike for.. In my opinion she is educated, already has some knowledge of cycling, and has an idea ofof what she wants..
Maybe a Hybrid or flat bar is not for her BUT only she can answer that after having taken some test rides..
Yes a flat bar road bike can indeed do distance. Yes a flat bar bike can indeed be comfortable and yes indeed a flat bar bike is a better option for many.
The OP admits that she actually prefers the saddle position that the drop bar offers in a road bike. Review the thread...
Responses:
1) I was merely pointing out the fact that flat bars are inherently slower than drop bar bicycles, due to the lack of aerodynamics. That statement came about as a result of your questioning my statement about drop bar road bikes being "more capable". A faster bike is a "more capable" bike!
2) The reason is given above in response number one...
3) Again, the point was being made that the drop bar road bike was more capable than the flat bar road bike. You questioned that statement. I responded by bringing up the point about the benefit of aerodynamics that a drop bar road bike affords you, whereas the flat bar road bike lacks any aerodynamic advantage. This makes the drop bar road bike a more capable bike.
The OP was most assuredly NOT asking for hybrid bike comparisons! Where does she ever ask for hybrid bicycle comparisons?
The OP is clearly making a plea for guidance from people she already knows have a greater depth of knowledge and experience about cycling than she does. That's why she came to BF in the first place. Telling her or encouraging her to go with hybrids, when she states that she's interested in long distance cycling seems counter-productive. It would be different if she expressed an interest in doing a century possibly one time, just to experience what cycling a century is all about, but the OP clearly states, that she'd "like the option to go long distances"... To me, this implies a possible routine cycling activity. Definitely not something you'd like to do frequently with a flat bar road bike, when they're plenty of drop bar options available.