Originally Posted by
MRT2
But how old are you? (BTW, I am 48.) Would you advise a fit 20 something female do the same as you?
I will be 49 next month.. I see 20 something and very fit females riding flat bars.. True more are on drops but it's not unusual to see them rollin fast on a flat bar either..
The thing is, OP has a max budget of around $800, so she cannot afford your ride, which, if memory serves, is a $3k bike. She is in the territory of either a mid range hybrid or an entry level road bike. So, a Sirrus Sport, FX 7.4, or alternately, Giant Defy, Jamis Quest Sport, or something similar.
The MSRP on my bike was 5k but that's not really the point.. I dig flat bars and have rode nothing but them for the past seven, going on eight years..
I am not saying the OP should not consider a drop bar but a lot of assumptions are being made based on limited information that the OP provided. Yes she was clear in some areas but not so clear in others.
It's been said flat bars can't do distance and this is false. I am proof it's false. True I've never done a 250-300k ride and perhaps a flat bar would hinder me at these distances.. I've never done them so I can't say either way..
It's been said flat bars will cause numbness in hands and fingers and this is also a semi-false statement. For some it's true and for others like me it's false! I get no numbness even on my century rides..
It's been suggested that only n00bs buy flat bars and this is also false and I am proof of that!
Here has been my progression with bikes:
1) 2007: Bought a cheap Hybrid for commuting. Wanted to make sure it was for me so I bought cheap!
2) 2008: Upgraded to a better Hybrid after I found I was diggin it.
3) 2009: Retired and bought a more sporty flat bar road bike since I didn't need to commute any longer.
4) 2011: Bought a higher end flat bar road bike because I wanted something better..
5) 2013: Bought the mother of all flat bar road bike = The one I have now..
Not a drop bar anywhere to be found.. If I could not ride a flat bar, I think I'd know it by now..
I idea that only n00bs and people who don't know what they are doing buy flat bars is false..
As long as the OP gets the right bike for her then all this thread drama will have been worthwhile.. In the end, none of us can say with a certainty what bike the OP should get..
She might do fine on a flat bar or she might hate it.. She might do fine on a drop bar or she might hate it..
In my progression above you see my 1st bike was purchased cheap and my reason for buying cheap. If I had hated flat bar then my loss would have been minimal.