Originally Posted by
badger1
They (meaning "we") shouldn't need one. Those of us who do ride road on flat-bar road bikes post here frequently because we are typically not welcome in the 41. Giantfcr1, for example, posted some examples of flat-bar road bikes/racing from Japan a while back in the 41; the response forced the thread to be moved.
Why this silly prejudice persists I've no idea. I suppose that in The Kingdom of the Freds the drop-bar Fred is king.
Equally silly, however, is the notion that there is somehow some kind of "hybrid" paradigm to which a bicycle must conform and to which flat-bar road bikes do not conform. One consequence of this is that we 'flat-bar roadie Freds' have no natural home on the Interwebz; we are cycling orphans -- cue violins. There is ample evidence of this kind of prejudice (one might call it 'reverse snobbery') on this board.
Sorry if I am being unduly sensitive, but I am not sure how what I wrote deserved to trigger the above response.
To refresh, my final comment was
"Thought = will 'flat-bar-road-bikes' become such a significant feature that they deserve their own separate forum as they seem to have as much in common with road bikes as with 'traditional' hybrids (however one would define that term)?'
That thought (which followed a relatively harmless comment encouraging someone to think about the type of riding one was likely to do, and then to buy a bike which puts a smile on ones face) was in response to my review of the CAAD8 link where I noticed that the frame was identical to the road bike version.
It seems, badger1, that you are understandably upset by the treatment which 'flat-bars' received at the road-bike forum.
You seem to have interpreted my comment as a 'reverse snobbery' to push you out of this forum. However, I would appreciate if you re-read my post and try to interpret it in a different light:
~ My reference to 'they' was to a type a bike which apart from flat handlebars is
identical to road bikes;
~ My comment 'will .. become' is future oriented, not a suggestion that any action is called for immediately;
~ My comment 'deserve' was meant in a
reward rather than a
punishment context -- after all there are a lot of separate forums so why not consider one dedicated to flat-bar 'road' bikes IF that is where the market goes?
As a practical matter, my post also acknowledged the challenge of definition. It certainly does not worry me if there is no such end result. However, in my day in business one tried not to call ideas 'silly', rather build on them to come get to a better solution.
Perhaps it is time I spent less time on this forum and more time putting a smile on my face. It is a lovely day and I am going for a ride.
Enjoy.