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04-10-19, 06:43 AM

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Jim from Boston

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GEAR QUESTION: Drop bar commuters

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phamilton

Drop bar commuters:

Which bar do you use?

Why?

Classic bend, ergo, compact, what have you? ...

Maybe there are some characteristics specific to commuting that might dictate a different drop bar choice than for, say, sporty group rides or touring or something else? That’s why I’m asking here.

Personally a question I never considered after decades of year-round cycle-commuting, even after

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

…For the past few years I have been entirely satisfied with my carbon fiber road bike, aluminum road bike as a beater that accepts 30C studded tires, and a previous moumtain bike beater, now in storage.

This year however has been a bust because this winter I developed a weakness in my neck muscles supporting my head upright (perhaps due to a two month unavoidable layoff) on my previously well-fitted bikes.

I had a subsequent fitting on both, with some handlebar adjustments. I recently got an exercise consultation for neck, shoulder and core muscles, and was given an exercise routine, that takes a big chunk of 50 minutes to perform. Exercise may fix it, but that’s a long-term solution.

All these remedies have barely allow me to ride my minimum 14 mile one-way commute with slight discomfort near the end. By this time of the year I'm doing weekly 50-60 mile rides easily, and even training for a Century.

Just yesterday, I rented a hybrid style bike with flat handlebars, and was comfortable on the commute, even with a moderately heavy backpack

So now I’m giving in to the idea of a flat bar bike. I’m in a quandary if I should replace the drop bars on my aluminum beater (with endurance style geometry) with flat bars, see if I can buy this relatively cheap hybrid since it seems to work, or buy a new quality hybrid to my specifications...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

Help with choosing a bike.

Now here’s where I’m coming from. I have described myself as a decades-long, year-round lifestyle cyclist, and my favored bike is a high-end carbon fiber bike costing thousands of dollars..

I also have a aluminum beater road bike costing about $1500, and for me that was a minimal road bike, to be used in bad weather.

FWIW, I also have a Giant Escape hybrid bike that I recently bought for rehabilitation, because I was having trouble with my neck and shoulders riding the drop bars….

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