Originally Posted by
livedarklions
Bar ends can make it at least two. I used my FX 3 as a flat bar road bike for many thousands of miles, and it was a lot of fun. This might vary from rider to rider, but I actually find flat bars are better on climbs. On pretty much anything else, I now prefer drop bars.
I agree 100%. Riding 30 mile or longer rides on my hybrid, and I started feeling it in my upper back & shoulders. I would get a dull ache from being in the same hand position the whole time. After I got bar ends and was able to change my hand position every so often I never had that problem again. Plus it felt like I had more power when holding onto the bar ends, and it was really noticeable going up hills.