There is nothing wrong with ditching drop bars. The lycra fashion police have an issue with it but people who actually ride their bikes places tend to make them a little less punishing to ride on a daily basis. The whole world isn't a closed circle for riding around on as fast as you possibly can...

Drop-bar 10 speeds darn near killed bicycling in the USA IMHO. It only started to recover after the mountain bike came on the scene and gave the average joe something they could ride without having to ride doubled-up like a monkey on a football.

[QUOTE=AdrianFly;12290824]The question is it better to be a geek than a dork or nerd? Geek>Dork? Or is it Dork>Geek? Geek>Dork>Nerd?[QUOTE]

Where does dweeb fit into the equation?

I'm content just being a doofus.

This is such a great question. Just about EVERY roadie I see out on the road or on the MUP are up on the hoods. Why not just put bullhorns on road bikes and be done with it? I think tradition and aesthetics are the only reasons. Drops have become as necessary as fins on late '50s cars.

I ride on the hoods most of the time, true, but for the 10-15% of the time I'm on the drops I'm awfully glad they're there. Anyway I don't really accept that the curve of a bullhorn is a good substitute for a drop bar curve with a hood. And of course there are actually folks who spend most of their time in the drops. Not commuters, granted, for the most part.

Back to the OP's question. I didn't see mentioned (though I could have missed it) a discussion of top tube length on road vs. mtbs. The mtbs I've been on (older ones) have had longer top tubes than road bikes of similar st size. So you might find a need for a longer stem on the road bike if you're switching to a flat bar.

Discuss amongst yourselves:

Let's see,
I like to think (pretend?) I'm not a dork.
I'm pretty sure I've never been accused of being a nerd.
I've been called a geek more times that I care to admit, or remember.
Doofus?.........hmmm.....jeeze, I thought I had it nailed down and now you gave me something else to ponder.

That's brilliant, due ruote. Did you make that up? I think I concur. I think I'm a geek, though you might call me a nerd.

I say the mustache puts you over in the Nerd section....

Only socially inept people grow big mustaches?

I think you know the answer to that, Tom.

I would use bullhorns first, followed by the flat bar. Reason being, you might change your preference after a while, and it's easier to transition from a bullhorn to a drop bar.

In an attempt to explain the road position, consider the following:

I come from a mountain biking/motorcycle background, and on an mtb, I like slack angles and a rearward position, but on a road bike, I prefer the speed skater/downhill skier position. It may feel off at first, but you may quickly realize why the vast majority of regular road riders prefer that position.

One thing is that the terrain and environment does not require it. Generally, in the road discipline, one does not encounter as steep of hills (down or up), you are likely to take tighter turns at higher speeds, there is very little air to be gotten, and you ride longer distances at one time. Because a road bike can turn a tighter turn on flat ground at speed, you may also see how important it is to get good bit of weight forward and lower your center of gravity. Most road bikes feel much more stable this way.

[QUOTE=rat fink;12298746]I would use bullhorns first, followed by the flat bar. Reason being, you might change your preference after a while, and it's easier to transition from a bullhorn to a drop bar.

In an attempt to explain the road position, consider the following:

I come from a mountain biking/motorcycle background, and on an mtb, I like slack angles and a rearward position, but on a road bike, I prefer the speed skater/downhill skier position. It may feel off at first, but you may quickly realize why the vast majority of regular road riders prefer that position. [QUOTE]

I understand what you are saying here.

What you may have misunderstood is that this bike with a drop bar is not new to me.It's just that the older I got less I enjoyed it until I just stopped riding this bike altogether.
I rode it with drops for well over 10 years. Road riding is not new to me. I am also well aware of the lean angles that can be achieved on a road bike, or mountain bike with slicks, as a matter of fact I used to roadrace motorcycles so crankin' off some crazy fast corners is one of the things that attracts me to bikes of all types to begin with.

The quote you have taken from me was "why would it be dicey?" As in more dangerous or less controlled, not why do YOU like it more.
You and the vast majority of road riders may very well prefer the skater/ downhill skier position.....does that make it better/safer/more controled? No. Are you more comfortable with it? Yes Obviously.

By the way, I live in Minnesota where those downhill mountain switchbacks are pretty few and far between.

Changing a road bike to a flat bar? Did I miss the part where you bead blast it, powder coat it pink and convert it to fixed and ride brakeless?

Oh I didn't? Oh, well then by all means, carry on then.

BTW I feel more like a cycling geek on drop bars wearing cycling clothes than I do on a MTB in street clothes.

Oh I get all warm and fuzzy feeling when I get permission!

Well, taking that into account, my answer is the same. The way I see it. Flat bars tend to give more leverage, bullhorns and road drops give more precision. I would feel more stable riding with bullhorns at high speeds on road than with a flat bar.