uke

I've got 540+ miles on the flat bar bike and 340+ miles on the drop bar bike. The 200 mile advantage primarily came from the two-month head start the Coda had. Nowadays, I ride the Forge 90%+ of the time.

bkrownd

I prefer <choice> and <accessory> and y'all are <mild insult> if you haven't figured out that this is the One True Choice yet! Follow Meeee! Follow Meeeee!

lambo_vt

+1

Luke Notaras

I couldn't imagine wanting to ride anything other than a drop bar road bike on a paved road.

bigboybiker

Those at least "LOOK" b!&ching! How about trying these
https://www.amazon.com/Origin-Bicycle.../dp/B0013G6PB8. and deciding for yourself. I may get some for longer rides.

RI_Swamp_Yankee

I prefer a retro-style cruiser bar, like the Nitto Albatross or VO Milan. I sit upright, and rest my fingers on the grips, and keep my weight off my hands and back as much as possible and onto my sitbones and feet. I steer lightly, or not at all, using my balance and center of gravity to steer. Sort of like riding with no hands, only I keep my hands near the brakes in case of emergency ( a wise idea cycling in the city.) If I need to fight a headwind, I lean forward, and grab the bars nearer to the stem.

I'm a big guy, and my body isn't capable of holding any kind of crouch for an extended ride, and my shoulders, back and wrists would not be up to the task of keeping me propped up riding "on the hoods" or on standard MTB riser bars. A relaxed and upright (not slouched) position is right for me. When I lose some of the weight, I may change my mind. I doubt it, as I loved the hell out of my old beach cruisers back when I was thinner and car-free, and had no patience with the mountain or road bikes that I tried.

Everyone's different, and it can't hurt to try different things.

huhenio

Nothing better ... plenty of hand positions and all.

I have slight risers on my bike.

relyt

I used drop bars for about a year, and got tired of them. I set them up so I rode on the hoods most of the time. Braking was weird from there, I never used the drops, and my hands were never fully supported. Also, they had to be high to be comfortable, and that kind of defeated the purpose.

I switched to Soma Sparrow bars, and like those much better. I got a longer stem to make my position equivalent to about where halfway between the tops and hoods would be on my drop bars (ie, the part where the drop bar curved forward, where I used to put my hands quite often.) I like the much better braking feel with mountain bike brake levers, rather than braking from the hoods. I also haven't lost any speed or endurance whatsoever - my average speed is the same when riding, and my travel time seems the same.

There are two things I miss about the drops: climbing leverage, and the option to duck out of the wind. I can get pretty good leverage with the Sparrow bars (much better than with flat bars), but it still isn't as good.

I find myself riding my bike more often now that I have more comfortable bars.

tjspiel

There are a number of drop bars designed for use on mountain and cyclocross bikes.

They tend to be wider and they flare out at the drops. Examples would be WTB dirt drops, WTB mountain drops, on one midge bars, gary bars, and salsa bell laps.

I'm going to put one of these on my winter bike next season. I've tried both a road bike and mountain bike for winter riding. They each had their pros and cons. The drop bars on the road bike were nice for those nasty NW headwinds and keeping my center of gravity low. OTOH, the flat bars on my MTB made it easier to keep the front wheel straight when going over ice rutted roads.

You can also put mountain style brake levers on drop bars while keeping the standard levers in place. This gives you braking from 3 positions. It's very common on cyclocross bikes.

rumrunn6

Wow, this is an old thread. Well, my opinion is obvious since I recently put drops on my hybrid. I am much faster now. Oh, I also changed the tires.

I experimented with drop-style bar ends as mentioned above but their angle is weird due to angle of straight (not so straight) bars. I still like them on my MTB, but for commuting I like my current setup better.

rumrunn6

current setup

PaulRivers

I just created a thread about my straight bars after 75 miles of biking - 3 days later my outer 2 fingers are still somewhat numb:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...69#post8728469

Before this ride I rode my old curly bar bike (it's cheap enough to leave locked up in more questionable areas) and I remember thinking how much more comfortable it was on my hands.

I'm surprised to hear *anyone* claim that curly bars were hard on their hands or wrists compared to straight bars, though I should exclude those straight bars that are so swept back you're practically completely upright (nothing wrong with those, those). From my experience at this point, I would say they must have had their bike set up wrong. The only thing I can think of that's worse for curly bars is that it can be harder on your back.

mijome07

What size is that frame?

MaroSteve

drop bar for sure.. ESPECIALLY in a headwind.. I was in a huge headwind yesterday, and on a drop bar, i was doing 17mph.. when I sat upright, I naturally just lowered to 15mph

rumrunn6

drops, even if you raise them up a bit, still the drops are better for me to keep my momentum going

bhkyte

In theory the upright position of drops has advantages in this respect over the horizontal flat bar.

There is an agurement that the dropped position is more neutral as regards the rotational of the forearm, rather like an ergonomic computer mouse.

Therefore the wrist is in better alinement and the weight is not centered over the carpal tunnel ligament. All thing being equal.
I suspect that it has more to do with not feeling comfortable in the lower postion and having to put more weight through the arms generally.

Carpal tunnel suffers could try bull bars or drops set ups if they were able to unload their upper body weight as effectively as they can on their flat bars.

Rhodabike

I think it depends on how long your commute is. My shortest route is only 10k, and mostly through traffic, so flat bars and an upright position are nice for visibility. On my longest route, about 30k, I prefer my old touring bike. Not that I feel comfortable down in the drops any more. I'll need to lose a little girth for that.

lshaped

i have a flat bar trek fx for my commute- i like the heads up position for riding in traffic, when i get
bored, i take my roubaix out and commute with it to work, i just throw a backpack on

rumrunn6

My three main rides have either a longer aftermarket stem or a steerer tube extender. I like the drop bar style bars but don't like them down around my ankles. I'm a 50 yr old commuter and not a 23 yr old racer ...

yoder

Bars with sweep back in the North Roads family are my preference for most rides because they are very comfortable and practical for all-around urban riding. I don't like the simple flat straight bar except maybe for technical off-road stuff which I don't do anymore. If you are truly upright in your setup, you don't put pressure on your hands, and therefore you don't need multiple positions or gloves even for very long rides for comfort (but would need that to be more aero if that is important). It seems that most cyclists around the world, including in places where commuting by bike is really common, use that kind of setup. I have a couple of bikes that I'm somewhat upright, but I'm still leaning forward. My 1971 Raleigh Sports has a traditional north roads bar, and I wouldn't want to go for really long rides with that bar since I am leaning forward and don't wear gloves unless it is cold, but it's good for most commute-sized rides (under 20 miles). On my main bike I have a large Nitto North Roads bar, which at that size is actually shaped like the Albatross bar, and it provides a couple of hand positions.

Dheorl

Why can't some people grasp the idea that occasionally others just don't find drop bars comfortable. In general I personally don't find one system any more comfortable than the other depending on the bike. Ridden a few hideously uncomfortable drop bar bikes however (although some rather comfortable ones as well admitadly, the tricross was rather nice), whereas I don't think I've ever ridden an uncomfortable flat bar bike, no matter what the distance.

I do think drop bars have their place in long distance riding, and road racing, but for city commutes they hold no advantages at all. If your commute is through the country on open enough roads where you can actually use the drops than fair enough.

Mind you, I see some people cruising around town behind a bus going 10mph which they could easily pass, whilst in the drops.

PaulRivers

Because people such as yourself can't get over the idea that "drop bars are for racers who care about being aerodynamic" so we have to constantly reexplain why drop bars are good. Hands positions, as explained previously, are easier on your hands.

Nothing wrong with a personal preference for using "straight" bars. My personal favorite bar to ride (if I don't need to get anywhere fast) is the really swept back style bars pictured in one of the previous posts because it's so upright so you get a better view. But drop bars aren't some specialty item for racers like carbon wheelsets or titanium pedals, they're often more comfortable than the 100% straightbar you find on mountain bikes, despite what most people assume.

Dheorl

I never said they were, I just said that for the length of alot of commutes, especially in congested cities, they are in no way better than flats, I suppose unless you really can't turn your wrists comfortably that way.

I can see why some poeple find drop bars more comfortable. I personally can only get 2 positions from them which I find comfortable.

sixtyone

my current bike has the flat bar and i guess i'm just bored with it... my next bike (should be getting one next week) will have drop downs... my commute is really short but i like to go for long rides

tjspiel

People have their preferences to be sure and some folks will never like a drop bar. However, I think most often when people are uncomfortable on drop bars it's because of the bike setup and nothing inherent in the drop bar itself. If the bars are several inches below the seat, which is common on racing bikes, it is going to put many people in a position that is uncomfortable for them.

There are also several variations in drop bars and the angle of the drop bars themselves in relation to the bike can be changed. The way the bars were on my bike when I bought it was very uncomfortable for me. Loosening two screws and rotating the bars down a bit took care of it.

I ride in the city and routinely use the drops. Other people rarely use them. Wind is a funny thing when you're riding amongst tall buildings. One block will be fine and the next one will feel like you're in a wind tunnel. So I disagree that there's no advantage to drops in the city. You still have the option of riding up high or down low. You can also wrap your hands around those shifters for some nice, quick, out of the saddle acceleration, - also handy in the city. And let's not forget climbing. If you're city has hills, many people prefer drops to straight bars for climbing.