I also have back problems. I used flat mtb bars with barends (on a commuterized mtb) for several years, only occasionally riding my old road bikes with drop bars, because they were too low for comfort. Eventually I came to appreciate touring frames for their practicality (rack & fender mounts, load capacity, neutral handling). Once I raised the handlebar well above the saddle I discovered the drop bar could be more comfortable than flat mtb bar. Larger frame size, longer HT length and the accepted notion of bar-above-saddle on tourers permitted me to experiment in this manner. My drop bar is 7cm above saddle now, and although it looks funny it works well. I find myself riding comfortably in the drops quite a bit, but mostly on hoods. The flats (hand position on drop bar) are a very upright position with this frame/stem/bar/brifter configuration.

+1

I really get by fine with bullhorns, but I like a flat top shallow reach bar, the shallow drop is nice for headwinds, and the flat top is more comfy for upright city riding or taking a load off your hands for a few minutes. I really ride on the hoods 90% of the time. The extra bit underneath doesn't bother me : )

Nice if you like bar end shifters too. Downtubes are where it's at though ; )

you forget about bike stripping, the parts can be resold.. :lol:

looks like I won't even have to worry about having my own bike for commuting to work :D


theft problem solved :D

i don't see any drops within the bicipuma system ...

so, you guys probably are not interested

http://www.tucomunidad.unam.mx/Bicipuma/galeria.html

Safe from being stolen by me. :D

I love drop bars. If you want to ride more upright, just ride on the "tops" or the "hoods." If you want to ride more aero and fight a headwind, ride in the drops. Lots of choices for any situation.

IMHO, the problem that many people have with drop bars is that their handlebars are set too low. Many bike shops set them up that way, or cyclists think they should emulate racers with very low handlebars. My handlebars are about the same height as my saddle. So I can ride comfortably upright when I want to, or get in the drops for a more aero position when I want to.

[QUOTE=tarwheel;15430017]I love drop bars. If you want to ride more upright, just ride on the "tops" or the "hoods." If you want to ride more aero and fight a headwind, ride in the drops. Lots of choices for any [QUOTE]

Exactly! I built a winter bike this year and the old bike I stripped from had flat bars with shifters and brakes already mounted, so I left them on. It lasted 2 weeks of which 10 of those days were spent hunting down parts. For commuting flat bars kill my wrists and actually hurt my back and neck worse than drops. Bottom line, it's personal preference. Flat bars are my choice for mountain biking but not commuting.

This is me. My arms have been locked for the last 6 months on my 2013 Kona that was "fitted" at my LBS and now I have tendonitis in both elbows. I've recently shortened my stem and moved my seat forward to get my elbows bent. I'm so frustrated with my bike. Now I'm tempted to get a Trek FX or something similar to the ride of my existing single speed bike. I never had elbow pain riding my flat bar bike.

Drops, on my MTB. I don't know why I bother calling it an MTB, it has one gear, I keep my eye out for a cheap crank that has a bigger chainring, and the tires are 1.25" slicks inside fenders that look too big, but it did start life as an MTB. I have also raced on dirt with clip-on aero bars on my XC bike (many-hour race with paved portions and technical dirt portions and seven miles riding up a river), so I clearly have lost all sense of what is "correct".

It took me a while to get here, though. I started commuting on flats with long bar ends (on the same frame), and would have told you I valued the upright position, yada-yada. But, in the interim, I became a semi-converted roadie, and started putting way more miles on the road on a 700c drop-bar racing bike than I did on dirt. Now, I value the multiple hand positions and the ability to be in an aero position when desired. I estimate I spend 75% of the time on the hoods, 15-20% in the drops, and the remainder on the flats (or 'Look, Ma'-ing).

Is it "correct"? I don't care. It is comfortable, so I do it. I suggest you do the same.

inside every drop bar is a flat bar.

Same here.

I ride a lot with my hands on the middle/top of the bar when I'm just cruising or need to see better in traffic. And I probably ride at least 1/3 of the time in the drops, I'm lucky to be still reasonably flexible.

My beater/MTB bike has a riser bar, my other bikes all have drop bars.

+1
I like drops for longer road rides or commutes greater than 10 miles each way. I also far prefer the "hood" position when climbing with drops vs. any flat bar (including bar ends) or swept bar.

I just converted from moustache to narrow drop bars. Huge improvement in stability and control, and an even bigger improvement when dealing with the ever-present winds. IMO, indepensible.

I commute in Frankfurt, and love my drop bars. I use all hand positions on every commute.

Yupe. For the drop to be comfortable, the fit needs to be dialed in.

I don't have a problem with drops, but I haven't used them in a long time. One of my bikes has a flat bar, the other has a bullhorn bar with brifters. The flat bar bike is more comfortable than the one with the bullhorn bar, and I've ridden several metric centuries, one near imperial century, and one full imperial century on it - but the bullhorn bar bike is noticeably faster (usually average 1.5 - 2km/h faster when riding it). Still, my next bike, if and when I buy one, will be a full road or cyclocross bike with drops, as I feel I'm pretty much at the limit of what I can do performance wise with the bikes I've got (since they're both far from being light).

I am a roadie at heart and a long distance touring cyclist by trade. Drop bars feel like a part of me. I enjoy all of the hand positions they offer and relief from headwinds when needed. But for short hops any bars will do.

I tried flat bars with bar ends on one long tour and they were OK. They would be my second choice.

The weather this March is a perfect example of why drop bars are so nice. The wind has been blowing constantly, with gusts in the 20-35 mph range many days. In a headwind, drop bars will really make it easier to ride and allow you to go faster.

I like them. Specifically FSA wing pro compact. The flat tops and the shallow drops make them the most confortable drop bars ever. I have three bikes with them.

BUT, you might not.

My favorite touring setup is flat bars with controls on the barends:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5270/5...9167de5c_b.jpg

I haven't noticed a big need for more hand positions since I use so many hand signals communicating with car drivers... :)

ya, IMO it's a bunch of baloney. when i was younger i mowed lawns for a living, 6-8 hours a day, five days a week. much, much more force on the ONE and only hand position on the mower handle. not to mention it was vibrating like a jackhammer. never needed drop bars on it. or on my eight and nine day cross-country trips on my motorcycles. and how about the motocrossers. do THEY need drops with those oh, so important multiple hand positions? i think not. :) i could go on you know..

like the one and only position on ski poles, carrying a 12 ga. for hour after hour grouse hunting. pulling my kid around in a wagon. no drops on that thing. no drops on metal detectors or F1 steering wheels, or mtb handlebars and believe you me there is much much more trauma to the hands off road than on road. bascarts at the grocery store? FLATBAR. no drops at the gas pump. no drops on my hammers or wrenches. wheelbarrow. lot of pressure there and no drops. or the shovel, rake, hoe or axe either.

"oh, mom i can't finish my peas because my spoon doesn't have drops on it, my hands are too tired". please!

and "mr. golf pro? don't you have any drivers with drops on them? i can't seem to get any distance at all on this POS flat handled one."

there's more.... but i've exhausted myself. :)

"Just drop that spoon, use your fingers!" If you got a shopping cart, why to cycle?

I'm not saying you *need* to have all the hand positions on a drop bar, but for me at least they are useful to have.
YMMV.

If I was obsessed about hand positions I'd probably make some monstrosity of a trekking bar setup, with drops welded/bolted on and aero bars...and bar ends all over it.

i prefer the twitchyness and improved balance of a flat bar in city traffic. i prefer the (cornering) stability and more aero position of a drop when i do longer rides.