People want to stay on the hoods all the time, so brifters have mutated to accommodate that.

Yeah, though I still wish Shimano had smaller brifters for those of us with small hands. After all, they are a Japanese company...

In the city that I ride in drop bars will probably land you in the ER. It is too much like running a single track through the woods. Bike lane for a couple blocks then hit the sidewalk which switches right to left side of street every couple blocks when the street narrows for 2 or 3 blocks dodging phone poles and street signs in the MIDDLE of the sidewalk at 15mph. All the while dodging all of the idiots who can't get their face away from those stupid "smart" phones. Built my 1x10 Cx/Hybrid as a flat bar just for this. You have to have constant and total access to both shifter and brakes. I have my 780 shifter set for 2 click upshift and 4 click down and the DB's are tight. Heads Up!!

I switched from drops to flats to use the Alfine shifter.
I switched from mtb flats to swept-back style (On-One Mary) for a more neutral hand position.
Flats are not higher than drops, they can be set to any height.
Euro-touring bikes use trekking/butterfly style bars which work properly with low gears and V/disc brakes.

I ride a flat bar bike with bar ends, and I mostly use the bar ends. I would like drops, but not enough to:
1. Deal with the fit issues w.r.t converting my bike to drops. The bike fits really well right now.
2. Buy a new bike - with my current usage, I don't see any advantage to buying a new bike. Not that I can afford to anyway ..

If I ever buy another bike, it will most likely be a touring bike with drops.

A good reason to stay off the sidewalk.

You don"t have a choice if you want to live long. These people WILL run you over. A lot of semi's that don't give a rat's a$$.

Why do you think drop bars will land you in the ER? I don't understand this statement.

+1

Tough neighborhood.

What's NOT to understand? If you got a little BTDT where I'm at, you'd understand. Nuf Said.

+1

Whut?

Which you do when riding on the hoods:



I prefer flat bars,but have never had an issue with DC traffic on drops.

Sorry, I'm not trying to be obtuse. What does BTDT mean. I'm not familiar with that abbreviation.

Secondly, are you trying to say that drop bars are not safe for riding in your situation? Because you feel they offer less control?

Its a 'Tastes Differ' kind of choice what is your self image of you on the bike .. Is..

I do as shown in the first picture. I get enough stopping power that way, though I can still brake harder from the drops.

I don't do it the other way, because the smaller shifter hits my ring finger when I brake from that position.

1. BTDT: Been There Done That.
2. I'm saying that they are not AS safe as a good flatbar setup w/good access to brake and qiuck-fire at the same time. Can you hit the brakes HARD, downshift 4 gears and be ready to up shift 2 gears all at once with a set of drops? I have to do that 1/2 doz times or more just getting across town during the day. Flat Bar Cx rigs are very popular here.

"The Mean Sidewalks of Minnesota" -- sounds like it could be a movie, or at least a Garrison Keillor yarn.

No, not four. My old Chorus levers could dump three at once, which I have mostly found useful on descents. My Red shifters just do one per tap.

But I guess I don't put so much reliance on shifting. I do a lot of commuting on my SSCX bike, so if I need to accelerate quickly, it's all about spinning it up.



That, and looking up the road, spatial awareness, anticipating trouble spots, and not riding on the sidewalk. Haven't ended up in the ER yet, so I've got that going for me. Which is nice.

Do you think it would be reasonable to say that drop bars are not as safe as flat bars for you? But that there are other riders for whom drop bars are perfectly safe?

Bingo. You just earned a Cigar. Nice looking ride. I wish I could run a SS or a 2 speed Bendix kickback like my old Schwinn Typhoon had but some service injuries require the use of my 1x10 for the spin-up.


40T front with a 11-36 and a shadow plus DR. All Deore XT.

Sounds like you're one of those riders who can ride a dro-bar bike perfectly safely. That's great to hear.

I switched from drops to flats because it "seems" safer. I commuted for many years into downtown Minneapolis with drop bars and they never seemed to be right for the situation, too twitchy. This probably stems from many years driving a naked GL1000, it has wide handlebars. The switch to flat bars wasn't that expensive, all second hand parts from the LBS, and it doesn't feel twitchy. The only time I have problems with my hands is when I forget to keep the wrists straight, mostly solved that by switching to shaped hand-grips.

Actually,yes they are.

Yep,no prob. Can't you?

BTW,I'd find it hard to believe your traffic is as bad as DC's,and impossible to believe your drivers are as bad. We coined the term 'aggressive driving'. We also have really bad roads and lots of steep hills. I've ridden several flavors of flat bars,two styles of drops,and trekking/butterfly bars,and have never had any issues with any of them.

I like flat bars because I find they give me better control I like to use bar ends for more hand positions but everyone is different

If you (or anyone in this thread) can't, it's not the handlebars' fault.