handlebars for touring?
 

I'm fairly new to biking and I'm currently considering a few different bikes for an upgrade (from the piece of junk mountain bike I've been riding since my first year of college). I enjoy longer rides, especially on bike paths. I've also used my bike for commuting and grocery shopping and expect that to increase. Eventually I'd also like to start touring. So here's my question:

Which type of handlebars? I'm confused by conflicting information telling me that curled road handlebars are better for long distances, but many touring bikes have straight bars? I'm currently looking at the Terry Symmetry or Classic as options (I'm 5' tall). The Symmetry has the road handlebars, but the Classic has the wider tires and is advertised as a touring-inclided road bike. Any suggestions/comments would be great.

Thanks

Anne,

Welcome to BikeForums. As a recent pledge, I can tell you that the leaders of the addiction you have just registered for will be most willing to help you out.

I haven't been given these secrets that you seek, but Joe Gardner tells me that that's because I haven't had a drink of the magic cool-aid yet. I will soon. Someone said that the cool-aid is at the top of Mt. Evans, and I have to ride my bicycle up there to get true wisdom.

In the meantime the older guys will help you out. Right guys?
...guys?

-john

Anne,

It's not cut-and-dried, but all other things being equal drop bars are more versatile and better for all-day comfort. Hand fatigue becomes an issue on long rides; drop bars offer more hand positions. An all-day headwind can be a real downer on a tour; the aero position of drop bars can really help with that.

It's important to have the bike set up so the bar height is comfortable (they don't have to be 4" below the saddle height like you see in the catalogs; the tops of my bars are nearly at saddle height). And if you have small hands, you'll want to test the reach to the brake levers. Shimano makes some reach-adjustable brake/shift levers for road bikes, but they're not usually standard equipment (except on Shimano's Sora component group).

Unfortunately, it's a decision that can be expensive to reverse; changing a bike from drop to flat bars or vice-versa involves replacing the most expensive components (the levers).

Looking at the two Terry bikes, there are other differences besides the bars. The Classic has wider gearing and longer chainstays as well as the flat bars and fatter tires; it's generally going to be a little slower, a little more stable, a little easer to get up hills with a load. It's too bad they don't offer it with drop bars, because it would be a better touring bike IMO. It might be worth asking the shop how much they'd charge to do the upgrade.

RichC

Hi,
ordinarily, I'd just say test ride a few bikes, and get the one you like best.
But if you're new to drop bars, that can difficult. You're trying to get used to a new way of riding while trying to evaluate a new bike. I prefer drop bars, but
my bike is a little unusual. I have two sets of brakes. I have both mountain style brakes, and road bike brakes......on the same bike. Try a Specialized Seqouia and you'll see what I mean. It will make dealing with a road bike a lot less scary. While that bike comes with a 2nd set of brake levers; most road bikes with Shimano shifters can be fitted with a 2nd set of brakes. Love mine.

The advantage of curley/drop bars over flat ones is in the variety of positions available and the neutral wrist set of the usual (top of the brake lever) position.
Flat bars put a bend in your wrist which concentrates the vibration. Bar ends are spaced to far apart, and produce a parachute effect with your arms. You can use aero bar extensions on flat bars and they are more efficient and more comfortable than bar ends.
How high/low near/far your drop bars are is entirely a personal choice. Although most production bikes with drop bars assume a sporty position, many tourists using customised bikes have their drops set higher and closer.
You can use drop bars with fat tyres. Thorn bikes at sjscycles.com make an interesting range of touring bikes using MTB wheels and drop bars.

You can get drop bars in different shapes, widths and drop radii. Tourists often prefer small radius drops, with extra curves, like the 3ttt morphe.

These days, drop bars are hard to market, so the shops are full of touring-style bikes with flat bars.

You call your present bike junk ok but analyse why you don't like it. That may help getting a bike you like.

Look at some of the pictures in the cyclecross fourm, they have drop bars and wide tires.

Try as many bikes as you can find espicially tose of friends so you can ride with them and see what features you like.

You've gotton good advice here on the drop bars being good because of the varing positions and you can set them so the top bar is higher than the seat.

Welcome

Joe
:beer:

Anne

Suggest you look at radonneur bars. These are similair to the drop road bars (typically callled 'Maes' bars) but have 2 additional features which are helpful for genral riding and touring:
1. A small hump where the bar makes the bend to the front. This raises the bar wrt the sadddle and gives and extra hand position.
2. The bars angles outward in the drop giving you a slightly wider drop position.

This style was developed by the French for long distance touring. Schwinn equipped a number of their bikes (including the touring Paramount) with this style drop bar in the 70's. I use one and like it better then the traditional Maes bars.

These are availble in widths of up to 46 cm, although a standard one, at approx. 43 cm may fit you better.

John Hawrylak
Woodstown NJ