Switching to Drop Bars
 

I would like to buy my wife a touring bike so we can do some weekend touring. She is in good shape and has completed several marathons. However, she never biked a lot as a kid. As a consquence, she has some difficulty with some aspects of biking which are second nature to me, e.g., standing while struggling up difficult hills.

She also is uncomfortable with drop bars, and has been using flat bars for the past few years. This is my question: should I get her a bike with drop bars, with the hope that she will get used to them, or should she stick with the flat bars?

I'd like her to change to the drops because I believe that, ultimately, they are more comfortable. But I also want her to enjoy touring.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The question to ask her is: why doesn't she like drop bars?

If it's the riding position, you can change the stem angle and length (at least initially) to make the riding position more comfortable. A professional bike fit might also help.

If she's used to braking from the flat section of the bar, you can add cyclocross (a.k.a. "interrupter") brake levers so she can brake just like she would with a flat handlebar.

If she has trouble reaching the levers with drop bars, look for a set of bars with a different bend. There are a zillion different bends available today. Some are good for people with small hands, some are good for people with large hands, some are good for people who want a deep racing tuck, some are good for people with less flexibility, etc. I'm a big fan of the 3T Ergosum and Ergonova handlebars. I have smaller hands and these bars allow me to reach the shift/brake levers easily and the drop isn't so deep that it puts strain on my back.

I would think the important thing is to address whatever concerns she might have about using drop bars and then realize that it's unlikely she'll fall in love with them overnight.

You should get her a good road/tour bike which usually comes with drops and then switch with a set of trekking bars which has a multitude of hand positions. My wife is athletic like yours and loves her trekking bars.

BTW while drop bars have two or three hand positions, flat bars have only one. Some people like this but I didn't at all.

While I applaud your concern for your wife's continued improvement and enjoyment of riding/touring, I would caution you to take it easy on this one. You did not indicate anywhere in your post that your wife wants drop bars, just that you wanted her to have them. This is a classic situation where the wife ends up not wanting to tour or even ride any more after being forced into something "she is uncomfortable" with. If you want so much for her to learn to ride with drop bars maybe you should leave her current bikes alone and buy her a new/additional bike that has drop bars for her to experiment with. That way she can choose to use the equipment she likes and leave the new one in the shed if she really doesn't like it. If you change her existing bike and she doesn't like it: good luck.

She wants a new bike and wants to tour. Her current bike is a little too small and, after 20 miles or so, her neck hurts. I am not pressuring her, and did not mean to give that impression. This is going to be a birthday present.

I had her try a Surly LHT. She did not like the position of the shifters or the brake levers. She said she did not feel confident on the bike, but was willing to go with drop bars, if I thought she would eventually adjust.

I think she will, but I was wondering if anyone else had any relevant experiences.

Thanks for the replies.

This is similar to my wife's bike fit situation: We've been touring for years and it was time to get her a new bike. I had gotten an LHT and loved it but even though I recommended it to her, I also suggested she try three different bikes brands along with the Surly. She eventually decided on the LHT and I got it for her birthday. Unfortunately though she was off island when fitted at a bike shop in Seattle and I wasn't able to be there for suggestions. Consequently after her first tour on the new bike we realized it was just too small for her. We sold it and bought the next size up which was much better. I switched the handlebars, knowing she would never use the drop position, as she had mentioned having neck and shoulder pain on her old tri bike, to the trekking bars (before mentioned) and she fell in love with them. We might switch the stem soon but other than that she loves her setup and now rides more often than I do.

You can mount the Surly's bar-end shifters on Paul Thumbies (cheapest I found were at jensonusa) and add secondary brake levers and your wife will have both flats and drops.

Yep that would be my suggestion only I would leave the shifters bar-end. Put some interrupter brake levers on there and she can ride very similar to flat bars which should get her used to drops and also give her more positions.

http://www.parktool.com/images_inc/r...ebrake-615.jpg

Comfort wise have the drops at a comfortable height, the idea is that the hoods are at your comfort position, say the same height as flat bars. The other thing is get some serious gloves, the tape isn't padded enough, though I like tape vs some foam. I use cork tape which is a little better than cloth for size and softness.

What Lighthorse said. It amazes me how many men post of different forums asking what would work well for their wives/girlfriends. If you want her to ride comfortably, ask HER and go with what she says. ATMO.

I think that drop bars take a bit of time to get comfortable with. When I started riding again after a couple of years off, I hated my old road bike and especially the drop bars. The bike felt nervous, unstable, and the drop bars were painful to use. After riding consistently for a couple of weeks, I was once again comfortable with the bike and the drop bars. I've heard similar stories from friends who have switched from flat-bar hybrids to drop-bar road bikes.

Sounds like you might want to pay attention to bike fit when buying a bike for your wife. Simple things like changing the control position, changing the stem length, and or changing to a different handlebar can have a big impact on how comfortable/uncomfortable it is to ride with drop bars...

Thanks for all the advice. I showed the wife this thread, and we are going with drops with the cyclocross "interrupter" brakes. Thanks again.