Drops or Flats
 

In 06 I had A Trek DX 7.5 with Flat bars super bike and did over 2000 mile tour with 4 panniers, now I have a 2012 Specialized Tricross Sport with drop bars, I have done over approx 1000 miles so far and a small tour with 4 panniers I was contemplating in changing the drops to flats, simply because I have never been down on the drops, Change or no Change
George

Makes sense if you don't use the drops.
Don't forget the shifters and brake levers though.

I've never been won over to drops, but I'm probably less of a fan of flats. However you seem to have positive experience touring on flats, so go for it. I have used Albatross and trekking bars and enjoyed them both. Trekking bars more-so than Albatross offer multiple hand positions, but both of them give you options without the elevation change that comes with drops. Something to consider.
But to you actual question, if you don't make any use of drops, I see no reason to keep them.

I'm in the process of changing my flat bar to a drop. The only time I'm really ever down in the drops is downhill. But still I like having more hand positions than the flat offers me. I especially like hanging on to brake levers when "sprinting" or climbing.

Using the drops is only part of what is nice about drop bars. The hand positions on the top of drop bars are pretty varied and to me far more comfortable than flat bars even with bar ends. I'd strongly prefer drop bars even if I never used the drops.

Personal preference though.

Personally I found long distances on a flat bar left my arms and hands aching until I put bar ends on, and then found I spent 90% or more of my riding time on the bar ends. On my bike with drop bars I spend probably 90% of the time on the hoods. I prefer having my hands on the hoods than the bar ends, simply because it means I can access my brakes and gears at the same time - on the bar ends I can reach my brake levers with my thumbs but can't work the gears at all.

Hi frpax its funny the same thing here in the drops on the descend but uncomfortable and on the brake levers when climbing, last week I was on a tour with old anto we did approx 80 miles stayed in the Mourne mountains never used the drops once except for once on a downhill very uncomfortable

Hi contango when you spend 90% on the hoods this is what I mean I do the same and thought that the flats would be more comfortable I also have secondary brakes levers on top
george

Personal choice...

I ride drops, flats, north roads and butterfly (trekking) bars. Every bike is different, I have toured on all of them for a minimum of 500 miles, much more on some of them. For long haul on road tours, drops or butterfly would be my first choice. Off road, fire road, butterfly or flats with bar ends. North roads are my usual commuter bar, but will tour on them when I feel like riding my 3/4/7/8 speed IGH bikes for a while.

Aaron :)

Well said.

Hi staehpj1 I just thought that having drops was a waste of time when I only used the drops very little I am beginning to realise that most tourers use the hoods an average of 90% BTW thanks for the last web address on the panniers George

I am one of those tourers who spends 90% of the time on the hoods. But I am glad to have so many other hand positions available for the remaining 10%.

"Having more hand positions" is a non-issue to me. A flat bar with bar ends have many hand positions also. Like wahoonc, I have bikes with drop bars, bikes with flat bars, a bike with North Road bars, a bike with butterfly bars and a bike with bullhorn bars. They are all good. Just go with whatever you like.

I prefer flat bars on touring bikes. I like the wider grip while standing with a full load. But more importantly, I have short fingers, so I can brake much better with a flat bar lever than I can with road levers. With road levers, I just can't place my fingers low enough to get good leverage on the levers. Not really an issue on just my road bikes, but when fully loaded, going down a hill, the flat bar levers offer superior braking for me without over tiring my hands.

But, I have toured with drops and it wasn't bad, just not as good as flat bars for me.

Check into :Mustache Bars or Trekking bars, or Ergon grip ended flats..
there are many options..

+1 to the Ergon grip ends.... But if the OP is happy just using the flats on the drop bar, why go through the effort of changing them around unless you want wider flat handlebars....

I've got the secondary brake levers but still don't like riding on the flats. Frequently braking also involves changing down a gear or two, and I can't do that from the flats.

If I'm on a fast descent (or a slow descent, like the time I rode down a 15% decline that was rutted gravel covered in mud and wet leaves) I use the drops. It may be mostly in my mind but I always feel that I can pull the brake levers harder and faster from the drops than from the hoods, especially if repeated use is required.

I know that I am on the hoods the majority of the time.

YMMV, but something else to consider... with drop bars and any hand position except the center of the bars (a hand position I seldom use) I find I can reach the brakes with only a slight hand movement. With flat bars and hands on the bar ends the brakes require moving a hand to an entirely different location.

The bottom line is what is comfortable for you though. For some that might be flat bars, but it definitely isn't my first choice.

I used to convert every drop bar bike I rode to some other type of bar because I wasn’t a fan of the drop position at all. Like some posted above I tried all kinds of setups and got pretty good at converting brakes. When I bought the tour bike it came setup with STI style controls, and I messed around endlessly with bar tilt first then when I would get the STI’s in a place I could ride the hoods and reach the brakes where I felt I was somewhat in control on the hoods the drops had too much angle and I couldn’t reach the STI’s at all. I stripped off the bar wrap and started messing around getting the bars level first then moving the hoods up some and that was a bit better but still no desire to ride in the drop position. I was reading some Sheldon Brown on the subject of fitting drop bars and he was talking about using drops for more hand positions and not necessarily just for an aerodynamic ride position and he had some photos of drop bars set rather high on the stem. I bought a more old age friendly stem with more height and a higher angle with shorter throw than the number 7 that was on the bike and started all over. This time I set the drops about an inch lower than the saddle and lowered the STI’s way down to where I felt I could work the controls with ease. I still had an upper hand position but no access to the STI’s at all and no hood to use. I was going to add a cyclocross brake to the straight position but as an experiment I used a single front only mtn bike brake leaver on the left side and also added homemade stoker hoods out of a pair of old brakes. I now am in love with drop bars and used this way work perfect for my touring needs. I ride 60 / 40 between the drops and the stoker hoods I would say, but the drop position is by far my preferred location. The single brake works pretty good for adjusting speed or when mounting the bike or holding it against a hill. All serious riding is in the drops when shifting and braking is needed. If I could find a pair of stoker hoods that had brake interrupters built in that would be slick. I might have to build my own. The setup isn’t pretty and cobbled together as I went with plans of redoing it a later time cleaning up the rough edges. But so far I have been happy with high drop bars, YMMV.

http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/48...600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb04.webshots.com/49...600x600Q85.jpg

Bell location

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+1

I don't get down on the drops too often. Sometimes I do just to get one more riding position, especially when my hands are getting sore. However, in a strong headwind I spend as much time on the drops as I can. I find the aerodynamic position worth at least one higher gear.

My suggestion to riders who never get down into the drops is your bars are too low.

Hand positions? I like the different body positions drops provide when spending hours in the saddle - and then there's the whole nasty head wind thing.

Still, it's personal preference and no right or wrong here.

George, Regardless of what anyone else may think, ride what's comfortable for YOU. Butterfly bars are a good system to somewhat mix the charistics of both.

Brad

Hi SweetLou great answer give me something to think about
thanks george

Hi Brad yes another good answer, its just that I thought that Drop bars were the done thing when touring but now I know its really all about comfort and control
thanks george

I want to thank all you guys for your effort, time and answers really great help
thanks George

I have alternated between flat and drop bars and much prefer using drops because it is an easy transition between the touring bike and the road bike that I ride most. If on the other hand I rode a mountain bike more often I might prefer the flat bar for that reason.
However since my touring bike is full XT-XTR I think that the Rapid Fire shifters and brake levers, overall, work better than any drop bar combinations I have tried, albeit a heavier solution.
The flat bar setup does offer some advantages though. First cable replacement and adjustments are much easier. Second flat bars offer a good storage area for spare spokes, cable ties etc. Third for boxing up the flat bars seem easier for me.

BTW switching between flat and drop bars you need different stem lengths to set the bar ends and brake hoods at the same riding position.

It depends on where you are from. A lot of Europeans use flat bars, a lot of Americans use drop bars. You are correct, it is about comfort and control. I'm not trying to win a race while touring. So my bikes are set up for comfort, relaxed geometry, fat tires. I like the more upright position when touring. I can more easily look around at the scenery.

I also have never noticed a great difference in aerodynamics when in the drops. At least not enough on my touring bike to make it an issue when deciding which bars to use. If I get a strong head wind while touring, I'm just going to drop to a low gear and take my time.

I like the Nitto North Road Handlebars. The are actually like flattened drop bars and give you several different positions. My favorite position is resting my hands "sphinx-like" on top of the horizontally mounted hoods.

http://www.ziligy.com/photos/posts/PacificOcean.jpg

You'll like drops once you get into some strong wind.

I agree. Strong headwinds are the only time I miss drops.

the forward bend on trekking bars and bent elbows do some of that torso lowering too..

frontal area of panniers remains, though ..