Drop handlebars
 

Have you used them in long trips? Why it is so widely used in touring? Does it makes so much of a difference?

I have a problem with hand numbness, so I use a Nitto Model 177 handlebar, also known as the Nitto Noodle. The ramp is very flat so it keeps weight off my hands. I can't imagine riding long distances with a flat bar.

ML, I've used drop bars for years and sometimes augmented them with aero bars. There are many different styles, width, reach and drop dimensions making a comfortable drop bar a challenge. Stem length also factors into the fit. That said, once dialed in they're comfortable for all day long rides. As drop bars were for decades the only mainstream option in N. America I can't say they're the best design or we cyclists just adopted to them. Europeans have been using butterfly (trekking) bars on their touring rigs for quite some time and they're becoming popular here also. I could be wrong, but they seem better suited to bikes with longish top tubes (comments?).

The drop bars that work for me on my touring bike are a set of OEM (CODA) bars that weren't right on one of my roadies. They're a square dimension (equal reach and drop) handle bar.

Brad

Bar choice, like anything else on a bike is down to personal preference. Alot of the older long distance riders just started off with drop bars, got used to them and stuck with them.
For me personally, they offer more hand positions and look a bit more elegant. Top tube length does come into it though. A bike with a long top tube that started life with a flat bar will feel more stretched with drops because of how far out the hoods are. That can be sort of fixed with a shorter stem, but as most bikes come with stupidly short stems anyway, your choices would be limited. An inline seatpost would also move you a bit closer to the bar but at the expense of possibly sore knees due to the different seating position.
Ahhhh, decisions decisions...

I prefer drop bars but I tour with a friend that leaves his drop bar bikes at home for touring, he instead uses flat bars on tour. It is all personal preference. I do not know if the majority of touring bike riders prefer drop bars, we might be in the minority.

The reason that I prefer drop bars is that I like to lower my head and upper body as I push into the wind. But, I will readily admit that I did not like drop bars as much when I weighed 20 percent more than I do now, then it was less comfortable to lean over that much. If I did not use drop bars, I would probably use trekking bars.

Last summer I took a supported tour where the bikes were provided by the tour group. They were flat bars. I found that I did not like the width of the bars, they were much wider than my drop bars.

Check out these bikes, this is a good cross section of touring bikes used by experienced touring riders. (There might be a bias towards more expensive gear at this link, people are less likely to take and show photos of their bikes if they are not proud of them.)
http://www.pbase.com/canyonlands/fullyloaded

If you switch from flat bars to drop bars, you may also need a narrower saddle too.

Hand positions and aerodynamic body positioning are frequently cited as the reasons for using drops. True.

Other bar designs, augmented with aerobars, accomplish the same thing with a more comfortable option. Especially when double wrapped. Especially for the older tourist.

Looks, esthetics, are for many, more important than function. Back to drops.

Personal Choice.. then if you obsess , there are a big variety of bend shapes
and widths to pick amongst. if the bike comes built up with drop bars .
part of that may be resolved.

my touring drop bar bike has a Randonneur bend, from the center
there is an up and back angle, the ramp flat and long,
and the drop bend angles outward, and result is the lower
position is wider so no wrist contact with the upper ..

more recent bike buy has a grip shifter, then Trekking bars are perfect..
up and down is replaced by near and far, and the forward reach
gives the same torso lowering body position change.

And, you can get a nice lower back stretch. However, aero bars don't work for me if the shoulder is narrow or the road has some chops, or if I think I might need to feather the brakes. Don't quite have the steer control I want with aero bars if conditions require I pay attention. Drops give you good balance and control.

All true. We adjust our position to fit the riding conditions. For me, shoulder width was not a factor at speed, as tracking a line was no problem. Traffic density and surface condition were, as reaction time is critical.

"Drops" sounds a bit negative, and also like you won't be comfortable all bent over. What they really are is a multi hand position, ergonomically correct bar. Flat and straight bars are not ergonomically correct, or aero for that mater. Flat bars with the handgrips parallel to the top tube used to be popular on touring bikes.

There's cultural impacts - most bikes on the North American market specifically built for touring include drop bars. Go to Europe, and flat bars are much more common.

From a functionality perspective, multiple hand positions is a big deal on long rides - even people I know that tour on flats always add bar ends to add some variety. Flat bars also force an awkward twist in your forearms that can get uncomfortable on a long ride. The widely spread grips on flats make you more stable, but it also creates work for your shoulder muscles - because your hands are wider than your shoulders, any weight supported on your hands requires more shoulder work than on a narrower spread.

Trekking bars are pretty much never available on a stock bike, but they're also a popular option for touring, and provide much the same benefits as drops.

My bike came with drops, and now that I am used to them, I don't think I could go back. I rarely use the lower hand position, and my bars are higher than on many road bikes, giving me a seating position that's more upright. All in all, it's quite comfortable.

I am older so I prefer flat bars for touring. Less stress on the back and you get to see the road better. However becuase there are fewer hand postions it can be extra pressure on the wrists. When I travel in Europe I hardly ever see drop bars on touring bikes.

This came built up, with trekking bars, from NL.. racks mudguards, the works ,
the taillight on the rack was battery only, I tweak things , different trekking bar
[no longer sold] rebuilt the wheel, dyno-hub to make light power,
so there is a wired taillight now.
http://www.cyclofiend.com/working/20...clark1008.html

the original trekking bar migrated to my Bike Friday, disc brakes R'off and Schmidt hubs.
new Ft Hub is centerlock, to make removal for packing easy to keep it flat.

Trekking bars have their supporters. When I first saw them I thought they were cool, but they seem like they have three main positions, none of which are ergo. They consist of 2 flat bars, already mentioned, and then tightly radiused bullhorns. What they do have going for them is space for add-ons, and they use MTB levers that are easier to match up with the preferred brakes.

I like drop bars for the hoods. I rarely use the drops. The brake hoods are much nicer when standing on the pedals. I rarely stand while touring but I do while commuting and day riding. I setup my old touring bike with bullhorns and they're nice, but not quite like hoods. I could use flats and barends for touring if I had to but, well, I don't. :p

Each bar type has it's advantages and disadvantages. I use both flat and drop bars equally by switching between my 2 touring bike every 3 or 4 years - when I visit my family in the USA. If you are not sure what you want I would start with flat bars and think about drops later.

I toured on drop bars for the first time last summer. 150 km, a day off, 120 km, a day off, 160 km.

I didnt like them. Got a sore neck.

Now I use touring bars. Much more upright, so I have to push more air out of the road, but at the end of the day I am much more comfortable.

z

I would think the "less stress on the back and you get to see the road better" issue is the result of positioning, not the bar. My drops are set at saddle height.

For me, the more hand positions, the better. And on those windy days (aren't they all?), drops are nice.

B

This seems like an interesting option for hand positioning as well : http://www.bicycle-touring-guide.com...sitionhand.jpg