commuting handlebars?

[roguedog]

Do you just use drop bars for commuting or flat bars or something else like moustache or bullhorn?

If you use something else besides drop or flat.. why did you choose this and what's your experience with said bars?

[7rider]

I use a flat bar with bar ends.
Bars were stock with the bike (a flat bar road bike) and I added the bar ends for hand position variety.

[Veronica]

When I commuted with my Rambouillet, I had drop bars. Now I'm commuting on a Bridgestone MB1. It has flat bars.

V.

[KnottedYet]

I use the flat bar that came with my Kona Dew. I put Ritchey grips on it, though (grippier grips). No bar ends, I'm not co-ordinated enough to manage bar ends.

Rode my road bike to work yesterday, and really didn't like the feel of riding in traffic (on my usual route) on my drop bars.

Who knows why, but I feel the Kona is a better commutermobile than my road bike. Maybe it's the positioning, or the gearing, or the wider tires. Or all of the above...:rolleyes:

[GLC1968]

My commuter (a Terry Classic touring bike) originally came with flat bars and that's how I rode it up until this past January. I had added bar ends, but that was for variety of hand position.

Now it's got drops and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it so much more. I'm so much more comfortable with drops!

I think if I commuted in a more metropolitan area, I'd probably have left the flat bar so that I'd be more upright. It was great for visibility around traffic. Since my commute has a lot of wide open industrial areas where wind can be a major pain, the drops give me better aerodynamics when I need them.

[divingbiker]

My commuting bike, an old Trek hybrid, has flat bars with twist grip shifters. I had bar ends on it for a while, but the bars are too wide and I felt like I didn't have enough control, so I took them off. I'm experiencing a lot of wrist pain with the bars/twist grips so my new commuting bike (that's supposed to be here in a couple of weeks) will have albatross bars and bar end shifters. I'm hoping that the position of my hands with the new bars will make the wrist pain go away.

I would be way too nervous riding drop bars in DC traffic, but I see a lot of people doing it.

[7rider]

My commuting bike, an old Trek hybrid, has flat bars with twist grip shifters. I had bar ends on it for a while, but the bars are too wide and I felt like I didn't have enough control, so I took them off. I'm experiencing a lot of wrist pain with the bars/twist grips so my new commuting bike (that's supposed to be here in a couple of weeks) will have albatross bars and bar end shifters. I'm hoping that the position of my hands with the new bars will make the wrist pain go away.

I would be way too nervous riding drop bars in DC traffic, but I see a lot of people doing it.

You didn't get your bike yet?? I'm waiting to see pix!

Yeah, I think dropped bar riders in a metro area may be on fixies, but that's just a guess. I prefer the flat bars in a metro area, and would only go with drops if they had the brake handles on top, a la cyclocross bikes.

[alimey]

Loved the narrowness of drop bars - but didn't feel upright & in control enough on the hoods or the drops. Couldn't stomach the costs of moving to flat bars (new shifters, new cables, new front derailleur, new brakes) - so I bought a pair of bullhorns & mounted the sti levers sort of underneath.

I LOVE this setup - nippy & narrow, but feels very strong & in control. Easy to get out of the saddle, easy to change gear & brake. Also in addition to having your hands on the 'horns' you can also put them on the horizontal bits next to the stem - for example when climbing.

Cheap conversion too!

[kiwi girl]

I love the drop bars on my road bike for recreational riding, but I have flat bars on my commuter. I feel a lto more comofortable with the upright position in traffic. Also I use a courier bag for commuting and I don't like the way it feels if I am in a lower position on drop bars

[Grog]

Doesn't the upright vs. aero position depend more on the geometry of the bike? I'd guess a recreational touring bike or specifically commuting bike with drop bars would give a good enough position (upright) to have good visibility, no?

I'm interested in the topic since I'm planning on getting my first real commuter bike this summer.

[mountainchick]

I commute on my road bike, but thats because its the only bike I have. :) So drops for me.

[Geonz]

I'm a flat bar woman, wherever I ride. Welp, except the Gazelle that has those old-fashioned curvy ones.

[roguedog]

alimey - can you send pics of your set up. can't picture it how it'd be comfortable...

[xeney]

I have albatross bars on the bike I usually use for commuting, but my new one (which is STILL being built, arggh) is going to have bullhorns. I am not sure if I will like them but it seemed like a good compromise between being somewhat upright (which I prefer for traffic) and having a good position for hard braking ... that is my big complaint about the albatross bars, if I ever have to brake hard (as you do sometimes in traffic, no matter how careful you are) I'm just not in a good position for it.

I'm going to start off with cross levers on the bullhorns but I may swap them out for something else later.

I was originally going to stick with drop bars but my husband pointed out that I will never ever ride this bike in the drops and that bullhorns would look so much cooler.

[madscot13]

I have a trek 520. this is a touring bike with dropped handles. It is pretty great for me. I ride in a city/suburban area and I appreciate the advantages of a workhorse bike with plenty of agility. I think the geometry of my bike is what makes biking in an urban area okay. My head is still pretty upright and it doesn't strain my body in any way.

I love my bike. I love my bike

[roguedog]

Xeney, how will they configure the bullhorns with shifters and the brakes? I was thinking bullhorns but then wasn't sure what to do with shifters...

Or are you building a singlespeed or something?

[alimey]

Hiya

Here is a picture of the bars on my commuter as requested. Obviously using the hoods is out of the question - but the setup is oh so comfy. I did try creating bullbars by turning drops upsidedown & then cutting them, but it just didn't work (not enough straight to take the sti's and my hands). But the bullbars were cheap & now I love them.

Sorry about the mess in the background - we are having our house remodelled & I can't even find most of my bikes . . .

2923

2924

2925

Hope this helps

alimey

(just about to collect a pink Bike Friday with bullbars too . . .`

[mimitabby]

INTERESTING! thanks for the pix

[xeney]

Yes, it's a single speed. I've seen bar end shifters on bullhorns but they look a little weird.

[crumpincommuter]

Do you just use drop bars for commuting or flat bars or something else like moustache or bullhorn?

If you use something else besides drop or flat.. why did you choose this and what's your experience with said bars?

My original commuter was a Ruby with drops, my new commuter wheels (Globe City) are more forgiving on the lower back when carrying a heavier load in my back pack. If you're not using a back pack you could probably get away with drops ( slightly better handling when dodging "playful" bus drivers)