Flat-bar road bikes...?

[zoom-zoom]

DH and I have both noticed the popularity of flat-bar road bikes and have never understood why anyone would choose flat-bar over dropped-bar on the same frame. My brother and his GF both have very nice road bikes...but they are flat-bar'd. Why do people opt to limit themselves to one hand position when they could have endless places to put their hands to minimize discomforts? Is there some practical reason that we're unaware of? :confused:

[Catrin]

DH and I have both noticed the popularity of flat-bar road bikes and have never understood why anyone would choose flat-bar over dropped-bar on the same frame. My brother and his GF both have very nice road bikes...but they are flat-bar'd. Why do people opt to limit themselves to one hand position when they could have endless places to put their hands to minimize discomforts? Is there some practical reason that we're unaware of? :confused:

For me, road bars put my hands in a very painful position - I've arthritis in the palms of my hands. As you know, I do try to ride a gazillion miles - and my Ergon grips with bar-ends allow me to do just that - with no pain at all. I do have several hand positions if I choose to use them, but rarely ever need to do so.

[7rider]

Is there some practical reason that we're unaware of? :confused:

For the upright riding posture and hands-on-the-brakes control of slow riding in city traffic when commuting. The light frame and tighter geometry is quicker handling (and lighter) than a hybrid. Bar ends easily allow for multiple hand positions (and a convenient place to mount a bell!). And it's still fast and comfortable for long road sections...

[malkin]

If the rider is in a position where there isn't much weight on the upper body then her or his hands and arms won't get tired or need to change position.

I believe many people associate drop bars with a more agressive position and flat bars with a more upright position even though this is only a matter of adjustment.

[zoom-zoom]

I believe many people associate drop bars with a more agressive position and flat bars with a more upright position even though this is only a matter of adjustment.

That's what I suspected. I've seen a few road bikes with drop bars that are VERY upright with a very angled stem.

[tulip]

I like my Jamis Coda alot. I rode it exclusively after my 1983 Vitus road bike was trashed in a crash in 2003. I got a new road bike in 2005 and now ride the Coda around town. I recently was on a week-long organized ride and lots of people were riding flat bar road bikes. Whatever works--they are on a bike and that's really all that matters.

[Velocivixen]

My Trek FX 7.3 with flat bars puts me in the same position as my Surly Cross Check, which has drop bars, HOWEVER they did not cut the fork, so my handlebars are way up high.
Not sure why folks do it. Maybe some perceived difference or comfort thing.

[radacrider]

I have seen both, as well. More than anything I am inclined to believe it is 1) personal preference; and 2) necessitated by a physical need.

I am the opposite in that my SUB started out life as a flat bar MTB. For commuting and such the twist my forearms/wrists needed, even with bar ends left my wrists achy and sore, plus I could not move the controls inward enough so the angle of shoulder to wrist was too much for my neck.

I am happily riding that bike with 40cm drop bars with the tops just slightly higher than the nose of my saddle. This is a good, comfortable position for me. No wrist pain/discomfort, no shoulder/neck issue.

[ZenBiker]

Some very good reasons have been mentioned. If someone chooses flat bars after trying both, great. On the other hand I know people who just automatically assume drop bars are uncomfortable based on their childhood experience 10, 20, 30 years ago or on seeing racers and thinking their riding position looked like a lot of work. They have decided they'll never use drop bars, which is too bad since they might like them if they gave them a try. I know I was skeptical when I started looking at road bikes two years ago, but the drop bars on my Ruby are angled so that I have a good view of the road when on the hoods and are very comfortable. I love being able to change positions on longer rides. I also ride a commuter bike with flat bars and like that just fine around town. Whatever works, just hope folks choose based on test rides not assumptions!

[Bike Writer]

As of today I can comment on this thread, I am away at a conference and rented a bike for an early morning ride before the sessions got started. Thanks to the LGRAB Summer Contest I was motivated to try out another style of bike. I rode a flat bar road bike today. Woo hoo!

I can understand the allure of riding a road bike after my ride today. Not quite my style yet, perhaps some day in the future They are agile and fast and it seemed like it could roll forever.

I had a drop bar 10 speed bike as a teen and young adult and honestly can't remember it being uncomfortable but I do like a more upright position now for many reasons mentioned here, namely arthritis and wrist pain. Perhaps another test ride some day will be with drop bars to see the difference. In the mean time, the answer to the question of why someone would use a flat bar sounds like it's twofold. Physical reasons and perceptions.

[zoom-zoom]

Some very good reasons have been mentioned. If someone chooses flat bars after trying both, great. On the other hand I know people who just automatically assume drop bars are uncomfortable based on their childhood experience 10, 20, 30 years ago or on seeing racers and thinking their riding position looked like a lot of work. They have decided they'll never use drop bars, which is too bad since they might like them if they gave them a try. I know I was skeptical when I started looking at road bikes two years ago, but the drop bars on my Ruby are angled so that I have a good view of the road when on the hoods and are very comfortable. I love being able to change positions on longer rides. I also ride a commuter bike with flat bars and like that just fine around town. Whatever works, just hope folks choose based on test rides not assumptions!

I often suspect that the flat bars are based upon often wrongful assumptions, as well. And my experience with flat bars on a mountain bike was painful. I ended up with bar ends to have some variety in hand position, but it was still not comfortable. That factored in heavily for my own disinterest in cycling for years. I love my drop bars and spend almost no time with my hands on the tops...mostly in the hoods or in the drops.

[indysteel]

Is it necessarily true that FB's are more upright? I took a look at Trek, Specialized and Jamis's offerings and, based on the elements of geometry I looked at (HT and TT lengths; HTA and STA) and didn't get the impression that the cockpits of the FB bikes were smaller than those of at least some of their road bikes. Maybe I wasn't looking at the right elements of geometry or otherwise left something out of the equation. It just made me wonder if FB and DB bikes are all as different as one might assume.

[tulip]

I am not upright on my Coda. I am just as low as on my Luna. Probably more because the top tube/stem on my Coda is longer than on the Luna. Too long, but I'm too cheap to replace the stem. The Luna is perfect, however. My wrists prefer the Luna, especially for long rides.

[Kiwi Stoker]

Shifting and braking.

To be honest because of my short fingered hands I find shifters hard to use. I can barely get my fingers on the lever to brake. I have extra interupt levers on my drop bars and use them instead. Other people have hand problems will find mountain bike tigger shifters and brake levers are easier for them to use.

Also I never go into the drops so why bother with drop handlebars? I am actually going to put bull horns and remount my shifters to underneath the ends (I have seen this done on another bike). This should solve my issues regarding my finger reach for braking.

[radacrider]

Is it necessarily true that FB's are more upright? I took a look at Trek, Specialized and Jamis's offerings and, based on the elements of geometry I looked at (HT and TT lengths; HTA and STA) and didn't get the impression that the cockpits of the FB bikes were smaller than those of at least some of their road bikes. Maybe I wasn't looking at the right elements of geometry or otherwise left something out of the equation. It just made me wonder if FB and DB bikes are all as different as one might assume.

I suspect if you compare the stack heights and stem angles there will be enough difference to see why the handlebar heights are different. Then there are also those flat bars that also have a bit of up-sweep to them. Part of how I got my SUB drop bars a bit higher was a bit more length where the quill stem is inserted into the head tube and it has a up angle versus the road bike's stem is horizontal.

[Tiffany_S]

Is there some practical reason that we're unaware of? :confused:

I had flat bars with a shorter stem put on my bike a little while back because I was much heavier, out of shape, and being bent over for long periods of time made my lower back ache. I've since lost 36 pounds and am going back to drop bars! ;)

[indysteel]

I suspect if you compare the stack heights and stem angles there will be enough difference to see why the handlebar heights are different. Then there are also those flat bars that also have a bit of up-sweep to them. Part of how I got my SUB drop bars a bit higher was a bit more length where the quill stem is inserted into the head tube and it has a up angle versus the road bike's stem is horizontal.

Maybe....although my Trek FX didn't have a lot of stack, nor did it come with riser bars. Plus, a lot of road bikes today come stock with riser stems and, if they don't, it's any easy swap. In looking at the photos of both the Trek FX and the Specialized Sirrus, they don't appear to have a lot of stack. The Jamis Code has a bit more.

I don't doubt that some FB road bikes on the market (and just to be clear that I'm not talking about bikes that fall more squarely under the heading of "hybrid") probably do offer a more upright position than your average road bike. Moreover, there are certainly any number of road bikes on the market with more aggressive racing geometry. But I suspect that many FB bikes aren't as different in terms of geometry as some riders assume.

[GingerbreadGirl]

I'm new to road cycling and drops just seem... intimidating. There's something more professional and serious about them, whereas most people are comfortable with flats because it's what you had as a kid.

That being said, now that I'm getting a bit more serious and the rides are longer, my hands do suffer. My flat bar road bike has bar ends but if I upgrade at some point, I think I would like drops. My bike has road compact geometry and I'm comfotable but I'm more upright than I would be in drops. For me, going right into a road bike with drops would have been a bit overwhelming... I didn't want to deal with the different geometry, gearing, getting into shape, drops, etc all at once. Maybe some day.

[radacrider]

Maybe....although my Trek FX didn't have a lot of stack, nor did it come with riser bars. Plus, a lot of road bikes today come stock with riser stems and, if they don't, it's any easy swap. In looking at the photos of both the Trek FX and the Specialized Sirrus, they don't appear to have a lot of stack. The Jamis Code has a bit more.

I don't doubt that some FB road bikes on the market (and just to be clear that I'm not talking about bikes that fall more squarely under the heading of "hybrid") probably do offer a more upright position than your average road bike. Moreover, there are certainly any number of road bikes on the market with more aggressive racing geometry. But I suspect that many FB bikes aren't as different in terms of geometry as some riders assume.

Agree.:) I think marketing and such has a lot to do with it. I see a lot of newer road type commuters with the drop bar tops above the seat, so you can have a more upright position and drop bars.

[malkin]

One of the best things about my flatbars is the Brooks leather ring grips!

[kimikaw]

I'm actually considering selling my traditional road bike and getting a flat bar bike. Due to shifting and braking as others have mentioned. My bike is a Specialized Dolce, and I have the second set of brake levers on the flat part. I find use those brakes 90% of the time. Have never felt comfortable riding the drops on any road bike. And while I may ride some with hands on the hoods, I seem to reach back to the other brake levers to stop.

Plus reaching around the levers to shift has never been comfortable. We've adjusted them and adjusted them, changed stems. The whole gamut. Two different fitters have said the bike is right for me. And it is very comfortable to ride, but mentally I'm just note comfortable on it anywhere but up on hoods or flat bar.

I've also rented a couple of other road bikes, and really dislike not having the flat bar brake option. I have mountain bike and a hybrid (more of a mountain hybrid than road, has front suspension) I use as a commuter. I bought the hybrid due to the wider wheels and front suspension thinking I'd like that better commuting. Now wonder if I got a higher end flat bar road bike, put 25-28cc tires, if I wouldn't need both the road bike and the second commuter.

Esp. as I just bought a new MTB.

[Catrin]

Kimikaw - how about having your LBS convert it from road bars to flat bars with appropriate shifters and brakes? I did that to my LHT last year - and while it isn't an inexpensive conversion - if you like the bike outside of the shifters and brake levers it might be a viable option for you.

[kimikaw]

Hey Catrin,

Considered having an LBS swap her out to flat bar, but on a bike that was barely above entry level road just doesn't make sense to spend a couple hundred (or more) bucks to change a bike which was $975 new. She's pretty pristine, so I'm at least going to clean her up and list her on Craigslist (she's a 2010 Specialized Dolce Sport compact), see if I can get a decent return, and then look at options for flat bar bikes.

[Catrin]

Hey Catrin,

Considered having an LBS swap her out to flat bar, but on a bike that was barely above entry level road just doesn't make sense to spend a couple hundred (or more) bucks to change a bike which was $975 new. She's pretty pristine, so I'm at least going to clean her up and list her on Craigslist (she's a 2010 Specialized Dolce Sport compact), see if I can get a decent return, and then look at options for flat bar bikes.

Sounds like you have already considered it, and it cost quite a bit more than that to do it on my LHT... I paid at least half of what it cost me new. I love that bike though so it was worth it, even if I am not riding it right now.

Good luck, and have fun shopping ;)