Who rides a 'flat bar' bike? Is this just a personal choice or is there a real benefit?
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Who rides a 'flat bar' bike? Is this just a personal choice or is there a real benefit?
It just depends on what kind of handlebar you like.
Flat bar road bikes have bars like hybrids. They can also take moustache, trekking, or albatross bars.
It's just a road bike with shifters/levers that suit a flat bar or some variation of a flat bar.
I ride one. For me, I wanted a bike that would be fun for fitness laps around the park, but would also work in Manhattan traffic (complete with lousy pavement). Having not had a bike for years, I did some research, tried out some bikes, and felt most comfortable with the flat-bar road style. It's relatively light and zippy (unlike many hybrids), but with a slightly more upright position and beefier tires than a real road bike. In other words, a really good compromise for my needs at the moment!
See my "I love my bike" thread: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=15672
A flat bar road bike is sort of a "hybrid hybrid"....Quote:
Originally Posted by surgtech1956
Generally, a roadbike frame with hybrid bike handlebars.
The geometry of the frame is different vs. a hybrid. It generally has skinnier tires - my commuter runs 25's in the summer and 28's in the winter, vs. the 23's on my road bike, and 32 or 35's you generally see on a hybrid.
I have a flatbar roadbike as my commuter. I find it's geometry more to my liking. I like the zippiness of the ride - I found hybrids tended to be rather plodding. But I wanted the upright position and quick braking that the flatbars offered for in-city commuting (read: slower speed vs. my drop bar bike). I also didn't want to be worn down with needless suspension that seems to be the rage in "comfort" bikes these days. In fact, my commuter came with a suspension seatpost, and that was the first thing to go.
But...as with everything bikes: what you get all depends on what you want, what you intend to do with it, and what your preferences are....
My "benefits" of a flatbar bike vs. hybrid may not jibe with others...
Oh yeah, I forgot to say that almost everything marketed as a "hybrid" these days has a suspension fork which is not appropriate for the riding I do.
Ditto that...my new commuter is zippy enough for urban assault trips without being as fragile as my road bike would be in that circumstance. I LOVE how I can whip it around and abuse it a bit without it getting trashed.Quote:
Originally Posted by rij73
I've started referring to mine as an "urban commuter" for that reason, I had a hybrid and it was much more squishy and not nearly as responsive.Quote:
Originally Posted by rij73
Yeah, seems the only hybrids with no suspension are older models (like mine, which is from probably the mid-90's). I don't think I'd want suspension either--I don't need any help being slow, it's just another thing that can break, and if you learn to get out of the saddle a bit when you hit a rough patch it's totally unnecessary.Quote:
Originally Posted by rij73
I have a Lightspeed Bella road bike. When I bought the bike, I had the drops changed out to a flat bar. I was very uncomfortable with drops on all the road bikes I test road. Mind you, I am short, and I didn't have much to choose from. I think, now that I have done a bit of riding in the last 2 years, I may choose to get drops put back on. But I would have to save up because it would be a costly changeover. My LBS did a wonderful job in changing out parts for me when I bought my bike.
That sounds like a nice bike. In a couple of years when I'll want to upgrade my ride, I'll probably also go for a nice road bike and convert it to flat-bar (unless by then I just want to go with drop bars).Quote:
Originally Posted by sbctwin