Did you change from Hybrid to Drop Bar Bike

[Over The Hill]

Started on a halfords special but found I got wrist pains and numbness in my hands. I got a drop handle bike to see if it helped with the idea that I would get aero bars if it was no better with drops. I only get problems on longer rides now (50 + miles) so have stuck with drops.

I think people steer clear of the racers as they are harder on the hills for a newbie where the hybrid with MTB gearing will get up almost any road.

 

[Dayvo]

I had road bikes as a lad/youth, but after an absence of several years have had a succession of MTBs and hybrids.
I prefer to be more upright when I cycle, partly because of comfort (a dodgy back from years of rugby and cricket) and also because it suits my style of riding; long distance/touring.
I'd love to have a fast roadie and be 20+ again, but alas . . . !

 

[doyler78]

So Doyler, have you decided what you're going to buy as your first true roadie? I'm still looking for ideas!!

Yeah,

I was going for the Planet X Carbon £999 offer bike however things took a lot longer than I had planned in getting it sorted and by then I had some more money saved and therefore decided on the Planet X Ti Sportive (hopefully). Spec should be settled today or tomorrow and my bike should arrive at the LBS shortly after that. I expect to be on it by this time next week but we'll see.

I notice that the Focus Cayo has been reduced back to £999 so that's a good deal too and they now have the 7 day test ride back on offer for the focus range which means you can order the bike and use if for 7 days. If your not happy just return it at Wiggle's expense (they will arrange a courier to pick it up). You can't say fairer than that. Far better than any test ride you will get a LBS

 

[Tynan]

road bikes can't do hills?

drops were normal when I was a kid, it seems like someone has managed to convince people that hybrids are normal

I rode hybrids for yonks and though road bikes were for serious cyclists, no good for commuting, for winter, for luggage, LBS blokes agreed with me too

all bollocks, riding a road bike now with guards, rack and man sized pannier and loving it

 

[HJ]

I went the other way from a bike with dropped bars to a flat bar hybrid, which suits my current needs very well...

 

[Gary D]

I had a drop bar bike as a "yoof" up until my 16th birthday.

Then had a near 30 year gap from cycling

2 years ago I bought a £300 Claud Butler hybrid with front suspension and bouncy seatpost. I didn't know any better then and hadn't started to occupy forums!

Since then my cycling requirements have changed and evolved dramatically and I have bought 2 drop bar road bikes

They all get used and I still use the hybrid for pootling with the kids off-road at about 6-7 mph average.

This bl**dy hobby has cost me a fortune!!

Gary.

 

[Chris James]

That'll teach me to skim read!

Ooops, me too. Can I take back my vote?

 

[Cathryn]

I started with a flat bar hybrid and switched to a drop barred tourer last year. Took me AGES to get used to it, I really wasn't sure I'd made the right decision. I'm used to it now and love the drops but I still think flat bars are brilliant as well. Not a biggie, is it?

 

[simoncc]

Flat bars are OK for the young/novice/leisure/local shops cyclist. Anyone who needs to get a bit of a move on over longer and/or more traffic congested distances should go for drops.

 

[Andy Pandy]

Went from hybrid to a fixie with bullhorns. Does that make me a freak

 

[doyler78]

Must admit I haven't a clue what bull bars are. They sound like bar ends that I use of my flat bar so guessing that isn't quite the case.

 

[John the Monkey]

Must admit I haven't a clue what bull bars are. They sound like bar ends that I use of my flat bar so guessing that isn't quite the case.

E.g.

http://www.chargebikes.com/products/parts/detail.php?id=5

Kind of like a flat bar with bar ends, but one piece.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

When I started riding again I bought a hybrid which was all I could afford at the time. It was fine, but as I got fitter (and managed to scrape the money together) I bought a proper road bike. At first the riding position felt completely wrong - like I was going to fall off forwards, especially coming down hills. I even thought about converted the new bike back to flats. But I'm glad I didn't. Drops give you a variety of hand and body positions that you just don't get with flats.

 

[jashburnham]

Started on a godawful heavy Ridgeback hybrid - called something that made it sound fast (it wasn't but neither was I then). When that got nicked I upgraded to a racer and have never looked back. Now I own 3 drop bar bikes! I tried riding a friends hybrid the other day and found it very difficult, it felt so wrong, kinda like how Lewis Hamilton must feel driving a normal car after his Mclaren I reckon. I know hybrids serve a sort of purpose but I'd never buy another one.

 

[Night Train]

When I was a kid building my own custom bikes I started with 'cow horn' hi rise bars off a Chopper for the first four bikes. Then I suddenly changed to drop bars on the same sort of bike (photo in that photo thread in cafe).
I have been thinking of changing my MTB to drops recently. It already has smooth road tyres and a set of SPD pedals are due on it soon. Anyone have a spare drop bar I can try please?

I think I like the idea of the drop bar position for road riding but with the gear range to cope with the terrain and road conditions here.