Drop Handlebar Or Flat?

[AyJay]

You sound like a proper cyclist to me, and just as soon as you've changed your avatar you will look like a proper cyclist too!

Your wish.............................

 

[snorri]

Your wish.............................

Wot no panniers?
Wishing you many safe and happy miles in your elevated position.

 

[JPBoothy]

I agree with the ageing comment though, as bits of me ache now that I'm sure never used to. The velcro on my SPD's is also starting to look like a good idea for all of my footwear, and I'm sure if I look hard enough I will be able to find some cycling kit in beige.

 

[Racing roadkill]

I have a Boardman road bike with drop bars. I have recently acquired a flat bar road bike and have been trying it out. Having ridden mountain bikes for many years going back to flat bars is very enjoyable.

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/new-mini-project.212703/#post-4643384

I am now wondering if I should covert my Boardman to flat bars. I am looking for a few opinions regarding this move. I realize that bars, brake levers and gear changers have to be changed.

I could go down the route of buying a purpose built model but I am very happy with my bike apart from the bars. I wonder if the frame angles are different between a "flat" road bike and a "drop" road bike?

Your help and advise will be appreciated.

It would be cheaper and easier to buy a new flat bar Hybrid. However, if you get bits and pieces second hand, and like tinkering, why not give it a go. I'd say it would be easiest to buy some flat bars, a new stem, some Hybrid type brake levers, and trigger shift gear shifters. The cabling is dead simple. Good luck with it ( if you do this ). Take lots of pics of before / after and the build, then tell us all about it .

 

[jonny jeez]

On the ageing, flexibility thing....i find my flat bar bikes less comfy than the hoods of my road bike. My hands sit parallel to my body, naturally so the hoods are sort on in line with that. After a while riding the flats I long to turn my wrists back to a relaxed position...so have old fashioned bar ends in one of the flat bar bikes.

Funny what makes each of us comfortable.

I'm glad the conversion worked out for you but personally it makes no sense to me to buy a specific bike then add/remove stuff to make it something else, that its not designed to be...especially if you already have another bike designed to do that job.

I rather like to swap styles between my road bike, the single speed (flat bar) and hybrid (flat bar with ends). They are each different and I enjoy the difference.

Sorry if I sound like some pompous purest, I hope I'm neither but I work in the field of design and have a thing about subverting design.

 

[JPBoothy]

No you don't sound pompous/purist, you just have your own views. I agree that if you can buy the right tool for the job in the first place then that makes sense.

I have converted two Cannondale CAADX bikes to flats because I liked the 'go anywhere' option of a cross bike that not many hybrids can offer. The first was more of a trial + error project using components that I already had, because at the time I didn't have the money to replace it. The second CAADX I bought for such a low price off Gumtree it was a no brainer, and by then I already knew it would make a good conversion. It was cheap because it had Canti brakes which I like but fortunately some others don't. The other advantage of Convert versus Buy, is that you get to choose your components rather than being stuck with those that come with it.

As for the hands - I now tend to do shorter rides and alternate beteen my flat-bar bike and my drop-bar SS bike as you do. Both are enjoyable, but different enough to keep my enthusiasm.

Keep enjoying the ride on whatever gets you out there folks

 

[bonsaibilly]

I have a Boardman road bike with drop bars. I have recently acquired a flat bar road bike and have been trying it out. Having ridden mountain bikes for many years going back to flat bars is very enjoyable.

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/new-mini-project.212703/#post-4643384

I am now wondering if I should covert my Boardman to flat bars. I am looking for a few opinions regarding this move. I realize that bars, brake levers and gear changers have to be changed.

I could go down the route of buying a purpose built model but I am very happy with my bike apart from the bars. I wonder if the frame angles are different between a "flat" road bike and a "drop" road bike?

Your help and advise will be appreciated.

I have recently converted an old road bike frame to flat bar. Admittedly I never owned it as a drop bike but the measurement from saddle midpoint to handlebar midpoint is the same as my road bikes. It's a different geometry to ride but I find it fits very well.

 

[bonsaibilly]

It would be cheaper and easier to buy a new flat bar Hybrid. However, if you get bits and pieces second hand, and like tinkering, why not give it a go. I'd say it would be easiest to buy some flat bars, a new stem, some Hybrid type brake levers, and trigger shift gear shifters. The cabling is dead simple. Good luck with it ( if you do this ). Take lots of pics of before / after and the build, then tell us all about it .

I think it could cost no more than 100 quid for a conversion with all new parts. An equivalent new full flat bar road bike would cost more.

 

[AyJay]

I think it could cost no more than 100 quid for a conversion with all new parts. An equivalent new full flat bar road bike would cost more.

Spot on Less than that if you sell the unwanted parts.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I was the same as you, flats were the best thing I ever did. Make sure you read up (and cost up) how you will fit suitable shifters though, I had problems finding ones that would work on mine, but then it was a 14 year old bike. I had to have a riser stem on mine before they were truly comfy, but you might want to keep them the same height as your top bars on the originals.

 

[AyJay]

The stem is fine for me. I was happy to ride on the top bars but having trouble getting to the hoods and drops. LBS supplied and fitted all that was needed.