OP
OP
markharry66
Guru
Have spd on mine, dont miss flats only benefit of spd is when its raining my feet are not slipping all over the place.
Flat bar Road bike.
- Thread starter markharry66
- Start date
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Have spd on mine, dont miss flats only benefit of spd is when its raining my feet are not slipping all over the place.
CentralCommuter
Senior Member
I reconsidered this this morning when entering the big roundabout outside Stirling and trying to get my foot clipped in while a massive lorry made its way round the roundabout towards me. Maybe flat pedals might be safer!
wakemalcolm
Legendary Member
- Location
- Ratho
I've run FiveTen freeriders on flats for years and never had any problems on 100 plus mile days.
They're about 10 years old now, so I doubt the quality's the same post Adidas.
They're about 10 years old now, so I doubt the quality's the same post Adidas.
Mo1959
Legendary Member
- Location
- Perthshire,Scotland
My flat bar. A carbon Specialized Vita which was the female equivalent of the Sirrus at the time. It’s quite light.
On paper drops are better for long distances as you have more hand positions and they're typically (or at least some positions allow you to be) more aero as your hands are positioned lower..
Flats are typically better when you need more control (such as on rough terrain or to evade obstacles) and / or require a more upright riding position (either for comfort or situational awareness).
I generally default to drops but appreciate the flats on the MTB off-road and on the Brompton in city traffic..
Nothing wrong with using flats for greater distances if you find you prefer them, but as you've already found they will be slower and you might fatigue earlier as you're essentially going to be in the same position throughout.
Flats are typically better when you need more control (such as on rough terrain or to evade obstacles) and / or require a more upright riding position (either for comfort or situational awareness).
I generally default to drops but appreciate the flats on the MTB off-road and on the Brompton in city traffic..
Nothing wrong with using flats for greater distances if you find you prefer them, but as you've already found they will be slower and you might fatigue earlier as you're essentially going to be in the same position throughout.
CentralCommuter
Senior Member
Here is mine. £100 second hand.
Weirdly, I had to stop for a good 3-4 minutes to mess about with the brakes and I still took the same time I do on my road bike. Then on the way home I was quicker!
More comfortable, more confident in traffic, and it would appear no loss in speed (sadly I think this probably points towards the fact I am slow on all kinds of bikes!)
Weirdly, I had to stop for a good 3-4 minutes to mess about with the brakes and I still took the same time I do on my road bike. Then on the way home I was quicker!
More comfortable, more confident in traffic, and it would appear no loss in speed (sadly I think this probably points towards the fact I am slow on all kinds of bikes!)
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PaulSB
Squire
- Location
- Chorley, Lancashire
I rode the C2C on my Marin San Rafael. That was 25 years ago. I wouldn't do it now but I have only good memories of both that ride and bike.
I use mixed spd/flat peddles on my tourers and gravel bikes. In traffic I tend to use the flat side on my left and spd on the right. The mountain bike just has flats.
The gravel bike has very flared drops making them wide for better control. The tourer originally had butterfly bars but I didn't get on with them so swapped to flat bars. I can't really say I notice much difference between the two bikes when riding.
Jenkins
Legendary Member
- Location
- Felixstowe
Both of my flat bar bikes are converted road bikes and are fitted with flat pedals as I tend to hop on and off the bikes more often than my road bikes which are fitted with SPDs. No problem with doing longer distance rides on either of them, they are just done slightly slower. They are both one size larger than I'd take in a road bike, but are far more comfortable than any correctly sized purpose built flat bar/hybrid I've owned.
1) On One Pickenflick which is a cyclocross frame & forks
2) - B'Twin Triban 300
1) On One Pickenflick which is a cyclocross frame & forks
2) - B'Twin Triban 300
OP
OP
markharry66
Guru
how is gravel bar bike compared to flat bar much of a difference?
vickster
Squire
Main difference is the handlebars! A flat bar with knobbly gravel tyres is a flatbar gravel bike!
vickster
Squire
... or a posh hybrid
I generally think of hybrids having front suspension (ie road/MTV hybrid) which gravel bikes don't have (other than those funny wonky one fork Cannondale oddities!)
raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
Nah my Ridgeback (from the 90's) is a rigid frame but I don't know what width the original rim/tyres were, it did have Cantilever brakes (now has 'V's andnow has hand-laced wheels with 28x700c tyres. I've described it as a fast flatbar/ medium tourer (it has a Topeak rack) but is really a 'mongrol' I built for my own use, hence the 52-42-30 triple on the front with a 12-28 rear cassette (7 Speed)
CentralCommuter
Senior Member
Looking at flat pedals, but I end up at DMR V12 for £50! Not sure spending half the price of the bike is what I need to be doing though! Any decent recommendations or are the V12s worth it?
