Flat Bar Road Bike

[darth vadar]

I am pretty much a newcomer as far as cycling is concerned so some (more) advice would be welcomed.

I own a Giant CRS 1.0 Hybrid which is ok, but I quite fancy adding another bike to my collection.

With winter approaching, I have aspirations to get a flat bar sort of road bike with thinner tyres just to see if I can go a bit faster and see if it is a more pleasant experience that using my other bike.

I don't have a mega budget (sadly) but the Scott Sub 40 currently on offer at £299.99 at Evans looks good. It seems to have received some decent write ups and people say it is a fairly quick bike to ride.

Is it too much like my other bike? Would I be wasting my money? Should I just change the tyres on my existing bike ?

So many questions and not enough time !!!!!

Thanks

 

[rodgy-dodge]

I'm in the same quandary, I like to do roads and lanes mainly and although I can replace my tyres for semi slicks, I'm not sure if I would be more suited to a road bike and would love to give one a go for comparrison. Be interesting to see peoples response to this thread.

 

[007]

I would take care over this decision. As it is one that could affect your life .. forever and ever. Well, not really :-) - but one that could save you some cash in the long run.

I bought a flat bar road bike - ridgeback velocity - as I thought it would be the best of both worlds. I could amble over rough tracks and hammer the miles on the flat roads.

In reality, after a few months I grew disillusioned with the hybrid, as when I went for long runs I started to get numb sensations in my fingers, no variation in hand position you see. The bike was light compared to MTBs, but at the same time really quite heavy compared to entry level road bikes. On windy days I could not use the drops to become more aero I was stuck in the same position.

So, after a few months and much annoyance, I bought a 2010 raleigh airlite 400 road bike. I decided to throw at much money at the problem as I could get away with. I went for a light machine, one that fitted perfectly, has a decent groupset, wheels etc etc. I have ridden roughly 120 miles with the new machine and I love it. Why?

1) Multiple hand positions - can use the drops when it gets windy. Can use the drops when descending. Can sit up high when going up the hills. Or occasionally - have my hands on the hoods, I get up out of the saddle to attack parts of the hill this way. All good. No more numb fingers which were a pain in the ass (Ed: What?)

2) Gears - Gearing is more suited to going fast. Uphills are easier, going downhill is bloody scary at times - I clocked 43.5 mph on a downhill the other day pedalling in top gear. Madness. The bike is more suited to speed.

3) Distance - I did a hilly 20 miler last night. Now, dont get me wrong. Itś still hard work, the bike does not make it that much easier. But due to 1 & 2 longer distances are achievable. I am still finding things about the bike, but I know I can do a 100 miler and may do one this weekend, where as on the hybrid this would have been unthinkable

4) Carbon forks - My bike has these. The roads of North Ayrshire are prone to top coating in some areas, that is they are covered with the cheapest, most horrific surface. You get a lot road noise - the old bike struggled here. But this one takes it in its stride. I still feel the bad vibes (man) from the road. But it is not as before.

5) Shimano 105 - Not perfect by any means, as I had some initial teething troubles. But I am so far impressed with gear changes with this new system - touch wood. Easier than Sora.

I would advise that you spend as much as you can, buy cheap pay double as they say. Try as many bikes as you can before buying. Do not compromise. Hire a few bikes out before if possible road/hybrid to get the feel for each. Do not buy something then pass by bike shops looking longingly at the one that got away (as I did LOL).

Hope this helps...

 

[HLaB]

Just my 2p Darth. I would go with the new tyres just now; from a quick google the Scott isn't that much different from what you've got; the Sub 40 doesn't look that much of a flat bar roadbike. A spesh sirrus or Giant Rapid for instance are more akin to that role. My preference however would be to miss out the flat bar roadbike save up and go straight to drop bar when you can afford it. Flat bar road bikes are great bikes (being a sirrus owner my self, although mine has the same gearing of the giant and is now converted to drop) but in mine and a lot of people's experience they leave you yearning for more speed and more hand positions etc that you get from drops.

 

[MacB]

007 makes good sense there, I've ended up with drop bars, all be it flared ones, after being through most types of bars known to cycling kind, and some that seemed unknown to all but myself and a few other weirdos!!!! If you do get a flat bar bike then be aware that a conversion to drop bars is not the straight forward option many novices, myself included, believe. It's also expensive and geometry varies, flat bars often have a longer effective reach, a shorter stem can solve this but can be aesthetically displeasing.

 

[Lien Sdrawde]

A thread that helps me, and thanks 007 for that input.

 

[darth vadar]

Thanks for all your replies. They are appreciated.

At the moment, a flat bar racing bike is the best bet for me as a disabled cyclist until I can resolve the problem of the gear/break levers on the right hand side. At present, I have turned the gear levers upside down which means I can use it ok'ish, but I am looking at a better solution
in the longer term which might mean a drop bar bike is possible.

Any more thoughts would be welcomed.

 

[upandover]

Hi,

I have a decathlon flat bar road bike, as well as a Cannondale full road bike, and a new mountain bike. I still love my flat bar for general use, for commuting, carrying stuff around and popping to the shops etc. I find it's a good cross in that it feels much more like a road bike to ride, in handling and in speed (with 25mm high pressure tyres on), but the gearing isn't as high as my road bike, making a more causal asset more possible. I find it a good compromise between the two, good speed with more a more upright position. I use mine on mud tracks and canals without any difficulty, and certainly wouldn't with my road bike.

I have bar ends on to solve the reduced hand position (though I think I would have gotten used to it. In fact I have these, which are fantastic.) and although I do occasionally get stiff hands over long distance (2-3 hours or more), that's more because my bike is too small for me, due to a cock-up I didn't notice when I bought it from decathlon! I've done 70 mile rides on it quite happily.


Cheers
Steve

 

[chewy]

May I ask a stupid question?!
How do use those drop bar ends? I mean do you ride downhill on the drops (gaining aerodynamics) and not have the brakes at hand
I ask as i'm putting bar ends onto my bike and was intrigued by yours. What are the main advantages? As bull horn type ends are usually to assist with going up hill and I cant see how these would do that.
No doubt i'm missing the obvious! :-D

 

[upandover]

Hi,

Great question actually, I don't use them as I thought I would. I have them positioned with the curves quite high up, so I use the top of the bars as natural extension to the bars for different hand positions, and as grips for climbing, like normal bar ends. I don't hold them full handed, but wrap my fingers around them with my thumb on the bars, and a finger/ or two available for braking. It feels very natural.

I tend to use the drop on long stretches of flat or uphill when I want to get lower and avoid wind etc, though access to the brakes isn't great, so not in heavy traffic. I find them very good on long roads including on dual carriage ways, where I can vary my position a lot. My commute has a number of long-ish flat rods with frequent strong had-wind, and it works well for me. The wiggle in the end of the bars gives a good positon for climbing in too, holding the bars right on the end (and attached very tightly to the bike), which lets you get nice and low for off the saddle. I occasionally use them uphill in the saddle as well, just to use different muscles, and give my other ones a break (seems to use my back muscles more?).

The one place where they don't work so well is downhill, as you suggest, where I nearly always hold the brakes, especially on my flat-bar. I have tried them downhill but find them too scary! I think I mostly I like the options available to me, as I like to keep moving my grip around when I cycle (even on a road bike). I think for a lot of people they wouldn't be great, and wouldn't work well off-road. On road though, I like the extra options they offer me.

Steve

 

[snailracer]

Where speed is concerned, the easiest gains are from slicker, higher-pressure tyres. These take you from slow to medium speed. Weight savings make only a tiny difference, as far as I can quantify.

To go from medium to higher speed requires reduced aerodynamic drag, best done with drop bars. It might also be possible to lower the height of your current hybrid's bars by removing washers or changing to an angled & longer stem - cheaper than buying a flat-bar road bike and barely slower.

However, it's still horses for courses. If your routes are on busy urban roads with lots of junctions and traffic lights, you won't spend much time on the drops anyway - you might as well hunch down on a flat bar if it's only a few minutes at a time, not long enough to get fatigued. Extreme narrow tyres, 25mm or below, are not faster on rough road surfaces - how smooth is the surface on your routes?

Another thing that puts people off from riding in the drops is that lower end Sora/2200 series Shimano drop bar shifters can't shift up from the drops - only down. You would have to spend in the region of £700 to get beyond this rather obvious limitation. If you have limited hand dexterity, then shifting from drops to hoods frequently may be an issue. The lower position of a "racy" bike will also place more weight on your arms & hands.

Another thing to bear in mind with most "racy" bikes is that the rear cassette is usually narrow range, so you may have to shift frequently between the front chainrings to get in the right range of gears. Again, if you have limited hand movement, your more pedestrian hybrid might have a wider range cassette, reducing the need to shift the front gears.

 

[chewy]

Hi,

Great question actually, I don't use them as I thought I would. I have them positioned with the curves quite high up, so I use the top of the bars as natural extension to the bars for different hand positions, and as grips for climbing, like normal bar ends. I don't hold them full handed, but wrap my fingers around them with my thumb on the bars, and a finger/ or two available for braking. It feels very natural.

I tend to use the drop on long stretches of flat or uphill when I want to get lower and avoid wind etc, though access to the brakes isn't great, so not in heavy traffic. I find them very good on long roads including on dual carriage ways, where I can vary my position a lot. My commute has a number of long-ish flat rods with frequent strong had-wind, and it works well for me. The wiggle in the end of the bars gives a good positon for climbing in too, holding the bars right on the end (and attached very tightly to the bike), which lets you get nice and low for off the saddle. I occasionally use them uphill in the saddle as well, just to use different muscles, and give my other ones a break (seems to use my back muscles more?).

The one place where they don't work so well is downhill, as you suggest, where I nearly always hold the brakes, especially on my flat-bar. I have tried them downhill but find them too scary! I think I mostly I like the options available to me, as I like to keep moving my grip around when I cycle (even on a road bike). I think for a lot of people they wouldn't be great, and wouldn't work well off-road. On road though, I like the extra options they offer me.

Steve

Thanks Steve, nice answer, but doesn't sound for me!


The lack of funds to get better-than-sora shifters is what finally made my mind up to stay with a flat bar!

 

[galactico]

Hi,

Great question actually, I don't use them as I thought I would. I have them positioned with the curves quite high up, so I use the top of the bars as natural extension to the bars for different hand positions, and as grips for climbing, like normal bar ends. I don't hold them full handed, but wrap my fingers around them with my thumb on the bars, and a finger/ or two available for braking. It feels very natural.

I tend to use the drop on long stretches of flat or uphill when I want to get lower and avoid wind etc, though access to the brakes isn't great, so not in heavy traffic. I find them very good on long roads including on dual carriage ways, where I can vary my position a lot. My commute has a number of long-ish flat rods with frequent strong had-wind, and it works well for me. The wiggle in the end of the bars gives a good positon for climbing in too, holding the bars right on the end (and attached very tightly to the bike), which lets you get nice and low for off the saddle. I occasionally use them uphill in the saddle as well, just to use different muscles, and give my other ones a break (seems to use my back muscles more?).

The one place where they don't work so well is downhill, as you suggest, where I nearly always hold the brakes, especially on my flat-bar. I have tried them downhill but find them too scary! I think I mostly I like the options available to me, as I like to keep moving my grip around when I cycle (even on a road bike). I think for a lot of people they wouldn't be great, and wouldn't work well off-road. On road though, I like the extra options they offer me.

Steve

hi steve

these bars intrigue me too. never new they existed. any chance you could post a picture of how you have them set up?

cheers

paul

 

[chewy]

Ooh that would be good!

 

[upandover]

Not a problem, but not till Monday I'm afraid, as I'm in bed now, and leaving at 7 tomorrow for the w/e. I will snap them though.

S