Flat Bar v Drop Bar

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delb0y

Legendary Member
Location
Quedgeley, Glos
Rode flat bar bikes up until I was about 15, then drops until I was 55. Now got another flat bar bike and there's no contest - flat bars every time now (although I still have the drop bar bike). But then, as the song goes, I'm built for comfort not speed. I enjoy tow paths and light off-road trails and I feel much more secure descending with the straight bars. I find climbing easier, too. That body position in the video for the drop bar bike looks likes a racing position to me - my neck aches just looking at that. But I get that I'm in the minority :-)
 

tommaguzzi

Über Member
Location
County Durham
horses for courses. my commuter has flat bars i find them more managable and the brakes are easer to operate while doing frequent stops in town, my road bikes all have drops. i find drops better for longer distances beause i can change my body, hand and arm position to ease my aching old back, they also help me to get down low when riding into the wind.
 

freiston

Veteran
Location
Coventry
Rode flat bar bikes up until I was about 15, then drops until I was 55. Now got another flat bar bike and there's no contest - flat bars every time now (although I still have the drop bar bike). But then, as the song goes, I'm built for comfort not speed. I enjoy tow paths and light off-road trails and I feel much more secure descending with the straight bars. I find climbing easier, too. That body position in the video for the drop bar bike looks likes a racing position to me - my neck aches just looking at that. But I get that I'm in the minority :-)
Back in my youth, the general rule of thumb was for the tops of your bars to be level with your saddle. A lot of the road bikes sold nowadays have the bars a lot lower than the saddle and on a steerer/stem that cannot be raised like the old quill stems. Admittedly the drops are a lot shallower nowadays and might not be much different in vertical distance from the saddle as in the old days. Riding on the tops or the hoods nowadays is a lot lower than it used to be on a drop-handlebar bike (there might be exceptions amongst the racing fraternity) and that might contribute to the lack of comfort with drop bars.

I have my bars quite high and with a deep drop. With fingertips on the tops and straight arms, I can ride in a very upright position. I find riding with hands "gripping" a bar parallel to the chest (rather than at right angles) too uncomfortable to maintain and cannot get on with straight bars. It's nice to go to the drops downhill or in a head wind too.
 
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