Flat Bar Road Bike

LordSutch

I am seriously looking out for a 'Flat Bar Road Bike' for between 350 to 400 Euro ~ but do they exist in Ireland? (I know they do on the Continent).

I have already been looking at a LAPIERRE RCR 100 (439.00) in the Cycle Super Store in Tallaght, but I wonder are there any 'similar' road bikes out there for a few Euro less?

I am not a serious cyclist, but I am about to do the 'London to Hove' (100+K) on the 15th, and then in September the 'Salisbury 100' (180+K) .......

Anybody any suggestions for a E400- flat bar road Bike similar to the LAPIERRE ?

LordSutch

Hello ~ is there anybody out there?

OK, so nobody has any suggestions for me on the Road Bike, so what about a flat bar 'Hybrid'? I wonder are they any heavier than a Road Bike?
or are the tires just a bit thicker?

I still havent found anything even close to the LAPIERRE RCR 100 price wise!

Dirk Gently

If you're willing to go spend an extra few euro I'd recommend THIS
Just got one myself and it is a pleasure to cycle. very light, closer to a road bike than most hybrids and with flat handlebars. I was cycling a cheaper hybrid for the last few years and I thought it was grand but compared to the FCR it might as well of been a tank.

copacetic

ArthurF wrote:

Hello ~ is there anybody out there?

OK, so nobody has any suggestions for me on the Road Bike, so what about a flat bar 'Hybrid'? I wonder are they any heavier than a Road Bike?
or are the tires just a bit thicker?

I still havent found anything even close to the LAPIERRE RCR 100 price wise!

there are loads of them available here just like in the rest of europe but your budget is very low which is prob why not many options have been posted.

Ghost Rider

Halford's might have one in the Carrera Gryphon (sp.?) range. I've also seen FBRBs around Dublin recently called Shogun. I believe they're made by Falcon/Claud Butler and are quite cheap but I don't know how much they go for or whether they're any good.

ArthurF wrote:

I am seriously looking out for a 'Flat Bar Road Bike' for between 350 to 400 Euro ~ but do they exist in Ireland? (I know they do on the Continent).

I have already been looking at a LAPIERRE RCR 100 (439.00) in the Cycle Super Store in Tallaght, but I wonder are there any 'similar' road bikes out there for a few Euro less?

I am not a serious cyclist, but I am about to do the 'London to Hove' (100+K) on the 15th, and then in September the 'Salisbury 100' (180+K) .......

Anybody any suggestions for a E400- flat bar road Bike similar to the LAPIERRE ?

John_C

A silly question (for my own benefit), is there any reason why you can't put flat bars onto an old road bike?

blorg

John_C wrote:

A silly question (for my own benefit), is there any reason why you can't put flat bars onto an old road bike?

Depends on the bike but typically you will have issues with the brakes and to a lesser extent the gears.

Ghost Rider

What sort of issues might you have with the brakes? I'm currently converting an old 1980s racer to a flat-bar singlespeed and was thinking of using MTB brake levers with the original brakes...

blorg wrote:

Depends on the bike but typically you will have issues with the brakes and to a lesser extent the gears.

blorg

Brakes have differing mechanical advantage and you need to get levers that are compatible. I was going the other way, from flat to drops, and had to change the brakes from v-brakes to traditional cantilevers to work with my new STI levers. You may be OK going the other direction, just need to make sure you get levers that are compatible. What sort of brakes do you have at the moment- calipers (e.g. traditional road bike brakes?) From a quick google Shimano BL-R440 flat-bar levers for example appear to be compatible with either cantilevers or calipers.

Are the gear shifters on the down tube? Obviously they can stay if so, although I'd find it a bit annoying. Why are you getting rid of the drops!

EDIT: Ignore my question about the gearing, I suspect it is not _terribly_ important on a singlespeed ;-)

Ghost Rider

Yeah, the current brakes are calipers. Good to hear flat bar levers are likely to be compatible. Will check the Sheldon B article first, though.

As for why I'm getting rid of the drop bars, I just find flat ones more comfortable for commuting, which is what this bike will mostly be used for.

Why? Do you find drops more comfortable? I know they're said to offer a wider range of riding position, but I don't think I'll need much of a range as my commute is only a few miles. In any case, I could also pop a couple of bar ends on.

blorg wrote:

Brakes have differing mechanical advantage and you need to get levers that are compatible. I was going the other way, from flat to drops, and had to change the brakes from v-brakes to traditional cantilevers to work with my new STI levers. You may be OK going the other direction, just need to make sure you get levers that are compatible. What sort of brakes do you have at the moment- calipers (e.g. traditional road bike brakes?) From a quick google Shimano BL-R440 flat-bar levers for example appear to be compatible with either cantilevers or calipers.

Are the gear shifters on the down tube? Obviously they can stay if so, although I'd find it a bit annoying. Why are you getting rid of the drops!

EDIT: Ignore my question about the gearing, I suspect it is not _terribly_ important on a singlespeed ;-)