road bike flat handle bars ?

ema

any advice , i am doing a sportive cycle in a few weeks and i have a road bike with flat handle bars , do they only allow bikes with drop down handle bars , the event guidelines say you only need a roadworthy bike ane a hard shell helmet.

Raam

ema wrote: »

any advice , i am doing a sportive cycle in a few weeks and i have a road bike with flat handle bars , do they only allow bikes with drop down handle bars , the event guidelines say you only need a roadworthy bike ane a hard shell helmet.

You should be fine with the flat bars. What is the event?

CheGuedara

Hi Ema,

You'll be fine with the flat bar racer - you get all types on Irish cycles, racers, MTBs, hybrids, single speeds, tandems etc so no worries there.

What cycle are you doing? If you're new to the bike and if its a cycle longer than maybe 50km if you don't have them already I'd recommend using cycling clothes for the event (cycling shorts, top & gloves). You'll be much more comfortable for them.

Outside of that my best advice is make sure the brakes and gears are working well before heading off and that the tyres are pumped hard (this will make life a lot easier than if they're on the soft side of things). Also just in case you have the misfortune of getting a puncture invest in a saddlebag, puncture repair kit, spare tube and a pump (if you haven't already) - on the day it's much easier just to put on a new tube than patch a hole and it means you'll get going again faster.

Obligatory wearing of helmets is more-a-less a given at most cycles at this time so no sweat on that one

DeepBlue

Are flat bars much of a handicap on hilly sportives? Looking at event pics pretty much everyone is on drops.

I'd imagine it would be harder to change gear going uphill and harder to get into a aero dynamic position going downhill.
Presumably it's also easier to control descending at speed using dropped handlebars?

kenmc

It's more to do with being able to change hand positions on drops, which relieves pain/numbness.
Flat bars are dead easy to change gears, they're thumb shifters, and you (well I) often climb with a narrow grip.

CheGuedara

Yeah, no difference in control but more positions to use and more aero on the descent. A better idea than flat bars but some people just seem to be nervous of them

blorg

Descending is a lot better on drops. Climbing doesn't matter so much but I find I appreciate having two positions with drops, on the flats or on the hoods. Bar ends replicate this to an extent although they tend to be a bit too far out for my liking. Gear shifting on flat bars is no problem.

DeepBlue

Gear shifting on flat bars on the flat is no problem.

However going uphill on a steep gradient I do find shifting to be an issue as I'd usually have my hands on the bar ends and would need to release my hand to reach over to the shifter. It's not easy to do this and keep stable while going slowly. Perhaps more practice will solve it for me .

On drops though I imagine it's just a matter of reaching out with a finger if your hands are on the hoods.