Flatbar Racer/Hybrid Advice

enoonan

Lo All,
I have had to part recently with my Allez road bike as the geometry and the position of my hands on the hoods were causing an issue with my wrists. However on my mountain bike I can ride with no problems, so I have decided to get a flatbar racer/hybrid until I can sort out the wrist issue long term.
I have been looking at a couple of bikes but I would appreciate any comments or advice people can give on the bikes. I am looking for a relaxed geometry(weight off hands) bike that can be cycled all day, has a decent spec and is suitable for sportives/club spins and the odd commute. My budget is max €1000 and the BTW is not an option. I'm 6' 2" and a shade under 16st.
Below are some of the bikes I have been looking at but please feel free to recommend others.

Trek 7.5fx - http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/road/fitness/fx/7_5_fx/#
Boardman Hybrid Team - http://www.boardmanbikes.com/hybrid/hybrid_team.html
Specialized Sirrus Comp - http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/multiuse/sirrus/sirruscomp
Giant Rapid 1 - http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/rapid/9318/49828/

Thanks in advance

Eoin

smacl

Don't know if this helps, but I found it difficult moving from flat bars to drop bars, particularly getting comfortable in the hoods. The solution I ended up with was to get a set of compact drop bars and use the drops as a primary position, particularly on descents and bumpy surfaces. These days I'd change my hand positions a fair bit, but still use the drops more than the hoods, and go back to the tops for climbing. You can also get an adjustable stem, which can change the height of the bars, though having got one myself, I find the 6 degrees down works pretty well. I'm told that carbon forks also make for an easier ride on the wrists, though always having had them, I'm not sure how significant the difference is. In my limited experience, fit seems more critical on a drop bar bike than a hybrid, so it is worth having it done by someone with the clear instruction that you want a fit for comfort rather than racing.

As for a hybrid, the lighter the better, and wider tyres (e.g. 28mm vs 23mm) will give you more comfort at the cost of speed. My sister has had the Rapid for a couple of years now and loves it. Funny enough, one of her main complaints re the flat bars is wrist fatigue on long spins.

enoonan

smacl - Thanks for the reply. I had tried numerous components and setups/fits on the road bike but in the end the pain and discomfort won out. That and the fact that I couldn't brake at times. Hopefully I will get back on a road bike in the future.

I am using Ergon grips & bar ends on my mountain bike and I find them great for eliminating fatigue and numbness.

Eoin

smacl

enoonan wrote: »

That and the fact that I couldn't brake at times.

Same thing here, although the brakes were also swapped from my preference (I like front brake on right hand). Swapping brakes and using drops on descents sorted this, but still don't use hoods that much.

Best of luck with your search for a decent hybrid. Before getting to grips with the drop bars, I fancied the look of the Wilier Asolo Veloce Triple 2011 as a well priced, well specced flat bar racer. Personally, I'd also use 25mm tyres and chuck on a Brooks saddle for that extra bit of comfort.

enoonan

Thanks for that smacl. Forgot that Willier did flat bars.

Eoin

surox

I have the Boardman Team - great bike - very light, great gears, flys up the hills, very comfertable to ride, have fitted bar ends and I run on continental gatorskin 23mm tyres, changed pedals to shimano clipless, all works out very well for me. Very fast bike. Just keep a sharp eye on Halfords setting up your bike.

enoonan

Thanks surox - The boardman is top of my list at the moment but I am not convinced of the geometry plus I'm not sure that I will be able to take it for a spin to try it out at the Limerick halfords(open to correction on this).

surox

You should be ok, if you ask them in the store (I don't know how some of these stores expect people to buy a bike without letting them do a lap of the car park), the set up of bike is great, it also has some very good reviews and you can tell a lot of thinking and research has gone into the bike, I would recommend swopping the tyres as I did to the gatorskins however as the vitorria tyres are quite prone to punctures, the gators look really well on the bike too, bar ends a must too, if you have any questions let me know.

enoonan

Thanks again surox.
Will def be putting on bar ends and a good set of grips too. Didn't realise they were coming with Vittoria rubber as Conti is specified on the Boardman site.

E.