Drop bar v flat bar road bike

veganrun

I'm thinking of buying a road bike and I don't know much about them but I've noticed you can get flat bar and drop bar road bikes.

I'm currently using a hybrid that has a flat bar and it's usually quite comfortable although after about an hour or so I can start to feel my wrists a bit etc. I had thought a flat bar road bike world be better as that is what I'm used to and I am wondering would a drop bar be too uncomfortable? I'm overweight so I was thinking if I have to bend over a lot on the bike it won't be comfortable. But then I read something about drop bars having more positions for your hands so hand/wrist discomfort is less likely than on a flat bar.

Any thoughts?

GreyEagle

Your local LBS should be able to give you a spin on each type so you can decide which bike is best for you. I did just that recently. It's all about what you prefer.

You're going to have the same issue on a road bike with flat bar, it's about hand positions, and not keeping the same one for too long. It's more natural for the hands to be at a 12-6 position as opposed to 9-3 on a flat bar.

You can get bar ends for your hybrid to give you more positions before committing to the expense of a road bike with drops maybe.

Lumen

veganrun wrote: »

I'm currently using a hybrid that has a flat bar and it's usually quite comfortable although after about an hour or so I can start to feel my wrists a bit etc. I had thought a flat bar road bike world be better as that is what I'm used to and I am wondering would a drop bar be too uncomfortable?

Your hybrid is a flat bar road bike.

Maybe you mean the things marketed as "flat bar racers"? These would be a bad idea if you're already having wrist issues as they provide a lower position (and so more weight on the wrists) without the ergonomic advantages of drop bars.

It may have been the case in the past that it was difficult to find a drop bar bike with an upright position (although possibly only in the period after quill stems were dropped in favour of threadless ones) but not now - I often see people cycling around bolt upright on drop bar bikes.

Alanstrainor

Deleted User wrote: »

You can get bar ends for your hybrid to give you more positions before committing to the expense of a road bike with drops maybe.

But these wont give you a great idea of what a road bikes drop bars are like either. I would vote for drop bars as it offers the best of both worlds really. A good number of years ago I was the same as the OP, I had only ridden flat bars and continued to just use what I knew. But after taking the leap to drops I couldn't see myself going back to a flat bar bike for road use. With the drops you have three positions to change between to keep comfy. Drops, hoods and the flat bars. Being able to mix it up on longer spins is really beneficial.

smacl

Drop bar is the best option long term but can take some getting used to. As has been said, bar ends for your existing bike might help to some extent or possibly butterfly bars



Ideally you want options where you can have your wrists and parallel to your side as well as parallel to the ground, and access to the controls from your most commonly used hand positions. Drop bars are hard to beat for this.

GreyEagle

Smacl, that looks like an awesome piece of touring kit!

Usernameisme

Interesting question which i asked myself a few years back as i had the same problem as yourself. I was putting on a lot of weight and decided that cycling was a better form of cardio for me as opposed to running. I felt running was good but not at my weight as it would be hard on the joints and hoped to introduce that later. I had a flat bar commuter bike so i decided to change the tyres to Gaterskins 700x28mm which i bought in halfords for around 35 quid each and it cost 20quid to have them fit....the difference was immense as i didn't have to push as hard anyways back to your question, sorry....i found flat bars gave me pins and needles in my hands/wrists after 45 mins or so. I then decided to keep the commuter flat bars (with upgraded tyres as above) for a winter bike and i purchased a road bike with drop bars. The pins and needles are no more as the grip position can change. Finally dont be afraid to go to a bike shop and try out the drop bars, most shops are only too happy to give you a trial ride of the bike before you buy....best of luck with whatever you choose.

veganrun

Yeah that is pretty much me down to a tee. I'm planning to stop by CRC to buy some supplies so I will see what they have. As luck would have it I got an unexpected tax refund yesterday that will cover the cost of a new bike

Fratton Fred

veganrun wrote: »

I'm thinking of buying a road bike and I don't know much about them but I've noticed you can get flat bar and drop bar road bikes.

I'm currently using a hybrid that has a flat bar and it's usually quite comfortable although after about an hour or so I can start to feel my wrists a bit etc. I had thought a flat bar road bike world be better as that is what I'm used to and I am wondering would a drop bar be too uncomfortable? I'm overweight so I was thinking if I have to bend over a lot on the bike it won't be comfortable. But then I read something about drop bars having more positions for your hands so hand/wrist discomfort is less likely than on a flat bar.

Any thoughts?

this is certainly my experience.

I used a flat bar hybrid for years but I've decided to give this full blown MAMIL thing a try and opted for a drop bar road bike. Being able to change hand positions on a long ride (which for me at the moment is around 30 to 40K) is a big advantage.

it's also kind of cool shooting down a hill using the drops, it makes you feel like a kid again

veganrun

I briefly tried the triban 500 today and it seemed quite good from what I could tell although I'm no expert. I just tried sitting on one and the posture seemed fine although I'm not sure I'd be using the low drops very often. The only thing that I felt iffy about was that I felt like it would be weird cycling it with the handlebars as they are and I'd be wobbly again and find getting the balance hard? Anyone else had that when switching from flat bars?

Mercian Pro

Depends on what type of cycling you are going to be doing.
If it's mainly urban cycling in traffic, you will want to have your hands on or near the brakes. On flat bars, that's the normal position and, provided the bike is the right size and property set up, you shouldn't have any hand issues. If you are using drops in traffic, you will need to keep your hands on the brake hoods which is generally a slightly lower and more stretched out position.
On the open road, you have the benefit of three positions (top, hoods & drops) with the drop bars and two (normal & bar-ends) with the flat bars.
The obvious answer of course is to have two bikes.

veganrun

veganrun wrote: »

I briefly tried the triban 500 today and it seemed quite good from what I could tell although I'm no expert. I just tried sitting on one and the posture seemed fine although I'm not sure I'd be using the low drops very often. The only thing that I felt iffy about was that I felt like it would be weird cycling it with the handlebars as they are and I'd be wobbly again and find getting the balance hard? Anyone else had that when switching from flat bars?

I had that for sure, quickly disappeared though. Just a matter of getting a feel for the difference in how it handles.

Example put your arms out make fists at 12-6 (vertical) and do an exaggerated steering motion, then do it with fists at 9-3 like you ride on flats , even that should feel noticeably different to you.