Flat bars instead of drop handlebars for endurance bike?!

Arequipa

Evening!
How are you all keeping?
I am planning on building an Endurance Bike for long days in the saddle.
I have a couple of other roadbikes, both with standard drop handlebars.
In truth, I never go in the drops.. mainly position my hands either side of the stem or on the hoods...
On a long bike trip recently, I rode a very racey roadbike and got a sore back and neck!

So i am considering a flat bar/ mountain bike style handlebar...
Would any of you recommend this?
What would be the pros and cons of drops vs flat?

I appreciate your feedback!

A

smacl

Arequipa wrote: »

Evening!
How are you all keeping?
I am planning on building an Endurance Bike for long days in the saddle.
I have a couple of other roadbikes, both with standard drop handlebars.
In truth, I never go in the drops.. mainly position my hands either side of the stem or on the hoods...
On a long bike trip recently, I rode a very racey roadbike and got a sore back and neck!

So i am considering a flat bar/ mountain bike style handlebar...
Would any of you recommend this?
What would be the pros and cons of drops vs flat?

I appreciate your feedback!

A

Like many I started out on a flatbar bike and did plenty of long days on it. Not as much freedom to move around so a bit harder on the ass being more upright for longer. Going back to flatbars a bit recently I find I really miss the drops descending. Higher centre of gravity feels a lot less secure. You also catch much more wind descending.

Arequipa

Thanks for the reply..
I was thinking of getting bullhorn, lightweight handlebars.. so there are a few positions for the hands...

It is interesting what u say about the wind....

magicbastarder

re endurance - if you just hold your hands out in front of you and let them relax, do you find holding them horizontal or vertical more relaxing?
obviously, that's not necessarily going to translate to a position where they're actually bearing weight, but i find riding on the hoods easier to maintain that the flats, for example.

dealing with wind is not necessarily a comfort issue, more of an efficiency one, maybe?

smacl

Arequipa wrote: »

Thanks for the reply..
I was thinking of getting bullhorn, lightweight handlebars.. so there are a few positions for the hands...

It is interesting what u say about the wind....

I use the bar ends on my flat bar bike quite a bit, but again not great descending as you lose access to the brakes. FWIW, i took me quite a while to get properly used to the drops and found compact drops quite a bit more comfortable than the ergo drops that came with the bike. I also had the stem flipped for the first couple of months getting used to them. For all that the flat bar bike still gets regular use and I've found it great to have getting over a shoulder injury. If you've got a sore back and neck you should look to get your bike setup more for comfort over distance than maximum performance. Doozerie of this parish posted a great article on the subject some years back, the gist of which was there was no single 'right fit' for you on a bike so much as a preferred fit for your specific needs. As a casual leisure cyclist who gets in the occasional long ride, my bike setup is all about comfort over speed.

sin_26

Flat bar and long days in the saddle is oxymoron. With flats you are basically limited to one hands position. Not without the reason world endurance cyclists picking bar with drops even adding extensions "reserved" to tt .

smacl

sin_26 wrote: »

Flat bar and long days in the saddle is oxymoron. With flats you are basically limited to one hands position. Not without the reason world endurance cyclists picking bar with drops even adding extensions "reserved" to tt .

I'd say drops are preferable for most and a better solution but flats are certainly workable for long days out too. Plenty of MTB endurance events out there and I've done the WW200 and a number of spotives myself on a heavy hybrid. You'd also see butterfly bars used on tourers often enough, though never tried them myself. To the OP, first thing I'd try would probably be compact drops at a less aggressive height, and if that doesn't sort you move on from there.

sin_26

smacl wrote: »

I'd say drops are preferable for most and a better solution but flats are certainly workable for long days out too. Plenty of MTB endurance events out there and I've done the WW200 and a number of spotives myself on a heavy hybrid. You'd also see butterfly bars used on tourers often enough, though never tried them myself. To the OP, first thing I'd try would probably be compact drops at a less aggressive height, and if that doesn't sort you move on from there.

I am not saying that's not doable. But still it has less sense than drops majority of times.
At the end of the day you can do 200k spin on bmx as well .

JMcL

My experience with flat bars is similar to what others have stated is that they're uncomfortable for long stints on the bike as there's such limited scope for changing hand position. I tend to suffer from tingling in my palm if I get stuck in one position too long, so on my drop bar bikes I rotate between all the positions. Look at touring setups - the butterfly bars smacl already suggested, crazy bars, or something like the Jones H bar (disclaimer - never tried any of these, but will probably swap out the flat bars on my old and currently idle rigid mountain bike - I like the look of the Jones)

Arequipa

Evening!
Thank you for the replies...
On my commute home tonight... I was mostly either side of the stem and towards the hoods..

I take your points about a more relaxed geometry and the handlebars being slightly higher...

I must look at some of the other handlebar types you recommend...


A

smacl

Arequipa wrote: »

Evening!
Thank you for the replies...
On my commute home tonight... I was mostly either side of the stem and towards the hoods..

I take your points about a more relaxed geometry and the handlebars being slightly higher...

I must look at some of the other handlebar types you recommend...


A

I've an adjustable stem knocking around somewhere you're welcome to borrow. If you've got a friendly local bike shop, I'd guess they could show you options for a more relaxed setup to suit your preferences. Probably a matter of bars and stem and a whole lot cheaper than a new bike.

Lumen

You should get a bike set up such that the drops are the most comfortable height, and then just use the hoods and tops when in the small ring.

saccades

I "do" some endurance Mtb racing and I have flat bars with ergon 3 finger bar ends.

If I could get away with drops I would (or touring bars), because after 12 hours plus your looking for anywhere to hold the bars differently.

Need the flat bars for descending though.

Eamonnator

saccades wrote: »

I "do" some endurance Mtb racing and I have flat bars with ergon 3 finger bar ends.

If I could get away with drops I would (or touring bars), because after 12 hours plus your looking for anywhere to hold the bars differently.

Need the flat bars for descending though.

https://www.pinkbike.com/photo/6578624/

If Tomac could do it.........

saccades

A different time, and short course.