[Closed] Cycle touring types. A quick question.

Can i get in first with the [i]thumbs up recommendation[/i] for Jones Loop bars, perfect for touring and general bimbling about on the bike with the front loops for when you want a more streamlined position (streamlining is not a consideration when i am on a bike btw).

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I've toured on both.

For 60+ miles a day I'd go for drops but with the tops set at about saddle height.

If you go for flats you'll also probably want bar ends on them.

I've also used both and would use drops for long days on road. Off road, I'd probably use flats as it's a bit easier to brake/change/steer simultaneously though without bar ends, your wrists take a battering (ahem).

did 5,000km (60-70miles per day) on midge bars. Nice range of hand positions. Sufficient space between the drops for a bar bag.

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i've got a right old mix on bikes I use for touring… for road touring I've got some nice Nitto drops that are slightly flared and upswept, they're lovely for longs days on asphalt, I also have a crosscheck with some WTB Dirt Drops on that is great for tours that have some offroad stuff… for touring on sustained dirt with steep climbing, anything technical, rough surfaces or soft sand I like a wide flat bar or Jones Loop bar - better control of the front end.

Are you still going on about [i]that[/i] trip Stoner? It's so last century 😀

little else of note has happened in my life since 😉

I'd stick with drops. Tbh, as you are not really carrying much, stick with your winter bike as it is. Sounds well suited.

Sorry - not really the spend/upgrade answer you are looking for.

Thanks everyone.

So given that my inclination is for drops, and most others are suggesting variations of the same, why are straight bars so popular with continental cycle tourists? I'm genuinely intrigued? Is it just a British liking for drop bars?

It's been so long since I've toured such a distance with drops I can't remember benefits or no 😳

Last time I did 60 in a day (loaded panniers) I used North Road touring bars on an M-Trax cromo hybrid, suited me fine for pootling and the extra width is great for stability/manhandling the massive weight of the camping gear (if less purchase on steep climbs (where I tend to grip the bare bars centrally either side of the stem) - but if I want to pack lighter and go faster I stick the original ti flats on (albeit with taped bar ends, adjusted to about 15 degrees) which suit fine. I'd like to try the setup with some flared drops and a rising stem. I'm sure I's probably find more joy with butterfly-style multi-position bars but they do make my bike look shite, which sets a battle between conflicting personality traits (utilitarian vs aesthete). The answer to this is to ride my old dusky pink Raleigh Apex with a stem extender and whatever bars are knocking about. It always looks crap and I always have fun.

In all seriousness - I find long trips are better served with a multitude of positions, so whether drops, butterfly, H-bars etc are all better than flats for that reason.

Drops with the stem raised for me.

In this direction lies only opinion! And is closely aligned to the 26" or 700C question for touring! It's all horses for courses and depends what you are doing/ what you have.

why are straight bars so popular with continental cycle tourists?

I'm sure I's probably find more joy with butterfly-style multi-position bars but they do make my bike look shite, which sets a battle between conflicting personality traits (utilitarian vs aesthete).

Agreed, and where I think the loop bars win. They look less odd...

Agreed.

...and are a much better design.

Hmm, thing I like about the ergonomic/butterfly touring bars is having the shifters and levers out of the way for long hauls - leaving bags of space for all manner of grippage - esp the one I favour for grunting up hills (seems to be most of my riding in these border counties) ie outside-edge undergrip (thumbs point forward) leaving the chest open wide for big gulps of air. I get this with some massive ergo bar ends atm, I don't see that in the loop bars, but could be wrong.

Another factor of bar choice that I think no-one has mentioned here is the further forward and lower they are - the more weight is put on the arms, and the less on the but ox. Sitting high and upright as per our German friends requires a certain seat (wide and supportive) - but the old ischeal tuberosities can get sore over even moderate distance. My touring hybrid feels neither fish nor fowl - I feel like I'm always heading towards optimal balance fore and aft but never get there. I know with the north road touring bars I had to ditch the charge spoon as it was mashing me soft bits, yet same saddle was fine with the flat bars on a longish stem. Now I use a Body Geometry seat (Sonoma) and that is a massive improvement, and will be even better when I change it for one that is the right width 8)

I'm awating delivery of some Jones Loops to go with my Surly Ogre funnily enough. This is my touring bike, of which it's main use is the 3 week annual family holiday touring trip. That and the fact that it is my only mountainbike...not that I do much mountain biking these days. Sorry rambling on aren't I!

Sure I break all the UK fashion rules and give inveterate alpha-males something to laugh at with these Pro-craft bar-ends but they are one of the best purchases I've made, whether I have has flat or risers if I decide to do some distance I just plug these in the ends (expander cones, not bolt-on) and Robert is my Mother's trekking brother! Got them from the German bike discount place

*edit - pic apparently unavailable as tinypic keeps replacing it with something in Arabic try this:

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Those Jones bars look very similar to my On One fleegles if you remove the forward middle bit.

Flats with bar ends for me.

Ok, but more variety would be nice.
Tried butterfly bars, didn't like 'em much - didn't find the alternative positions at all comfy, even after flipping the stem.

Used to use drops and would use them again, but current tourer is an old MTB and handles so well with flats I don't want to bugger it about too much.

Can you fit an Ortleib bar bag mount to the Jones type bars?
They look interesting.

Have most of you had to swap stems with swept bars?
Has it affected loaded handling much?

Flats with bar ends for me as well

Flat bars, bar ends and ergon grips for me. It also means I can run deore disc brakes.

My next tourer/gravel/commuter/winter bike will have loop bars.
On longer touring days ,the key thing for me is having a good choice of hand positions,so even when using drops,I have stuck on a pair of those [url=

trekking bars[/url]

Get in to a UCI banned Graham Obree position on them ,and (IMO) they are as good as drops for getting out of the wind 😉

[i]Flat bars on their own over a long distance ( as Boblo said) will kill your hands.[/i]

Thanks everyone. I'm still really tempted to stick with my drops. I've got them, they seem comfy enough to me

An interesting point about raising the bars on a tour so as not to have such an aggressive drop between bars and seat. I think I might look to do that or even go for something with a slightly longer head tube for the new build.

Now, steel, alloy or carbon................

There's not much in it TBH. My long tours have been on drop bars. But I've also done multi day tours on a rigid MTB with bar ends with no issues. Though I wrap bar tape round the bar ends for extra comfort.

The only real advantage for drops is being able to get low down in a headwind. And I prefer being on the drops for fast downhills. All pretty marginal though. If you prefer drops then drops. If flats then flats.

EDIT I use compact drops so the reach down for the bar end shifters is less and the drops are more usable.

have most of you had to swap stems with swept bars

My North Road touring bars are quite aggressively swept so other than swapping longer control cables I use the original (long)stem intended for flats with no issues. They have very slight spring in them which I find an absolute joy on bad roads. Flared drops may be next but that's just to sate my curiosity really as the two setups below seem to cover all bases for long* or short tours (*with later addition of the Procraft trekking bar-ends for the flats)

(Any excuse for Walter pics)

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Can i get in first with the thumbs up recommendation for [u]drop[/u] [s]Loop[/s] bars, perfect for touring and general bimbling about on the bike with the [u]drops[/u] [s]front loops[/s] for when you want a more streamlined position.

My point being it's very subjective and anyone who tells you they are right or know best should be taken with a pinch of salt (not a go at you Mr S Funk)

Ta!

leaving bags of space for all manner of grippage - esp the one I favour for grunting up hills (seems to be most of my riding in these border counties) ie outside-edge undergrip

Can you fit an Ortleib bar bag mount to the Jones type bars?

It's a shame the 'rando box' type of bar bag and rack set ups are so expensive, that mounts a bag in the right place free of the bars. Probably a bit rattly off-road for my liking though.

😀 , Pah….you would've had 100% more [s]comfort,control,fun,ladies swooning at your posture[/s] if you had a Jones bar on your mini tour

I think the proliferation of flat bar bikes in Europe is because that's what they are used to from commuting city bikes. While in the UK we were more used to road bikes (till mtbs came along).

I can't use Jones bars, the angle screws with my wrists.

JamesO, you need to source us some more reasonable priced alternatives ;0)

Personally, being from a road race background, I just can't see past drops. If I'm doing multiday riding, I still tend to cover big distances and also travel pretty light. Much like the OP, I'm a carradice, and perhaps a bar bag, kinda person and I like to be able to push on at a decent pace when terrain and weather allows. I have found that getting aero on drops is so much easier... even if sat on the tops or hoods, just coz my arms and hands are closer together.

This isn't for everyone though, as the above shows, and I think terrain, amount of luggage, and average pace have a lot to do with your choice. Multiple positions is defintely key though.

For reference, I'm on a Shand Stoater, with bars only an inch higher than they are on my lighter road bike, so still a 1.5" drop from the saddle.

I've always had a preference for drop bars, but I've rediscovered the value of more upright riding positions after I took one of my vintage bikes for a few long trots. Sprung saddle, narrow bars with parallel grips.

I took this 1930s bike for a day ride 100 miler round Wester Ross last year.

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The advantage of the more upright position is you can glide along enjoying the scenery better. At the end of the day I had none of the usual twinges that I have come to take for granted, ie no back discomfort, no saddle bum. Our forefathers knew what they were about with the short cockpit and sprung saddle for non sporting use.

I discovered a disadvantage last weekend though. The high and upright position makes you a wind sock. I rode a 60 mile loop Bonar Bridge to Ledmore on a retro ride. The winds were up to 38mph and there were places where it was really hard work when combined with a hill. Perhaps gears would have made it easier, but anyhow it didn't spoil the ride, and 60 miles isn't far enough to make it unpleasant in those conditions.

If I go touring short distances like 50-60 miles per day I'll go for the upright position for better scenery viewing and comfort.

Longer distances, and it would be dropbars.

Drops all the way. Flats fail on multiple counts; fewer hand positions, inability to achieve a more aerodynamic position when needing to push through a head-on Hebridean squall......

Definitely drops with a tall head tube would be my recommendation. Just so much more flexible if you do choose to go further/longer in the future.

I've been using a Trek 720 for lightweight touring, and found it absolutely spot on geometry wise for anything from 20miles (daily commute) to 145miles (that was a slog of a day!). Loads of stack height on the front to get the position right, plus all mounts required if need to convert to full tourer. Decent value too for a Trek; if you add up all the parts it almost comes out cheaper than to build separately! One problem I had was the wheels were mince and I started popping spokes very quickly (I'm 82KG so not a whale). Trek replaced them with an upgradeed wheelset (Affinity Comp) which was pretty cool. 😀

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