[Closed] Drop vs flat bars

Try bullhorns - give the same position as riding on the hoods but with better access to the brakes

Good point Tj but part of the reason to go flat bars is to be able to direct swap all parts from another bike

I get the feeling on here that there is something terribly wrong with putting flat bars on a bike designed for drops, but if you are only ever going to use the tops or hoods what is so wrong with fitting flat bars perhaps with bar ends?

Riding on the hoods puts your hands further forward than if you were using flat bars. You could compensate with a longer stem I suppose, but I doubt it would do much for the handling.

I wouldn't get hot under the collar myself, but I would be concerned that the frame would still be too short.

Why bother when there are better tools for the job? Why not just get a 29er with thin tyres?

There's more options than drop or flat, North Road are surprisingly comfy for long rides too. If you're thinking along the lines of AWOL, the Genesis Tour de Fer is a flat bar version of the crosser/tourer, but I think it's going back to drops next year.

Why bother when there are better tools for the job? Why not just get a 29er with thin tyres?

Yep, there's plenty of choice here, aimed at fast commuting. My wife rides a flat bar disc Merida, and it's a nicely thought out bike.

Cha****ng - I want something I can put mudguards and racks on, my swift has zero mounting points
Ransos - surely bar ends and wider bars (wider than Road) would nearly equal riding on drops?
Swift tt is only 30mm longer than vagabond btw

Ransos - surely bar ends and wider bars (wider than Road) would nearly equal riding on drops?

Bar ends yes, but you're only going to use those for a small amount of time. As I said, you could compensate with a longer stem, but it all sounds like a bit of a compromise.

You need a longer frame and/or stem, basically, on a FB compared to drops. As said, the hoods place your hands further forward than the bar-end position on a FB setup, so you either need a longer stem and/or a longer frame (ETT) so your hands end up in a equivalent position.

Run the FB bar nice and narrow too. I run 46cm on both my FB bikes. Geo-wise it'll be fine with a narrow bar, unless the frame is super-quick steering.

I get the feeling on here that there is something terribly wrong with putting flat bars on a bike designed for drops, but if you are only ever going to use the tops or hoods what is so wrong with fitting flat bars perhaps with bar ends?

part of the reason to go flat bars is to be able to direct swap all parts from another bike

I am trying to find something very much like the vagabond or awol (mounts for guards and racks, flat drop out for towing, non 29er forks so mudguard doesn't look stupid) but will still take 29 x 2" tyres and that flat bars will be okay on, so far I can't really see a reason not to flat bar one of the "gravel style" bikes just a bit worried I might be missing something as it will be frame only purchase

Edit - looks like I need to keep an eye on tt length (I am built like an ape afterall) and maybe go up a size if standover allows with my stumpy legs or accept the longer stem and handling thereof

Something like a 2017 Pinnacle Lithium? ; ) takes MTB tyres - basically a rigid-specific 29er format.

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Or an older Genesis Fortitude?

A sized-up Awol would also do a very similar job, likely to be less MTB-like in handling, closer to a road bike. Bikes with drop-bar geometry tend to feel quite fast-handling when fitted with flat bars ime, no bad thing though.

The AWOL has quite a long tt, as does the Disc Trucker.
You could easily fit flat bars to either.
Only tried it on the Surly, handles fine with a 20mm longer stem.

Are we all trying not to use the "H" word here?

Would you be morally comfortable buying an AWOL and supporting the military industrial complex anyway?

Pinnacle lithium looks interesting, also looking at charge plug range and Awol is great but difficulty is finding frame only or cheap enough full bike to justify

Something like a 2017 Pinnacle Lithium? ; ) takes MTB tyres - basically a rigid-specific 29er format.

I have an older one for commuting - quite a decent bike actually, though the fork feels stiff as hell. I run 37c touring tyres in mine, but there's room for wider.

🙂
AWOL is getting a CND head badge and has signed up to a strategic legs limitation treaty.

I hardly used my drops until I fitted some Salsa cowchippers which flare out at the bottom, the drop isnt that deep down and the rake outboard of the curve is very comfy to drop onto especially on long open roads in a headwind.

They are that comfy that I've considered fitting them to my fast road bike, had it not been in warranty for the past 5 weeks.

I had an old Raleigh roadbike a number of years ago - screwed my elbow so couldn't use the drop bars. Put flat bars on it. It looked weird, but riding position was fine. Just do it - if you feel a longer stem is needed, easy to do afterwards.

Dickyboy, I did that to my London Road for a) cheap hydro brakes and b) mtb 10-s shifter. Works great (I rode Torino Nice like this) just needed a 20mm longer stem over drops

I do miss the aero though.

Barlow Pass 38c slicks and WTB Nano Race 40c nobblies, either with full guards.

Reckon it'll take Compass' new 700x44c tyres too, without guards though.