It’s a lovely bike my Croix de Fer but I’m not a drop bar fan really, will I get shot down in flames if I try it with flat bars?

cheaper to replace bits when you fall off it with flat bars!

I reckon my cx bike will end up with flat bars, I only use it for commuting, and very rarely go down on the drops tbh, only if it’s a mental headwind. Cdf with flat bars is a pretty perfect commuter or mile muncher I reckon.

Like this?

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/2015-croix-de-fer-1st-ride-at-last/page/2#post-6447145

I love a flat bar road bike, seriously underated

It just depends on how up right you want to be or how long a stem you want.

In general compared to an MTB you’ll have a shorter to tube. Also STI shifters are expensive things to buy and not use

Finally it depends on whether you would rather have fully hydraulic brakes

But if you want a flat bar CDF then that’s probably what you’ll have

But this is £650 Deore and Hydraulic

But the gears are like a whole range lower

Hydraulic, there’s an idea, I’ve got some spare m810 Saints but they might be a tad overkill on a flat bar road bike. 🙂

That bike you linked to up there is mine, absolutely love it with flats. The only thing that was done to accomodate was to flip the stem and it works perfectly as there was a worry it may be too short (and I have quite a long upper body). I’m actually planning myself to swap the brakes over to my 4 pot XT’s, definitely recommend!

I think it’s a bad idea. I don’t think it’d handle very well at all. Whats wrong with your drop bars?

I think that looks much better with flat bars.

Flat bars are great, until there’s any kind of headwind. But handy for hydros.

Got some Tiagra 10-sp flat bar shifters knocking about somewhere.

I think it’s a bad idea. I don’t think it’d handle very well at all

How so?
It’ll handle exactly the same, but your hands will be in a different position. I’ve had road bikes with flat bars and they are great, normally feel much easier to control. Go for it!

Re handling, The bike has a short stem on already (for a road bike) but I’ve got a longer one knocking about too.

I think the Sunline V1 745 bars might be losing a couple of inches off both ends some time soon.

every bike i get ends up with flat or odd bars. my disc trucker has got loops, the wifes troll has got mary’s and the lads charge roadbike has got flats, he loves it.

seriously, how my people ride on the drops if they are honest……not many on here i reckon.

all my road bikes have flat bars. Drops are a historical accident.

How so?
It’ll handle exactly the same, but your hands will be in a different position. I’ve had road bikes with flat bars and they are great, normally feel much easier to control. Go for it!

Just can’t picture it myself. Riding on the tops of my drop bars (guess a similar position to flat bars?) just doesnt feel as good as if I were more stretched out on the hoods. It’s just a weight balance tihng I guess. Dunno how you’d get it to handle the same; fit bar ends on narrow bars? But then you may aswell use drop bars.

Saying that, I dont have a Croix De Fer; maybe they’re ideally suited to flat bars.

Aesthetically wrong, for me. Up until I did a skills day off road I road all downhill sections on the tops using cx brakes but I was encouraged to go into the drops. As a mtber at heart it seems wrong, but it is better. It just takes practice and a little bit of faith.