[Closed] Anyone swapped their roadie drop bars for flats

Tempted myself, but the cost of changing brakes and shifters puts me off experimenting

You really would want a different sizes frame as a road bike is obviously built length wise for drops. Better off with a hybrid / flat bar road bike frame.

It's a very upright riding position, that said I love riding with the bar ends over the drop bar. Shimano flat bar mechs lets you use mtb shifters if you have any lying around.

Why don't you use the drop section at the moment?

IME steering is twitchy and TT length feels wrong even with barends, probably because you cant cover the brakes or change gear from there like you can on the hoods.

always ran flat bars on road/touring bike.
loads of mamil's pottering about on race bikes, with belly's too big to allow them to get on the drops.
pack it in, get comfy you wannabe fool's.

seriously, who ever gets on the drops?

Yes. I changed to flat bars on my Charge Filter. I have a childseat on the back so I wanted a more upright position and better access to the brakes.

I found it puts me a much more upright postition - slightly more stretched than a hybrid - which is what I wanted. I've got Tiagra flat bar shifters and brake levers which work very well. Less expensive than the SRAM versions.

Works for me.

seriously, who ever gets on the drops?

Me 🙂

Thanks to the mess my neck and back got into from being hit, plus the desire to be able to cover the brakes in town, I've used [url= http://www.profile-design.com/product/base-bars/stoker-26/ ]one of these[/url] for years in place of the drops. Advantage is can use the same levers - the only new cost was the bar.

sdb........for 2 mins until your back goes. 😀

coincidentally i was thinking about this just this afternoon - i was in the bike cave armed with the measuring taping wondering how to convert the dirty disco to flat bars. assuming the saddle to bar grips distance on my hardtail is correct for me (well, its the most comfortable riding position of all my bikes) then translate that across to the DD with some narrow flat bars i could get away with just a fairly long stem. and then i could fit the deore brakes i bought but didn't fit to the single speed, and all i need is some shifters. only question is, (really really sorry) i will have a 10sp road rear mech, and a 10 speed road cassette and a mtb shifter, will this work or do i need a mtb mech? i will probably fit a mtb cassette so i think i've answered my own question

No, that would be silly.

seriously, who ever gets on the drops?

Anyone who's set their road bike up properly. I had a nice wind assisted ride the other day and ended up spending about 2 hours in the drops...it was even the Strava title...

monkeyfudger - Member

seriously, who ever gets on the drops?

Anyone who's set their road bike up properly.

This +1000

Yep, shoulder inpingement means drops hurt, alot! Longer stem and a few tweaks kind of make it all work-ish 🙂

[URL= http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q540/fenred/IMG_20140614_165205569.jp g" target="_blank">http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q540/fenred/IMG_20140614_165205569.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

[quote=TheDoctor ]

monkeyfudger - Member

seriously, who ever gets on the drops?

Anyone who's set their road bike up properly.

Yep, shoulder inpingement means drops hurt, alot! Longer stem and a few tweaks kind of make it all work-ish

Could you not just have got a bigger frame, so the headtube would be longer, bringing bars higher, not needing a daft long stem and still leaving loads of post sticking out the frame.

Could you not just have got a bigger frame, so the headtube would be longer, bringing bars higher, not needing a daft long stem and still leaving loads of post sticking out the frame.

The pic is prob deceiving, there's 200mm of post showing and a 110mm stem. Shoulder injury means I need wider bars and riding on hoods, drops or tops cause pain. Thanks for the input tho! 😉

Cheers everyone ... Interesting points

I suppose I don't use the drop section cos I mainly ride solo so no drafting required ... And coming from mtb it just feels a bit cramped. I get the aerodynamics reasoning but as my rides are not competitive, just charity type sportives then not really going for fast times etc.... It's just that when climbing I find myself pulling on the shifters like bar ends and similar when just cruising ..... Probably doing it all wrong

seriously, who ever gets on the drops?

Also me.

Took a different bar and a much longer stem, and a lot of faffing (and bar tape) to get it right. Not only can you move the position of the bars, you can rotate them AND move the hoods around the bend, so you have tons of options.

My hoods are now only just comfortable, but the drops are great. If I rotate the bars and hoods to put them flatter, the drop part becomes too far away. My frame is borerline too small though.

I suppose I don't use the drop section cos I mainly ride solo so no drafting required

I ride solo and usr the drops plenty. I'd look at bike set up and aim to use then for small periods of time, building up to longer.

Flats on a road bike? Just plain wrong.

seriously, who ever gets on the drops?

me

for climbing, sprinting and for a more aero position at speed. for traffic heavy commuting though i'd use a flat bar for a more upright/better vision position.
sounds like the OP needs a different bike or one that fits better

I did it on a Triban 5 as an experiment as I couldn't get on with drops having ridden MTB for years. Loved it. Now waiting for my broken hand to heal to try the flat bar London Road I've put together. It suits me and may not others!

Your frame will probably be quite a bit too short to make it work.

I have started road riding with my wife again recently and she doesn't use the drops much and it's clear following her that her high centre of gravity and inability to.cover the brakes adequately from the hoods are making her descending much less stable and more awkward. I don't use my drops loads, maybe a third of the time, but it's an important position and I would tweak your set up so you can use them more. Maybe use compact drop bars?

Also, I assume if you are riding on the hoods now you are braking and shifting from them. You won't be able to do that on a flat bar set up.

seriously, who ever gets on the drops?

[img] [/img]

Going down on the drops is much like going down on a woman. The novice should try it for a little at a time, and then after a while they will find they need to come up for air less and less frequently. Within a short period of time it will seem uncommon to go for a ride without doing it - even if you are riding solo.

Are your handlebars the correct width for you?

I did it a couple of times when tarting around on my old fixie, although I was using riser bars rather flats and I also changed the stem length. Both set ups felt completely comfortable and looked 'right'.
I find riding in the drops most useful when going down hill, it seems to make the bike feel more stable and I feel more in control of the steering.

On yeah, flats all the way for an urban commuter though 🙂

My mate gave me a road bike that he'd crashed. I'd 9 inches taller than him.

I took the drops off, with the related gubbins, and put flat bars and bar ends on. I found it fitted me surprisingly well, it didn't with the drops, and I rode it like that for a few years

I've since converted it to singlespeed, and have bought a cross bike (and use the drops)

Make of that what you will!

Wow there is some crap spouted on here sometimes! Why on earth would you need a different size frame with a change of bars? The bars are in the same position pretty much! Cost isn't an issue as you can generally sell a set of road STI's for way more than a set of new levers/shifter and some flat bars will cost.

So many people buy drop bar bikes nowadays because that's what the pros have but for many it just isn't necessary or desirable. Yeah if you're chasing speed it might be important to get that drop position right but most people want to go out and have a nice ride around the countryside and flat bars do that very well indeed.

I've converted 2 bikes to flat bars and much preferred them, a Kaffenbak and my TDF. Both are the right size for me with drops and I haven't noticed any crazy handling or short cockpits or death with the flat bars.

If you want a more upright position then a lot of folk mess around with their drops at weird angles and the shifters pointing to the sky rather than getting flats as they want to stay looking cool rather than just being concerned about being comfortable and riding a bike that suits their riding.

Only advice I would give is that the flat bars you use shouldn't be wide ones 580 is plenty wide enough for road use. I use 600 on the tourer as it gives more space for attachments. I once put bar ends inboard of the controls which worked well for headwinds and was really comfortable but I don't do it now and don't miss it.

A pic of my TDF to annoy the fashion victims. 😉

[URL= http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp187/rcatkin/Bikes/Genesis%20Tour%20De%20Fer/2C733082-8C27-4811-AD0F-0177CEFC9607_zps8n7b6hgv.jp g" target="_blank">http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp187/rcatkin/Bikes/Genesis%20Tour%20De%20Fer/2C733082-8C27-4811-AD0F-0177CEFC9607_zps8n7b6hgv.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

And my drop bar bike just to show I don't hate drops.... 😉

[URL= http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp187/rcatkin/Bikes/null_zpsb2732373.jp g" target="_blank">http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp187/rcatkin/Bikes/null_zpsb2732373.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Robdob in response id say you would usually need to alter the cockpit of a roadbike that fits as they are generally shorter in the tt. As an example my old mtb that fitted was 600mm tt with 90mm stem my roadbike was a 540mm tt with 100mm stem quite a difference

I have converted road to flat bars but found them very cramped up without stem change.

But overall i personally prefer drops nothing to do with fashion just comfort. Tho i did discuss with the builder of my eagerly awaited bike flat bars as id like the usable space for 'stuff' but not over comfort so went with drops in the end

Robdob- of course you need a different frame size (or a longer stem, but if your stem is already at 120mm then your handling will go to pot). A drop bar extends much further forward than a flat bar- if you spent most of your time on the hoods then swapping to flats will put your hands several inches further back.

Giant, the world's biggest bike manufacturer, happen to agree with me-

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/rapid.1/19205/77299/#geometry

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/defy.1/19187/77294/#geometry

56.5cm TT on the medium flat bar Rapid, 54.5cm on the medium drop bar Defy.

Robdob- of course you [b]need[/b] a different frame size (or a longer stem, but if your stem is already at 120mm then your handling [b]will go to pot[/b]). A drop bar extends much further forward than a flat bar- if you spent most of your time on the hoods then swapping to flats will put your hands several inches further back.

Need? No I don't, as already proved. If you put flats on the grip width will be wider than the tops position on a drop bar which will mean that for the same length stem your weight will be further forwards - no longer stem needed. If you want to replicate the reach of the hoods position you could put a slightly longer stem on but most people will run bar ends which make your hands even further out so again it isn't needed.

Yes I do know how the bars are different, I do have eyes. 🙄

If people will pull their heads out of their butts they will realise that some people want to be comfortable and don't give a crap about fitting into the drop bar clique. It's advice like the above, making people think they need drops and couldn't [i]possibly[/i] convert their current bike, that keeps people riding uncomfortable bikes with weird setups of drops/brifters that get laughed at anyway by followers of "the rules".

Handling "will go to pot"?? Errr no, sorry it won't. And you don't need to change anything anyway.

People think that changing things around and fitting different stuff attracts disaster. No it doesn't.

19" Kona built for a lady who is 5'9" with very long legs and arms. 50mm stem, risers, forks the wrong length for the original frame (seat is not set right in this photo). Works brilliantly, everyone who has ridden it loves it. Just wish i could more of these frames for 99p!

[URL= http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp187/rcatkin/Retrobikes/1995%20Kona%20Hahanna/null_zpsbaaa0133.jp g" target="_blank">http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp187/rcatkin/Retrobikes/1995%20Kona%20Hahanna/null_zpsbaaa0133.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

94 Kilauea fitted with a stem 4 cm shorter than original. Handles fantastically. No one has died.

[URL= http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp187/rcatkin/Retrobikes/1994%20Kona%20Kilauea/DSC03570_zpsc2c8b117.jp g" target="_blank">http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp187/rcatkin/Retrobikes/1994%20Kona%20Kilauea/DSC03570_zpsc2c8b117.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Cheers everyone ... Interesting points

I suppose I don't use the drop section cos I mainly ride solo so no drafting required ... And coming from mtb it just feels a bit cramped. I get the aerodynamics reasoning but as my rides are not competitive, just charity type sportives then not really going for fast times etc.... It's just that when climbing I find myself pulling on the shifters like bar ends and similar when just cruising ..... Probably doing it all wrong

There's absolutely nothing "wrong" with what you are doing. Don't think you need to fit into the rules like all the other sheep - ride how you want to! Sounds like you're having fun which is more important than anything else.

There's absolutely nothing "wrong" with what you are doing. Don't think you need to fit into the rules like all the other sheep - ride how you want to! Sounds like you're having fun which is more important than anything else.

This is the key. If you want to ride a road bike quickly then flat bars are useless; if you just want to cruise about then they'll be fine.

Sounds like you just need to spend a bit of time setting up your current bars properly though.

Er.. were we not discussing road bikes with flat bars? As opposed to changing stem length on mountain bikes?

Ride and enjoy!

If people will pull their heads out of their butts they will realise that some people want to be comfortable

although drop bars are very comfortable; more so than flat bars.

If anyone is interested, I've got a flat-bar setup for sale.
Bars, grips, Microshift 2x9 shifters and Shimano brake levers (for calliper brakes)
Previously fitted to this:

[img] [/img]

email in profile

Drop bars are are more efficient - especially into a headwind where they are worth at least a gear. That's not just about speed, it's also about comfort and ride duration.

Coomber my point was in ref to the fact road bikes generally have shorter tt than flat bar bikes not necessarily mtb

Robdob why so anti dropbar? Saying it over and over again whilst dismissing others as fashion victims or sheep does nothing for your argument other than make you look a plumb with poor flexibility

Which is a shame as i read your post about your bike with interest.

OP your bars are too low and too far away - hence you ride on the hoods most of the time. An easy test of reach is to place your hands on the hoods and lean over as if into the wind. Elbow angle should be about 90 degrees. Elbow angle on the drops should be about 120 degrees or more for most mortals (as opposed to flat-backed pros!)

Saddle to drop height is governed by flexibility, but you should be able to comfortably ride on the drops for prolonged periods, and of course shift and reach the brakes. You'll find that cornering on the drops is much improved, aerodynamics better and, ultimately, the bike will be more comfortable.

I'd suggest a 1cm shorter stem and raise the bars a cm. Of course I haven't seen your set up, but I like to set a bike so the hoods tend to feel a little too high. That way the drops should be comfortable for long periods -by which I mean an hour or so, not 2 minutes in the wind.

I am not a flexible rider, and I manage an hour race solely on the drops. Saddle to bar drop is 7-8 cm. Stems are never slammed!

I'm not anti drop bar. I have shared a pic of my drop bar bike!

What I am against is people saying you can't possibly do something when clearly you can. And also perpetuating the myth that the drop bar is the best and if someone says they want to change its because they haven't set it up right.

if someone says they want to change its because they haven't set it up right.

I think people are suggesting that MIGHT be the case, and they are right - it might. The reason people are saying that is that it would be a shame to ditch a concept if a simple adjustment could make it good. If the OP has been through all the adjustments, or has other requirements, then fine.

I do wonder how many people think a bike (road or otherwise) is wrong for them and get rid, when all it needs is a bit of thought in the setup. It's taken me years to get my bikes fine tuned - much longer than some people keep bikes at all.

Rob, if you're happy with a compromised set up, you carry on. Drop bars give you more positions to use, increasing comfort, and, as I'm sure you've noticed, still have the flat bit on the top for you to use. Bike manufacturers agree with me, and I suspect you haven't put as much thought or R&D into your bike (which my old boss would have called an abortionated lump).

Telling me to pull my head out of my arse makes you look like a ********.

firestarter - sorry chap, reference wasn't to you! It was to why we were seeing pics of kona mountain bikes with shorter stems when the thread was about flat road bikes.

Well you can do anything really but yes i agree its what ever suits personally ive found i needed a longer stem on conversions ive done before. But thf they were both on cx bikes which have generally even ahorter tt than road bikes

I now have a fashion dilemma myself 🙂 new bike it is sound with 110mm 6+ pos rise stem and no spacers or virtually identical with 100mm -6 neg stem and 20mm spacers

Now i prefer the look of no spacers but the look of neg stem is better and the 20mm spare steerer could be useful in old age. Bah.. what are bike choices never easy lol

Thinking about this for my roadie, no matter what I just cant seem to get comfy with drop bars. I'm 6'2, not particularly flexible, have a 56cm road bike, but with the stock 130mm stem and original bar everything feels off in the distance.

I can adjust my saddle position to move me forward, but then I feel too far over the BB, so move that back to being comfy for my legs and yep, the bars are too far away again for both hoods, where my hands like to be, and drops.

currently on a 90mm stem with the same bars and still not happy.

Just bought come compact drops to see if that helps and hopefully I'll get more used to it.

The difference in the compact drops taht I think will help is not only the reach, but also the flat section to the hoods. The old bars are quite traditional in that when setup with the drops horizontal there's quite a drop down to the hoods (without pointing them to the sky). The flatter section will hopefully make for a better transition to the hoods and more comfy hands.

Failing all that I have a set of 580mm flat bars and kit to fit with the inverted longer stem.

No probs coomber 😉

Flat bars & triple chainsets rock 🙂

Now i prefer the look of no spacers but the look of neg stem is better

Negative rise long stem and flat 580mm bars (and bar ends) on my commuter look kick-ass. The mudguards and rack less so. Still rides much better than it looks though due to said stem and bars 🙂

the bars are too far away again for both hoods,

Rotate bars forwards, then move hoods back up the curve.

Sorry molgrips its coming with drops 😉 tho ive specced guards lol

Like this you mean....

[img][URL= http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/steveomain/Bike%20Pics/Capture_zpssedh116e.jp g" target="_blank">http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/steveomain/Bike%20Pics/Capture_zpssedh116e.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL][/img]

AAAAH! 😯

English bikes usually look great, but that's gopping 😯

I have a short commute that until recently I did on my MTB as I prefer the riding position a flat/riser bar gives in traffic.

I've just built up my old Kinesis T5 CX bike with a flat bar and bar ends. I did put a longer stem on it (110mm 5deg rise) than when it had drop bars. It has worked out really well. With a shorter stem it was a little too upright/cramped.

swapped the bars on the cross bike to flats and its really comfy handles a lot better as well wouldnt go back to drop bars never used the drops anyway. biggest improvement was the extra increase in the braking power as opposed to braking off the hoods , i kept locking the back wheel at first .

both my roadies are flat bars+bar ends

drop bars are just a historical accident. Everyone just rides on the hoods anyway, which aren't that comfy and the wrong angle.

The problem alot of people have is they don't set their road bikes up properly and adopt a good road cycling position.

Here's my roadie; it has the bars set quite low and a long stem, combined with a setback seatpost. Give's lots of space to rotate into and allows a flat/straight back which is very comfortable, but also fairly aerodynamic. No straining my neck to look up, or bending my back severely to reach the bars, it's all done in the rotation of the pelvis.

THe bike on the right is almsot how alot of people try and set their road bikes up; short and high. Which means sitting bolt upright (like on a chair) and then trying to reach/stretch/bend their backs to get to the handlebars.

HTH

[img] [/img]

The ATR thread has a few flat bar conversions. I like using the drops especially when tired as it just makes it so slightly easier in a headwind. I am not particularly flexible and despite reservations found that a bike fit helped.

I couldn't get away with riding on the drops, comfy on the hoods but then wasn't confident with braking.
Got some cheap 'Bullhorn' bars and modified them to fit the STi units.

[URL= http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/ricmetcalf/IMG_20141110_200750_zpsofuywugj.jp g" target="_blank">http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/ricmetcalf/IMG_20141110_200750_zpsofuywugj.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
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David, that Cannondale may be perfect for you but it would kill my back in minutes. I'm one of those whose drop bars are fitted to an upturned 6 degree stem mounted above all the spacers I can fit on my steerer. I've ridden 3 figure mileage audaxes without back pain.

We're all different.

Everyone just rides on the hoods anyway

like i said, [url= http://aephotos.co.uk/imp2014-7-e123/h127baef8#h127baef8 ]I'm not a flexible rider[/url], but I can manage an hour on the drops

I use the drops quite a lot after finally sorting the position. Oh and I forgot to mention, saddle angle also critical. I have mine very slightly nose down, helps drop use.

Old bloke... got any pictures of that set up?

interesting thread. my wife always holds the flat section of drop bars, not very safe so i changed to flat bars and she is delighted, can see around her and hands are right on the gears or more importantly, the brakes. i then put flat bars on my touring bike. great to see the scenery and easy to locate brakes etc.
however when riding over 50 miles i like the variety of hand positions that the drops give, and i find that when climbing out of the saddle the flatbar position is not as well balanced as riding on the hoods.
anyway, half the fun is tinkering about with different setups !