Been toying with buying a road bike for some time, not ridden one since I was a nipper. Thing is I’m worried I’ll not get on with the drop bars. Is there anywhere I can hire one for the weekend to get a feel for them, I’m based in chesterfield area

Cheers for any info

Bump

Don’t let drop bars put you off I never use mine just rest on the hoods it’s surprisingly comfy

I’ve recently bought a road bike after 30yrs of riding mtb and flat barred bikes. Only had it a month but getting down in the drops for descents is surprisingly comfy – for short periods at least!
I’ve slowly been spending more time in the drops as i get a feel for the bike, much more stable whilst descending and braking is much better i find.
I too was worried about the bars, i would suggest getting some shallow drop bars so you aren’t having to bend double to use them.

A good bike shop will allow you a test bike for the day for a deposit and at this time of year they may even sell you the demo model. They will feel disgruntled if you dont buy a bike from them and then you take a bike from another source for them to fix. Also you can get handlebars with brake levers on the drops and on the uppers so you can ride with piece of mind that you can grab the levers in two riding positions. I dont particularly like dropped bars but only use them when out on the open road and in relative safety. D

Thanks for the feedback, yeah wouldn’t pretend to buy from a shop just to get a test ride

You can have a go on my humble TriBan if your near Lichfield.

http://www.epic-cycles.co.uk/FAQ.html#TestRide

Never been to the shop but came across this the other day.

Try a Giant outlet store. They have demo road bikes they will lend out.

I bought a road bike recently and have no issues with the drops but dont be afraid to adjust them to get them comfy and have the brake levers comftably in reach.

I also spend 90% of my time on the hoods only going on to the drops for better braking control on steep descents

Modern bar profiles are far comfier than the big old loops used in the past. I have 3T Ergonovas on all my race bikes, they’re very short from the tops to the hoods, so if you’re comfy on the hoods, the drops don’t seem too far away.

I spent 20 years riding 99% of the time on the hoods but since starting using modern compact bars, I’ve been far more comfortable on the drops.

If you’re a mtber the first ride or two will definitely feel weird, regardless of ultimate fit

A sensible bike shop could do better by selling you a goodish fitting bike and then loan out an adjustable stem for the 1st week or two of ownership