show me your…. flat bar road bike / commuter rig

currentley riding a rigid flat bar mtb just opening my options to another steed in the stable.

No pics, but use a Boardman Performance Hybrid for road duties as i don't like drops.
700x28c wheels, 50/36 compact up front with a SRAM mtb 11-32 cassette on the rear means i can ride up pretty much anything. Lovely bike to ride and great value for money.

It's transformed my attitude to road riding and of all my bikes its the one with the greatest smiles-per-mile quota 🙂

just in the process of putting flats and bar ends back on my long haul trucker.

tried mary's……..too narrow
tried drops………torture devices
tried wtb mtb flared drops…………too narrow, unless on the drops

all these problems are caused by a fused wrist, and flats and barends dont seem to hurt it.

yeah im currentley running flats with stubby ends and its a comfy feel just converted from ss and v's to gears and cable discs
but really like the look of giants flat bar road bike

is there really that much difrence between 700c slicks and 26×1.4 slicks in terms of resistance and speed.

Yes. A big difference.

I run this (although it's changed a lot- it now has a carbon fork, is fixed with 1 brake and has a stiffer gear ratio and new black wheels. It also has drops now) and it's a great commuter- fast, but not uncomfortable. Those Giant Rapids are just their Defy road bike with different bars and shifters, they're bloomin' quick.

Scott sub20 with 700c wheels and LX 9 speed – came with 32mm maxxis which puncture easily so now use conti ultra gator tyres at 28mm. Have fitted mudguards and pannier rack for Altura waterproof bags.
31 miles round trip commute mostly on cycle tracks and roads across open moorland. Tend to find that I need to hold the bars towards the middle to get more aero dynamic – have looked at aero bars but not too sure. Otherwise great bike and can't complain.

thats the sort of distance im doing about 15mile each way iv got it down to about 45 mins on my ss but spinning out on the flats now with gears im gunning for the 35ish mark

anyone had any experiance with the new giants?

Ive just bought the fcr so hopefully it will arrive soon and ill report back.

I have a cube hooper as my daily commuter. About 14 miles each way, a combination of road, footpath/cycle path/gravel track.

It originally came with a wide flat bar. I quickly felt that on climbs, the bar felt too close and low down towards me, so I changed it to a mtb riser bar. That was good on the climbs, but then I realised I spent most of my time cruising with my hands held over the brakes cause the bars were too wide. So i then fitted the flat bars back, but cut an inch off each end, and put stubbie bar ends on. Much much better all round.

I'm also so glad I went for an alfine hub bike. Its been brilliant so far, and not having to worry about grit and grime and not having a noisy chain has been a blessing on the rides home in the dark in the early hours … chain grinding gets on your nerves after a while.

Pictures:

i found almost no difference between 700c * 23mm and 26" * 1" on tyres like these http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/121391.html

i've got 48 * 11 as the biggest gear as well to stop spinning out.

This is my RoadRat, CXP33s on XT disc hubs, mini monos, Dura-Ace mechs, FSA Carbon cranks, post and stem, Bonty flat carbon bars with Spesh carbon barends. The Spesh Toupé has been replaced with a Charge Spoon.
Lovely bike.

Roadrat.
Mavic Speedcity Wheels, Conti Gator Skins, Race Face cut down carbon bar, Pace Ti/carbon forks, XTR cranks, Thomson post, Hope Minis, Charge Spoon saddle

MM

here's mine – Specialized Tricross singlespeed fitted with MTB riser bar, XT V-brake levers and other "upgrades" as original parts wore out

Just got mine £439 at winstanleys in the small, they havr 4 left i think

Its quick!

I can hear that Tricross crying from here.

Had my first ride on my new Kona Dew commuter today – £300 from Evans.

Bog standard version, feels a bit heavy especially as I used to commute on a road bike, but breezed in on Sustrans paths and tow paths that kept me away for the traffic and stress free. Reckon it will be good for some light touring as well that I'm thinking of.

Once I've juggled the saddle and bar positions a bit to lose the "sit up and beg" feeling, should be some fun upgrading and lightening it over the next few months via ebay and the classifieds.

On the odd occasion I'm not driving for work, this is usually my short-haul commuter.
It's built to be comfortable to ride whilst wearing smart office attire.

Next upgrade … H-bars!

this is a very old pic but gives you an idea

plus the Sunday best bike

timdrayton- thats the puppy looks fast just sat there lol

My Spesh Sirrus

A sinlespeed urban commuter trying very hard not to look like a fashion fixie. I love it. The juicy sevens are slight overkill, but they were cheap and look nice.

Roadrat Alfine: