Did you change from Hybrid to Drop Bar Bike

[Jimmyj84]

R

You'll be alright, just give yourself some time to get used to it, I've ridden drop bars and flats and all are o.k. You will not be staring at the tyre, unless the bike is too big.Most people ride on the tops and hoods anyway which is similar to a flat bar. Dont be put off by negative comments.

Thanks. I will take it out for a spin tomorrow when I receive it.

 

[mjr]

After reading this comment I am having second thought of buying a road bike.

Hope i have not made a mistake of going for a drop bar road bike as a complete first timer to cycling. I only needed a bike to ride to uni and around town.

I am expecting delivery for the bike today. Can some advise me if I should send it back or stick to it? It's the btwin 500se.

Why did you go for it? Only you can decide if it's the right bike. Drop bar road bikes tend to be easier to get moving at speed and so on, but not as good for looking around, not quite as comfortable (but I'm talking about 100s of miles there, not rides around town) and often not able to carry/tow as much luggage on the bike, but those are only tendencies and specific bikes of each type can be different - there are drop bar road bikes which can lug great loads and there are some spectacularly uncomfortable flat bar bikes.

 

[SuperHans123]

You'll be alright, just give yourself some time to get used to it, I've ridden drop bars and flats and all are o.k. You will not be staring at the tyre, unless the bike is too big.Most people ride on the tops and hoods anyway which is similar to a flat bar. Dont be put off by negative comments.

If most people ride on the tops/hoods, why don't they just get a hybrid?

 

[youngoldbloke]

 

[mjr]

If most people ride on the tops/hoods, why don't they just get a hybrid?

Drop bars are cool. Swept North Roads and porters aren't, despite offering similar hand positions to tops and hoods. Risers and straight bars aren't cool and don't have the hand positions. Then there's that most drop bars are narrower, helping the aerodynamics, often about 40cm compared with about 50 for swepts (I've a set of 42cm swepts but they are rare) and 60 sometimes even 70 now for uncut straight bars.

 

[SuperHans123]

Drop bars are cool. Swept North Roads and porters aren't, despite offering similar hand positions to tops and hoods. Risers and straight bars aren't cool and don't have the hand positions. Then there's that most drop bars are narrower, helping the aerodynamics, often about 40cm compared with about 50 for swepts (I've a set of 42cm swepts but they are rare) and 60 sometimes even 70 now for uncut straight bars.

You see to me, they look almost 'wrong' on a bike. Lovely lines etc etc then those stupid antlers at the front, bloody horrendous!
Also, most people don't care about all the other things you mentioned.
Take a look outside any train station, university halls etc...90% of bikes are one form of hybrid or another.
As hard as it is for roadies to admit it, they are the 'niche' section of cyclists.
And regarding hand positions? I have Ergon grips and am all set there, thanks. And I can reach the brakes in a microsecond.

 

[SuperHans123]

Dont know, maybe more hand positions still and more choices.

More hand positions. That old line trotted out again.
Ergon grips and brakes within easy reach. Sorted, ta.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

As hard as it is for roadies to admit it, they are the 'niche' section of cyclists..

That is particularly true when you look at how many road cyclists will turn their noses up at anything that costs under £500, and casually dismiss all budget bikes, good or bad, as being just BSO's. They're the "untouchables" of the elitist cycling world; and are treated as though they probably carry some horrible infectious disease. The vast majority of bikes being ridden in this country as station hacks, pub bikes, commuter bikes, going down to the shops bikes etc, fall within that low-end budget/BSO category and almost all of them have flat bars.
There's definitely an element out there that think that "proper" cyclists just don't ride with flat bars, but must have drops, and furthermore that unless you ride around with your arse sticking up in the air and your nose right down on the front tyre in an extreme racing position, you still aren't a "proper" cyclist, even if you have got drops but choose not to cripple yourself. It's all about appearances.

 

[bpsmith]

There’s also s number of people with the same attitude but who wouldn’t ride a road bike. Same rubbish attitude!!!

Then there’s the rest of us that are in between and happy to let others enjoy whatever they choose!

 

[mjr]

Take a look outside any train station, university halls etc...90% of bikes are one form of hybrid or another.

It depends where you are. I posted a picture a while ago of a bike rack here. Maybe 70% were what people insult as "sit up and beg", either town bikes or roadsters. The rest were hybrids and I think one each of MTB and road bike or possibly gravel/adventure.

 

[SuperHans123]

It depends where you are. I posted a picture a while ago of a bike rack here. Maybe 70% were what people insult as "sit up and beg", either town bikes or roadsters. The rest were hybrids and I think one each of MTB and road bike or possibly gravel/adventure.

Errmm, that is the exact point I made!

 

[youngoldbloke]

Haven't we been here so, so many times in the past? I use drop bars. I ride with a large road club. Lots of the members use drop bars. Some use flat bars. No one looks down on them. Some of them are very fit and fast. It makes no odds. We don't all ride 'arse in the air, nose to the tyre' on our 'razor blade' saddles. We are not trendy fashion victims, 'crippling' ourselves to get into 'aggressive, aero' positions. We simply prefer drops. I started with flat bars, I moved to drop bars, and stuck with them - for over 55 years now. Enough of these boring cliches.

 

[ADarkDraconis]

Haven't we been here so, so many times in the past? I use drop bars. I ride with a large road club. Lots of the members use drop bars. Some use flat bars. No one looks down on them. Some of them are very fit and fast. It makes no odds. We don't all ride 'arse in the air, nose to the tyre' on our 'razor blade' saddles. We are not trendy fashion victims, 'crippling' ourselves to get into 'aggressive, aero' positions. We simply prefer drops. I started with flat bars, I moved to drop bars, and stuck with them - for over 55 years now. Enough of these boring cliches.

I think it is very much dependent on where you live. Here unfortunately most bikers in my area are recreational riders only and hardly anyone commutes, and the area is full of people who like money and like you to know that they have it (in their homes, cars, landscaping companies they hire, etc.) We have found the local club to seem very snobbish. I ride a hybrid for enjoyment and commuting and am not a racer, so I am not a member as all rides are (according to their website) 'training' type rides with aggressive speeds. I had always been more of a moderately-averaged-paced-but-long-to-tire kinda rider who enjoys nature trails or in town errands.

My brother went on a group ride for his work (he works at our largest LBS) and it was including our county's club members, and he borrowed a 'proper' road bike from a friend since this was not on the towpath like the shop's usual rides. The fellas complimented his ride and he replied that he borrowed it from J, and his was the CrossRip over at the rack. They looked over and told him that if he got a real road bike maybe he could ride with them some day, and snubbed him after that. Apparently his rack and fenders with 35mm tires for practical commuting along streets or a towpath were a turn-off. Didn't matter that it was an expensive-to-him bike and great for his needs, or that he could ride just as fast and far as them. Here it is a status symbol. He wants to streamline his CrossRip this spring with slicks and take off the gear so that he can ride with them and I am wondering why he would want to.

It makes me sad, cycling is a joy and no one should be made to feel that their bike is 'less than' or that they can't ride with someone because of their gear. (This group also requires club jerseys on all their club rides, purchased from the club website of course. Spandex is ok for some but I have a tumor that is less noticeable in loose clothing that i am self conscious about, and some people just aren't comfortable in it.) I think that anyone riding a bike that they enjoy is good!

I do not prefer drops but do not think anything of those that like them. My handlebars are also a bit higher because I had back trouble in the past, so my bike is set up to be comfortable to me. Bikes are like shoes, it is definitely not one-size-fits-all and you should not be made fun of for your shoes OR your bike.

 

[mjr]

Errmm, that is the exact point I made!

Not entirely: your area is mostly hybrids, whereas they're a minority here. It's more than likely there are MTB and road bike dominated areas around.

 

[bpsmith]

Everyone has a different shape and different level of flexibility. I ride with the bars pretty low and saddle looks pretty high in comparison. I find it very comfortable that way. Others might look and judge me for being in what appears to be an aggressive aero position. I don’t see what business it is of theirs, even if they think I am trying to be fashionable and am following the Pro’s. It’s just my normal position and I like it. If they ride more upright, with flat bars, I don’t have an opinion or any judgement whatsoever.

I find it interesting that some people accuse others of judging them, just by assuming so, based solely on the other persons ride or position. The print being that they are actually judging the other person whilst doing so!