Road bike with flat bars?
- Thread starter bennydorano
- Start date
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Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
A "road bike" in the normal cycling vernacular refers to a drop handle bar racing bike. If the bike has flat bars it is NOT a road bike although obviously can be ridden on the roads as can any bike. So a flat barred bike is not a road bike. I think the term is some sort of hybrid or mongrel bike. A flat barred hybrid bike will never be able to keep up with a proper drop handle bar road bike where the riders are of fairly equal capabilities.
Rubber Bullets
Senior Member
- Location
- Torbay
I'm 6'3" and have a Secteur with a 58cm frame. Suits me just fine, though you would have to try one out to be sure. I can't say for sure that our ratio of leg length to body length would be the same.
RB
I started out last year moving from a more mountain-bike style hybrid to getting a flat bar boardman hybrid - I never thought I'd want/like drop bars and that they wee for more flexible, lighter, faster, younger people etc.
However, a couple of months down the line I tried a drop bar road bike and was hooked. Like you I suffer from some back trouble, but to be honest there is no difference - in fact I now prefer drop bars to riding anything else and am looking at selling off my hybrid and getting another road bike for winter.
My advice would be to try a few road bikes with drop bars that are more "sportive" geometry rather than all out race and see how they feel - I ride on the hoods 90% of the time and actually feel far more relaxed doing that than on my hybrid. It does allow you the opportunity to go into the drops if needs be and will also open up a thousand fold increase in options.
Good luck on your choice.
However, a couple of months down the line I tried a drop bar road bike and was hooked. Like you I suffer from some back trouble, but to be honest there is no difference - in fact I now prefer drop bars to riding anything else and am looking at selling off my hybrid and getting another road bike for winter.
My advice would be to try a few road bikes with drop bars that are more "sportive" geometry rather than all out race and see how they feel - I ride on the hoods 90% of the time and actually feel far more relaxed doing that than on my hybrid. It does allow you the opportunity to go into the drops if needs be and will also open up a thousand fold increase in options.
Good luck on your choice.
crunch61
Active Member
- Location
- March, Cambridgeshire
I'm 6' 2" and carrying an awful lot of weight to shift, I also have a bad back, which doesn't make matters any better...
I bought a Giant Rapid 3 in May/June this year to help with those problems, and to be honest, it's one of the best bikes I've ridden! I've owned road bikes for years before I stopped cycling, and I find it really comfortable, although having always used steel frames, I find it a little bit on the hard side over rough and ropey roads!
Well worth trying one out I reckon
I bought a Giant Rapid 3 in May/June this year to help with those problems, and to be honest, it's one of the best bikes I've ridden! I've owned road bikes for years before I stopped cycling, and I find it really comfortable, although having always used steel frames, I find it a little bit on the hard side over rough and ropey roads!
Well worth trying one out I reckon
jack the lad
Well-Known Member
Whether you have flats or drops doesn't really matter. With the right size/type of frame, headset spacers and the rights stem length and angle you can get a very similar position with either that doesn't put too much strain on your back or neck. Bar width is also a factor too - riding on the tops of drops gives less width than most flat bars could offer and makes you a bit more hunched, which might not help. I personally prefer wide flat bars with the added bonus that I feel more in control, especially on fast descents, which also reduces tension in my neck and shoulders. There's no right or wrong - just what suits you. It's trial and error - but unfortunately not cheap to put right if you get it wrong!
Riding position isn't the only thing that contributes to a bad back. A stiff frame, hard saddle and thin hard tyres are likely to make things worse. They might be faster in theory, but back pain slows me down more than fat tyres, a comfy saddle and a resilient steel frame do. If you can't keep up with your friends - choose different friends!
Riding position isn't the only thing that contributes to a bad back. A stiff frame, hard saddle and thin hard tyres are likely to make things worse. They might be faster in theory, but back pain slows me down more than fat tyres, a comfy saddle and a resilient steel frame do. If you can't keep up with your friends - choose different friends!
mgarl10024
Über Member
- Location
- Bristol
A chappy in work is very interested in speed, but like you also has back issues.
He went for one of these: Giant Seek 0.
Overall, he loves it. It took a while to get used to the hub gears (another subject altogether), but they do a lower model without those if you don't like them.
He went for one of these: Giant Seek 0.
Overall, he loves it. It took a while to get used to the hub gears (another subject altogether), but they do a lower model without those if you don't like them.
OP
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bennydorano
Veteran
- Location
- Armagh
Think in my own mind I've settled on this http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/secteur-sport-2010-road-bike-ec019550 the biggest draw back is that my LBS doesn't do Specialised bikes, there are only 2 that stock Specialised in Northern Ireland and both have none in stock, which means buying online without getting my arse on it, which is very dodgy ground. My LBS has a Fuji or 2 (and a Felt) which I think has similar geometry would that be a good enough tester?
MacB
Lover of things that come in 3's
- Location
- Farnborough, Hampshire
I've found this guys findings to be remarkably accurate, you only need to read the first 3 or 4 pages:-
http://www.prodigalchild.net/Bicycle6.htm
going by his chart for my height, inseam and footsize I get an overall 695mm for TT(effective) and stem combined. Nothing to stop you tweaking after this, you can go a bit shorter etc, but I'd rate it as a good starting point. I'd set up my bikes via trial and error, assistance from others and various fit calculators. When measured all of the results come out within his recommendations. Things to note if using his info:-
he's basing it around a road fit and road geometry, as he mentions you can go up a size tio get the bars higher
if you go for a more relaxed frame, ie smaller seat tube angle this shortens the reach as measured from the BB to the HT in an 'effective top tube' style. For example, two frames with 600mm top tubes, one with a 72 degree ST and one with a 73. The one with a 73 will have more reach forward from the BB. As you would probably have the saddle to BB relationship equal on both. Then the 72 would need a slightly longer stem than the 73 to get the same position.
http://www.prodigalchild.net/Bicycle6.htm
going by his chart for my height, inseam and footsize I get an overall 695mm for TT(effective) and stem combined. Nothing to stop you tweaking after this, you can go a bit shorter etc, but I'd rate it as a good starting point. I'd set up my bikes via trial and error, assistance from others and various fit calculators. When measured all of the results come out within his recommendations. Things to note if using his info:-
he's basing it around a road fit and road geometry, as he mentions you can go up a size tio get the bars higher
if you go for a more relaxed frame, ie smaller seat tube angle this shortens the reach as measured from the BB to the HT in an 'effective top tube' style. For example, two frames with 600mm top tubes, one with a 72 degree ST and one with a 73. The one with a 73 will have more reach forward from the BB. As you would probably have the saddle to BB relationship equal on both. Then the 72 would need a slightly longer stem than the 73 to get the same position.
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bennydorano
Veteran
- Location
- Armagh
Impatience got the better of me and i bought the Specialised bike, expecting delivery next week so hopefully I'll not pay for my impatience. Thanks for all the help, after researching I dont think there's much more suitable about tbh.
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bennydorano
Veteran
- Location
- Armagh
Did a 25m stint on the new yoke and have my doubts if I'm honest, it was a terrible evening - windy and freezing which certainly didn't help matters, but I honestly think my hybrid is as fast. The spec says chainrings of 50x39x30, but the 39 felt terrible I was onto the big cog almost immediatley. It's going to take a bit of getting use to (next spring prob).
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
After just one ride its too early to tell but how did you get on with the riding position/ back. I dare say if the hybrid was in those conditions it wouldn't have felt just as fast. I too don't like small rings, I don't feel comfortable with them and do 90% of my riding in the larger ring. I hope you get use to the bike soon
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bennydorano
Veteran
- Location
- Armagh
Riding position was ok, had clips on the pedals which i've never used and I felt they restricted me - so they were changed today. I felt I was stretching a bit to the handle bars, I've a friend who reckons he can save me a centimetre of stretching by adjusting the bars someway. It has a future, it'll will just take a bit of getting use to!
The arse was sore too, the racing seats are less forgiving than the armchair I have on my hybrid.
The arse was sore too, the racing seats are less forgiving than the armchair I have on my hybrid.
Andrew_P
In between here and there
Riding position was ok, had clips on the pedals which i've never used and I felt they restricted me - so they were changed today. I felt I was stretching a bit to the handle bars, I've a friend who reckons he can save me a centimetre of stretching by adjusting the bars someway. It has a future, it'll will just take a bit of getting use to!
The arse was sore too, the racing seats are less forgiving than the armchair I have on my hybrid.
I want someone to convince me in to investing in a Road Bike, and this hasn't done the job!
Andrew_P
In between here and there
See my post above, can you explain why? My last Racer was a, some 25+ years ago. I see Racers on the road and they always seem to be moving faster and looking easier work but my assumption is that they are fitter, stronger riders.
