Is it Time to Drop Drop Bars?
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- Опубликовано: 23 июл 2024
- In this video the pros and cons of using drops and alt bars.
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Myself I keep coming back to drop bars. I really like the flared gravel style ones. Just feels more natural to me in my primary position which is on the hoods.
I borrowed a bike with no flare and they felt super weird/bad after riding drop bars with flare for a while.
I just like that the 3 traditional positions on drop bars are pretty drastically different. If any part of my body is uncomfortable on a long ride, I can usually fix it by just changing to one of the other positions because they all put you in a different riding posture. With flat and alt bars, even if they have multiple places to put your hands, it feels like the riding posture feels about the same.
I've been riding flared on my road bike for a few years and I much prefer how it feels. I built a racing bike that isn't flared and it definitely feels more cramped and slightly awkward
Modern dirt drop h'bars are designed to be ridden in the hooks.
Dirt drop handlebars aren't even a new thing. They werent uncommon on the earliest ATBs.
On plenty of widely angled dirt drops, I've found the funky and narrow hoods position really awkward. There is a huge variety of bar shapes to try out though.
Riding in the hooks you have the very best control over the bike, your weight is better distributed on both wheels, you have the most secure grip on the bars and best leverage on brake levers.
An extra tall stem makes a huge difference in allowing the hooks to be your primary trail position.
Of course anyone can ride however they like. As long as you're having fun, it's all that matters. This is simply how dirt drops were intended to be ridden. If you want to go faster on steeper, rougher terrain, riding in the hooks will help you avoid crashing.
"industrial roadie complex"--best description of the corporate bike industrial complex. This is why I SUPPORT this channel....made my day... :)
I appreciate your honest and broad-based comparison of different competing products without any predisposed preference or motive.
Another great video. I have raised my cow chippers above my seat height so that the top/hoods are at the top of my comfort range and the drops are high enough to use without much discomfort. I use the drops all the time now.
Handle bars & positions are worth experimenting with.
I'm exactly the same with the same bars. I want my bars high but use drops all the time
Sometimes I feel I could do with a riser bar drop
You just did the best, most comprehensive -and to the point-comparison of these two types of handlebars! I’m approaching my late 60s…a bicycle rider since 1972, maybe 1973? I’ve done my “crazy” riding, but healing takes much longer now. My old road bike sits, as I hate “roads with cars”. My old thrasher sits, as I’m more relaxed in my riding, and again, I just don’t heal as quickly as I used to. My primary ride now…is my Chumba Stella ti…built up with Rohloff aft, and SON Dyno forward….used for gravel, rail trail, forest service roads to access New England fly fishing spots….and long bikepacking trips when I just have to get away! Bravo-Zulu, we’ll done….explaining. I’m now considering those hand extensions on my Thompson flattie, just to give me another hand position. Wishing you many smiles with the miles, and safe riding, brother!
I only use flat or alt bars because drop bars and controls are expensive, tedious to swap and I find them no more comfortable with less steering control on the fun terrain. Moloko is my fave except friction shifter mounting isn’t ideal.
Pedro’s tire levers are the best but I snapped one for the first time last week (trying to mount a wtb raddler) so it’s making me revisit everything I know about bikes. Maybe I’ll put a drop bar on my commuter just for experimental purposes
A popular set up for bickpacking is actually flat bars with clip on aero bars. It’s a little busy and ugly but quite functional
I had that set up on my 90s mtb that I converted to a commuter and short tourer. worked great!
I do a variation of that for touring. Not my idea, but it works wonderfully.
Agree. That combo is better than drops for descending, straightaways, and getting a lot more bike for your money. And I think it looks cool, like my bike has antlers. 😅
I’m sorry for being dense. It’s not purposeful, I assure you. I’m both a retired Navy Officer and a retired federal wildlife officer….dealing with head injuries that impact my thought process sometimes. Now In retirement, I’m getting back into bicycling…and now own a Chumba Stella ti, outfitted for backcountry riding, to access out of the way fly fishing spots in New England. It has flat bars, but what you offer as an alternative to drops, is intriguing. Do whatever these are, just bolt on? Or is this something that is part of the original flat bars. Mine is equipped with a Thompson flattie. Can you explain just a bit more. Or turn me in the right direction, to find out more. Thank you, I’d appreciate it. Be safe, and I wish you well….many smiles with the miles!
I've been using a Jones H-Bar for about 5 years now for daily use and tours on my Cross Check (had to scale down from 5 bikes to 2). I enjoy it very much and at 66 y.o.a., the upright position works for me. But I really enjoy the panache of drops, especially the way Russ has his set up and the hoods I do miss...
I do love my drops but I’m building up a Gunnar with some new Nitto’s with a dramatic sweep. It will be interesting to see how I like it on long rides(I know I’m going to dig the upright position for shorter stuff).
I have the same numbness in my hands with flat or sweep bars, but seem to avoid it with drop bars & riding on the hood. Definitely my most comfortable position to ride.
I applaud your honesty from the outset.
I agree. Depending on what your plans are one is better than the other.
I ride on my fixed gear both risers and Dropbars. Riser for commuting because of the more upright position and better view over traffic and drop for recreational riding ✌️
That dirt dropper looks cool. If you want a real chill ride on your bike even when putting in strength into the pedals the alt bars are great. I have straight bars, and ones that are slightly moved back. And there both good. I think mostly it’s a feel for the bike, and aesthetic.
Love traditional road drop bars. I don’t even want a little bit of a flair. I use regular 44 cm drop bars on my gravel bike same bar I use on my road bike. And I like the way they look.
Good presentation, well-balanced, logical rationale throughout. 👍
So, Russ, in a nutshell, I think you said "horses for courses" and "if it hurts, don't do it."
abchaplin out here scoring headshots
Where's the RUclips revenue from such a short video though?
This is RUclips not Twitter.
I've used drop, straight and alt bars. I prefer straight and alt bars because I feel I have quicker access to the brake levers. I ride in an urban environment and being able to get on the brakes quickly can be a life saver. I have nothing against drop bars but at 63 I just don't find them as comfortable as I do ride in a more upright position.
I had the same issue sliding into my 60's. Stiffness, sciatica, and a little bit of arthritis, made riding a bit less comfortable than it used to be, even on the same 2007 Surly LHT I have ridden for years. But when they were available, I swapped in Surly Truck Stop Bars. They could use a skosh more flare, but the small rise on them seems just right for me.
I prefer drop bars personally but I don't set them too low which is common now, this allows me to use the drops and not just the hoods.
I've come to prefer very wide drop bars
(50+ cm) mated with ultra dorky tall stems. My bars level or even higher than the saddle. This makes technical trail riding much easier, safer and natural. The older I get, (I'm 61 years young) the more I'm happy sitting up and 'in' the bike. When I'm comfortable, I'm very happy to pedal all day, and then some! All my racing habits have slowly but surely disappeared as I've gotten older. But I can ride long enough that most fast youngsters lose interest. I ride with lots of young guys at the shop.
I'm an old school 'off-roadie', riding hard since the '70s. We rode our racing bikes with sew ups off road, well before most folks ever saw an mtb. Anytime we discovered a new trail in the local mountains, we would find out where it went.
So far I dig Nitto Dirt Drops and Ritchey Venturemax best on my all purpose bikes. Can't wait to try a Surly Corner bar when I can finally get my hands on one. I can then use mtb controls and hydro disc brakes I already have to convert my MTBs to drop bars.
I use these bars for some fairly technical rocky singletrack on rigid cross/gravelish frame. On my vintage steel rando 'all road' tourer, used for mostly smooth road or dirt riding I like the 48cm Nitto Noodles.
I agree that everyone should use whatever equipment they find most comfortable and whatever allows them to spend as much time riding as they wish. Party pace is ALL about being comfortable while riding.
I'm retired now, but wrench in a high end shop part time. New bike technology doesnt impress me very much. My old junk hasn't worn out yet.
The most important parts on your bike are the touch points on the bike where you interface with the bike, your tires/wheels that are your connection with the ground and a simple, RELIABLE and CLEAN drivetrain that makes you go. Never forget the importance of your attitude, skills and fitness. It will always be the RIDER, not the freakin bike!!
Really good info here and a lot of important details. I generally like frames with higher stack heights so drop bars don't feel super low. I have a State 4130 All-Road and a Salsa Fargo both with drop bars and both have much higher stack heights than a typical gravel or road bike.
Nice balanced presentation.
I'm used to drop bars and like the varied hand positions. Riding the hoods is my default, in a non-crouched position.
One problem with drops is that they take a little while to get used to. New cyclists ate often intimidated.
Great review with pros and cons. You can check your personal habit, style against them and decide.
Like Russ said, it depends on the ride. I have really wide Nitto Noodle drop bars on my Long Haul Trucker and use all available hand positions on long rides. The width helps keep the bike from feeling squirrely in gravel or rough. I have an alt bar on a bike I ride in town a lot because the upright position feels safer to me in traffic. I feel like I'm better able to keep my head on a swivel.
For better vision using drop bars, try a taller stem. I like them really high, bars near same level as the saddle or even higher.
I use the widest 48cm Noodles on my rando/all road bike. I ride it off-road lots too. I love the back sweep the most when I'm riding up climbs. Perfect bars for really long rides.
If you want to try a bit wider off-road bend, check out the Nitto RM013 Dirt Drops. It's still a pretty traditional bar with a fairly deep drop. The hooks flare out just a small amount. You can get 'em 52cm wide.
A good analysis . I use drops - and this is for comfort reasons more than anything else. If you are doing more gnarly down hills then flats/alts may be a better solution, but what and where you ride and how comfortable you are will dictate what you are using. I am just a bit miffed that no handle bar can deal with the flooding we have at the moment 😂
Both! On my chill touring rig I run Bosco bars and love the various hand and body positions - I can go from laid back couch bike vibes to an aero tuck. But for going fast and far I'm working on a build that will be super wide drops + clip on aero bars.
I’ve had one bike with drops and one with the Surly Sunrise bars. The bike with the sunrise bars is my Surly 1x1. Loved that setup up. Then threw the Surly corner bars on my 1x1 🤯. Love the corner bars!!! Don’t miss flat bars like I thought I would.
drop bar components are more expensive and harder to swap around so not so nice but I love the feel of drop bars. Riding downhill in the drops is fun and I like how the shifting feels
Bravo. My bike came w cowchipper bars, and I like them for the reasons you gave: many holds, hide from the wind, and given their width, plenty of leverage. I had a 30 yr old MTB w flat bars and I pulled one or two sons in a kid trailer. Until I turned into the wind. And didn't have a low enough gear to continue. There's almost always wind. Long live cowchippers. Where's your join button.. (JK, I'm on my phone, I'll find it w my pixel book). Great, informative challel IMHO.
Great piece Russ and Laura. I'm running the wide Redshift on my road//occasional gravel ARD 1.4 (REI) and Jones H-bar on my hard tail gravel/mtn bike. Both are comfortable (upright) and accommodate bags
I use both. Depending on the bike. However I prefer drop bars. It was refreshing to hear drop bars can be set up less aggressive, level with the saddle. That’s how I set all of mine up.
For my monster cross bike, drop bars are my favorite, 44cm Ritchey Biomax. Reason being I ride a lot of narrow trails with trees on the sides or many of the local areas have narrow entrances to keep out motorcycles. I rarely use the drops unless there's a strong head wind or fast descent. I have more of an alt bar on my touring bike that I used to ride a lot on the dirt and found, like Russ, that my hands get fatigued on longer rides.
Russ, I have the same problem with my hands and forearms having shooting pain. My solution and an aspect of dropped bars that you did not mention is wing bars and especially for me carbon wing bars. The only way I could continue to ride drop bars was to get rid of the round cross-section. Wing profile bars with ergo-grip contours made a huge difference for my comfort.
Upright alt bars work perfectly for the riding I primarily do (especially the swept back versions like Nitto's Albatross, Albastache, Bosco, et.al.); lots of hand positions available. I used to ride drop bars exclusively but as time went by the advantages of the alt bar for me won out. YMMV
Well said. Both are useful. I have jones h bars and they give a lot of control but are not as comfortable for long hauling as drop bars. I have both.
I like the different lighting setup in this vid.
I'm lucky enough to have two gravel bikes. One is the Surly Ghost Grappler which I modified and put a Moloko Bar on, and a Salsa Fargo that now has the same Redshift Kitchen Sink! It is nice having choice. The Grappler is good for shorter more rugged days and the Fargo for long or multi-day trips.
Alt bars are a great choice for any kind of go-anywhere ATB/trekking soft-roader type scenarios but I do recommend throwing a bit of bar tape on any bar-ends or extensions you may have. Makes a big difference.
Lol...I'm 60.
Dutch bars, Moustache bars...Alt Bars- whatever you call them...they ROCK...it's all about the comfort for me. Ymmv
I prefer the drop bar for its multiple hand positions. Gripping the outside edge is a much more comfortable, natural position that is gentle on my wrists. Keep up the good work.
Russ's retro-grouch quotient has been rising, and upon seeing the headline, I was hopeful that I would see further growth. But "it depends" isn't grouchy enough. I have a Jones Bar on my 96 Gary Fisher Hoo Koo. Love it. Didn't Russ used to appreciate them? Haven't seen them on any of his bikes recently.
Firstly, greetings from the uk. Love the channel. I like the multiple hand positions that drop bars provide, though I hardly ever use the drops on my adventure/gravel bike, preferring to ride with hands on the hoods, top bends, and tops. I’d probably find alt bars limiting, especially on long rides where hand/wrist fatigue sets in.
Good compare and contrast. 100% for me too on not being able to ride flat/alt bars for long (2+ hours) rides without having issues with medial and ulnar nerves and tendonitis. Even with aero bars or big curvy bull horns, just not enough variation of hand position. Size L Ergon grips helped immensly for me, I put most of my weight on the trailing rubber "wing" which acted as a nice shock absorber. The added surface area and shape really helped with spreading the weight across my whole palm. Still not enough to keep from getting numb/tingly hands. Decided to experiment and got a used Salsa Cowbell for $10 at Recycled Cycles and mis-matched 3x and 9x brifters for $25 at an REI garage sale. So much better for me on the tarmac, rail trail, and FS road riding I was doing at the time.
I snapped a Pedro's tire lever and couldn't find the piece that broke off. I figured it had dropped out into the gravel and weeds. 15 miles later I found it, the piece had hidden silently somewhere in my 47c tire and gave me another puncture, lol. They work well, I just have to dial back my "superhero level strength" a bit ;P
I have ridden several configurations of flat bars and my hands/wrists start hurting after an hour or so. After a few years of commuting, I settled on short-reach, short-drop drop bars with cyclocross levers so I can brake on the flats and in the drops or on the hoods. I set my handlebars about 2” above my saddle. I found ways to attach handlebar bags without interfering with the cyclocross levers.
Drops were good for me on my fixed track bike back in the early 00s but for the last 15 years I've been on riser variations. My favorite is the Surly Sunrise bar. To me it's perfect geometry for roads, dirt, trail, touring,packing, all of it. I'm also on a 26+ bike which adds to the ride and STYLE because we know how it looks matters too. If it looks wack it's going to ride wack.
I swapped to flat bars some years ago, and the windy days really made me rue the change!
I have added tribars to overcome this problem, but I find it very difficult to get the right saddle position for both positions.
However, I noticed recently that Redshift do a two position seat post, which might help - but it isn't cheap.
Love the Harvey Mushman reference! That was the name Steve McQueen used when entering dirt bike races.
Jones bars with the unicorn extension give a good aero position but hey when the winds at your back alt bars are the dream 😃
Another great video, I have on one Geoff bars on bike, Sq labs on Another and ultra wide dirt drops in Another! The bars should match the riders needs! I will give a slight nod to my Geoff bars, wide, tons on hand placements, bag/accessorie mounts galore and great for all off road conditions.
YES, DITCH THE DROP BARS (unless you race)!!!
My road bikes are setup with friction shifters, alt bars and aero bars. Want to absolutely FLY? Aero bars. Need comfort? The alt bars offer tons of hand placement options. Enjoy cornering like you're on rails? MTB brake levers dominate.
I’m still fairly new back to bikes(rode them through high school and kind of dropped off of riding), and have largely stayed away from drop bars because of perceptions of hardcore cyclists using dropbars. Since I want to ride casually I kept to alt/flat bars so far, though I am mildly curious about testing drop bars on a longer ride to see how it feels since I too struggle some with comfort on alt/flat bars after a while
I thought the same as you before trying drop bars simply because I was not comfortable working on dropbar when maintenance comes. Took time to learn and get used to them and now I can never go back to flat bars on longer rides. My wrists bother me riding prolonged rides on flat bars.
I have gone from a Cannondale superX to now riding a more everyday ebike with flat bars and 48mm 650b tires and i love it. The only downside is the drag from going faster than 15mph, when the motor shuts down. But on gravel roads I'm okay with that. 9 gears should be upgraded in the future tho. My Cannondale has been fitted with 17 degree riser and surly truck stop bars and hopefully this year i can use it on roads if my back allows it.
I have tried to like drop bars, but almost inevitably they hurt my back. I’ve had a dirt drop set up with real flared out drops which was the most comfortable drop setup but I just end up still wanting flat bars 90% of the time. Interestingly I do like something like the riv bosco bars for getting a similar wrist position to a drop bar with none of the aero back hurting positioning.
This is such good sense making heresy
Before ten speeds (and hence drop bars) became common in the western rural U.S., in about 1964 (sixth grade) I put drop bars on my 1958 Western Flyer (wide steel bars with some rise and about 30 degrees of sweep, 24" x 1-3/4" wheel size) to make it more wind-efficient, as I lived in a windy town (our high school's paper was titled "The Sandstorm") and commuted a couple of miles to and from school every day. Of course they were steel bars - there was no other option available from the one small sporting goods store in our small city, and in that time, drop bars were the "alternative" bars. I have to say there was a noticeable improvement in speed, due to the more aero position, both narrower and lower (I was young and flexible, and could ride in the drops all day given the top of the stem was about the same height as the saddle.) When ten speeds started to become a thing in our town (1970) I ordered a Schwinn Varsity; it was like ordering a car, took about 6 weeks to arrive. The glossy catalog didn't mention it weighed 41 lbs with the chrome steel fenders, steel drop bars with stem shifters and transparent blue plastic tape, Ashtabula one piece steel cranks, and a welded water-pipe frame that was as solid as a locomotive descending paved mountain passes at 50-60 mph with touring loads. I paid extra for toe clips and nearly killed myself trying to get leather sandals disengaged from them before tipping over when caught in too high a gear on a short climb. Anyway, drop bars were the bomb in our flat-as-a pancake town.
Currently trying some drop bars on a Hardtack. Also an exercise in open mind stretching. Should be fun
I use an alt bar (Surly Terminal Bar) on my bridge club with inner Bar ends (SQ Lab) that are thick taped with bar tape. Love it. But at the Moment Im thinking about building up a Straggler and am debating between drop or alt bars. Would be nice to have a drop bar bike on one hand. But i think im more a flat bar guy. Never had drop bars on any of my bikes.
I have used drops, specifically the Sim Works 'Wild Honey' bars on my gravel touring rig for over 13,000 miles. The hooks flare out slightly and are honestly very comfortable but do handle poorly in sandy conditions. Flat bars and their technical leverage would be preferable. But for the long haul the hoods are the most comfortable. I have also experienced the hand tingle with most stock flat bars, but I'm building a Crust ScapeBot now with the Tumbleweed Persuader bars with touring off the beaten path in mind.
I have a trek fx1 it’s a great bike but the flat bar position was giving me pain in shoulder and rest I thought it’s a saddle position problem so i did get my saddle correctly and still the same pain then one day I bought a cheap gravel handlebar with cheap microshif shifters, and man it’s a better bike now it’s looks awesome and feels great in ride . Thanks for the video
Thanks Russ for all of your videos. Perhaps somebody will produce flat bar nubs or extensions that have more of the shape of drop a bar brake lever body (with a "stop" between the thumb and index finger, and a broader vertical section to grab onto). Apologies if somebody in the comments already suggested such a product.
Loved your agnostic and nuanced presentation as always.
I'm a drop-bar addict mainly because of the wind and mainly being in tarmack or light gravel, but some scary descents and having to use a backpack for my laptop made me install some sketchy secondary brake levers in the tops, they work fine thou.
As for your carpal tunnel, have you tried those ergonomic mice and keyboards? Got one for my father and his pain has gone away
The benefit of drop bar for me is it spreads some of your body weight from you tush to your arms and legs for longer hours in the saddle. But upright is where it’s at for cruising the town when you need your head on a swivel it gives better visibility.
Yep, for urban transportation being more upright gives me a better view and and no compromises on maximum braking ability (arms braced, weight pushed back, whaling on the front brake as the front wheel rubber protests on the asphalt). For that usage I consider drops a non-starter, but that's just me - half the people I know commuting in the city don't even use their front brake, so ... ... they and all the crazy riding behavior I see comfort me, knowing any accident statistic I read must be heavily made up of these people.
I love the Jones bar!
"Industrial Roadie Complex" is the best thing I've heard all week!
I was a drop bar snob but a few years ago converted, and all my bikes are alt bars now.
Alt bars. I've got Ritchey Coyote bars, which I love, on a 26" MTB style rigid bike, along with Profile Design brief bar ends mounted on the inside curves to somewhat replicate a Jones Bar or a Moloku bar. (Oh, how I wish we could upload pics in these YT comments.) It leaves a gap in between the "inner bar ends". Those can be used as another hand position, or to mount stuff. Love it!
Depends on the use... City riding? Upright handlebars (old Raleigh style) are the only way to go for visibility and safety. On our road touring tandem? Drop bars... multiple hand positions, ability to tuck down on descents and into the wind, brake levers out of the way on the front of the drops. On our folding tandem for shorter urban/railtrail and train out-ride back rides? H-bars which have compact brake levers and SRAM grip shifters. If we had gravel bikes, they would have more upright bars, maybe with extensions for hand positions.
I put some Ritchie double bends on my fatty, wrapped the whole bar, and like the various options it provides. I like a true aero position with arm pads to take all the weight off my hands. I could see one with memory foam being a lot more comfortable than the velcro foam pads on my old profile bars. You can't have enough hand positions these days.
Also, when I get into heavier trails with my gravel bike (Davinci) I instinctively reach for MTB brakes! I can't wait to get away from having to shift and maintain a chain! Something that keeps my cadence up is all I'd need.
Nice summup. Furthermore, shifters and levers are often less expensive on alt/flat bars. And narrower curly bars can be nice to escape the hustle and bustle of a dense city, espacially in Europe, with narrow streets.
I live in Paris, putting a 800mm width alt bar it's like riding a bull in a bush.
Lucky to have several bikes. Old school drops, Jones bar, straight flat MTB. They all work great up to the point when they don't.
Velo Orange Crazy Bars. Lots of sweep. Plenty of hand positions. You can get fairly tucked in on them too.
I’m with you on this one. I also have the new version of the Crazy Bar and love it 👍🏼. Probably not for everyone but it suits me well especially with the Rohloff twist grip.
Well said! I’ve got drops now on my main bike and have a set of albatross bars in the wings if my back doesn’t feel up for drops.
I didn’t understand the mountain integrated dumb idea point though 🤷
? mounting an integrated bar/stem? I wondered too.
Got the similar simworks cowcow bar, tried it on my stache and chameleon but its too high for those. It currently lives on my wifes 90s cannondale in atb mode. Just waiting to put it on a gravel bike when i get one.
in '06 is was wall the rage in XC MTB to cut flat bars very narrow. Probably the worst option for city riding. But here I am, stuck with the consequences of my actions 😅 are drop bars an option for my MTB gravel converted city bike?
I went Butterfly, and I never went back. The trekking bars give me all the positions I need from full aero tucked in, to upright as a prairie-dog on alert. Edit: It would be bad for mounting bags though. That said, mounting a front bag would take up too much precious handlebar grip area for my personal taste...
I do wonder just how many variations of alt bars there are by now.
I've gone all in on alt-bars as it's best suited to my bike and I can't afford a new frame that would suit a drop bar. Love the alt-bars, but the biggest disadvantage for me, that you didn't mention is just how much of a nightmare it is to wheel the bike into a small flat/apartment where the bars are wider than the door/corridor.
i often consider changing from drop bars but and can never pull the trigger, i did put the disk trucker bars on my lht for allitle rise seems good so far !
I like both types of bars, but that is all up to the terrain, the length of the ride, and most of all, the wind. It can be windy here in Unbound Gravel country. My wrists and shoulders get uncomfortable on long rides with non-drop bars. So I will go with the Ritchey Adventure Max Comp bar for the long ride. I love the shallow drop feature a lot. That's just my preference though. Whatever works for the maximum amount of comfort is the right choice.
I have arthritis now and drop bars have become so uncomfortable for me. On my gravel/off-road bike, I have drop bars, but I only ride on the hoods, and since I ride this bike about 90% of the time I keep thinking I should switch out to a straight bar like my city bike or mountain bikes which are more comfortable. I need to look into changing the gravel bike bar to see if it makes a difference.
I have one bike with flare dropbar and second with surly corner bar (with friction shifter). Drop bar requires more shorter frame or stem for comfort position
Q. cannot bolt drops to the side of a regular bar? Useful if use the tops most of the time, as the brakes will be there?
Flatbars with compact clip-on aero bars is the way. Only need the drops for sprinting out the saddle while keeping my frontal area as low as possible (ie: racing).
As a member of the bad back club, I love my alt-bar, but then again the wind blows in different directions all the time. What to do? Simple buy more bikes!! Three and counting, but #4 is in the works. Its good too to have adult kids with bike addictions so I get good deals, but they also steal bikes.
I haven't had the broadest experience, but for my typical rides a well swept back handlebar is the best for me. My wrists are almost at a drop bar angle of rotation, but I'm upright and comfortable. Having said that, my only drop bar experience is a 60s style narrow one. It feels like I'm gonna fall forwards all the time. I should experiment with a wider drop bar like the one you have here!
Agreed that I like the hand positioning with very swept back bars. You should definitely try modern drops too though / the really wide ones are game changers.
@@TimFitzwater I was thinking about bull horn bars, for the same reason. If I can get a cheap second hand of both I can do a comparison 😁
I keep trying drop bars but have never got on with them. My main bikes have Jones loops (2), a Moonmen ti BMX bar, and a Velo Orange town bar.
Thanks Russ for dispelling the belief that bars need to be "slammed" down as in most new bike ads. Drives me crazy that bike companies can't start to make higher rise stems and bars look cool. The cool factor is getting out and riding comfortably.
Crazy idea! Got an old mtb that could convert to a drop bar bike. Could fit smaller stem to bring in the reach. Also fit 29r front wheel to slow the steering down. Even maybe a reverse stem (super crazy) - as that bike was a size too large as an mtb and had long reach. I need a computer app where I can put the fame in and play about with options and gem affects. Could be too high BB with the bigger front wheel, but was considering skinny tyres for it (as an mtb it would have higher BB due to 2.0 typical tyres). Could also fit a 27.5 front instead.
Thank you. One more important thing (not sure if you mentioned it): braking in the hoods is very different compared to braking with a flat bar, which allows a much more natural hand-movement. Thats why i am not sure if its a good idea using a dropbar in town were you have to brake all the time.
rus what Ergon saddle is that?
I have a Haro Mary bike, which I think was released about 2009. It came with an On-One Mary bar -called 'Mary' because it is M-shaped with its backsweep. On-One, an English brand, must have been one of the early ones to produce an alt bar.
What bar ends are those on the Mushman bars?
I too have the same wrist and hand pain with flat bars. Although I have yet to try one, I imagine an alt bar with a lot of back sweep would work for my hands and wrists then maybe I could experience some of the more upright benefits of the alt bar. But currently, I'm team drop bar. I love the hoods position for longer rides. I'm looking to swap for a bar with significantly less drop than what came on my Cutthroat, looking at the Ritchey Beacon bar, then I may enjoying spending more time in the drops.
I have both. I think what I like is getting them to a proper height so they’re comfortable
I recently swapped my 2022 Trek Checkpoint ALR to a flat bar. Started with the stock Bontrager drops, switched to the Curve Remlaw, which is, as the marketing materials say, the flat bar for drop bar bikes. It doesn't greatly effect the aggressive position over the head tube (particularly after I lengthened the stem from 90 to 130 to account for the difference in 'reach' between the bars), which isn't what I was looking for. I just really don't ever know where to put my hands on drop bars, and no position is particularly comfortable, and I love the new Ergon GA3. I also vastly prefer flat bar levers to drop bar brifters (goes double for the goofy dropper lever they gave me for the drops, lol).
I swapped out the stock GRX groupset for a full SRAM GX 1x12 groupset, 32t front, 10-50t rear. I almost never used the top like three gears of the GRX, but I might yet get a bigger chain ring. Got Hope RX4+ flat mount calipers front and rear, attached to Shimano SLX levers. Too bad the max rotor size is 160, which hugely limits the braking power even with a 4 piston gravel caliper.
My suspension stem (120; my 130 Salsa stem was maybe a tad long) just arrived today, hugely looking forward to trying it out, and the bar needs cutting down to about 770 from 800. But generally, so far, the change has been a dream. The Checkpoint was already one of my favorite bikes, and now it's definitely second to none except my e-bike.
Once my brand new Mezcal 44mm wear out, I'm going to get a ZIPP XPLR wheelset so I can put some real MTB tires on there. I was thinking about getting a gravel fork, but honestly (and aside from the expense) that would make the bike too similar to my XC/trail HT, and with the suspension stem and cush core front and rear, there's no point.
Turning my wrists to ride flat/alt style bars tends to cause some discomfort on long rides where sitting on modern hoods doesn't but I also might just be changing positions more on drops and not paying attention.
This! I think the orientation of your hand/wrist on the hood is just more natural than how it is on a flat bar.
What the guy above said. Drop bars at the hood feels more natural for me. Flat bars even using the mustache shape feels constricting on alternate hand positions.
I love my Velo-Orange Tourist bar; the 60* sweep puts my hands and wrists in a natural position.
I don't doubt that drops can be faster. In my 20,s and 30,s I used drops but for a long time my back has been telling me that its not a good idea. I also find more control on flat bars. One thing to try could be the Dutch style handlebar where your hand orientation is at 90° compared to a flat bar. I've tried it in Holland, no flying machine but comfortable.
Dropped traditional drop bars, haven’t tried the in between sort of! Use relatively straight bars with ergonomic grips and barends! Will though change to more like a moustache bar with multiple grabbing points! Will change because it looks better with my Brooks saddle and a more upright position! Aiming for more party pace riding and less sporty riding.
High mounted drop bars can be set up so they offer a lot of comfort and a wide range of usable positions so they might be best for touring. For shorter rides of a couple hours or less I prefer the super high position of alt bar because ot is great for sightseeing and traffic. And wheelies are really hard with drop bars unless you empoly the ghetto roll alternate mounting position!!!
I have three bikes, all different and with different handle bars. A road bike with drop bars, mostly for exercise, a light weight "city bike" ( all ost road bike but with flat bar, mud guards and a pannier with a basket) for commuting and an electric Bullitt long John Cargo bike with a mild riser bar with EasyUp to make room for large items in the cargo bay. All good for their purpose. Maybe I should ad that I am 60 and have turned the stem upside down on both the road bike and the city bike to raise the bar so I don't hurt my fragile old backbone
At 63, I don't like cricking my neck to see where I'm going as much as I used to. And my hands can't take pressure for long distance, so I need to get off them to go any distance.
I pretty well have to sit up, and in that position even your alt bars are too straight, so it twists my wrists uncomfortably.
On a diamond frame, I pretty well always go for a North Road style. The pull-back angle fits my natural wrist position. I've gone full Dutch upright, so I use bars that match.
Although for long trips I go even farther and lean back a bit. Recumbents are my go-to distance bike.
The value of dropbars is on steep rough gravel decents, a strong grip in the drops prevents a fall due to your hands bouncing off the hoods when the front wheel shifts abruptly.