Straight or Dropped Bars For Touring

[fraxinus]

I know the standard argument is that there are more hand positions with dropped bars but the only time I ride "on the drops" is if there is a stiff headwind. What do you think

[thirdcrank]

I think there are more choices than drops or tops ( ) especially now that lever hoods are so comfy. The drops are very useful for making a big effort up a really steep hill. I've always tended to ride quite a bit with my hands either side of the stem - perhaps because the first (secondhand) bike I ever had was a mile too big. I had this conversation around 50 years ago with the father of one of my schoolfriends. I've probably posted on here before that he had come to the same conclusion as you and had sawn off everything but 6" either side of the stem. A bike like that is nearly impossible to ride. I think a lot of modern straight bars are on the wide side - something to do with needing them off-road (?) or fashion, or something. I have a Cannondale "Road Warrior" and I lopped a couple of inches off each end of the bars. It was either that or fit wide load markers. I think it's interesting that most people fit bar ends for an extra position but they are still set wide unless you go to a lot of faff to move them more centrally. When all the mountain bike stuff first started, I did predict to a bike shop person who was trying to sell me one (some hope) that eventually the extenders would form a complete curve and whey'd have reinvented drops. SJSC did sell something like that (Neuks?) for a while but they never caught on.

I suppose the historic reason for drops on touring bikes in the UK is that once so many tourists were on their only bike, which they also used for time trialling.

[matt2matt2002]

I decided on straights with bar ends after a lot of thought.
Guess it's what you are use to in the end.
I also thought that I could grab the brakes quicker if they were on straights rather than move my hands off the top bar and then downwards.
Anyone else any thoughts on this?

[RobMac]

Quote Thirdcrank : I think a lot of modern straight bars are on the wide side - something to do with needing them off-road (?) or fashion, or something.

A little experiment, stand up let your arms hang by your sides, raise your arms in front of you keeping them straight with your palms facing the floor, measure the distance between the two outside edges of each hand, now take that measurement plus the width of two bar-end clamps = Thats the reason straight bars seem so wide, the bars have some lee'way allowing for the different build of the each ridder, trim off the length bar where necessary.
Ive always thought riding with my hands next to stem on drops restricted my breathing, your chest cant expand properly.

[RobMac]

Fraxinus your having the same dilemma as me I'll be watching this post with interest.

Rob

[irc]

I rarely used the drops on my Galaxy. When I got a Long Haul Trucker frame built up I used compact drop bars. I find the smaller distance from the tops to the drops makes them more usable. It makes the bar end shifters slightly closer as well. I still ride almost all the time on the tops or brake hoods but the drops are a more realistic alternative now. I've toured on my MTB and a hybrid as well. Both work. I found a slight tendency to get hand numbness with the flat bar bikes. In the end either works though.

[Mick F]

I like drops because I get a variety of hand positions. I know there are different bars these days, so the choice isn't just straight versus drops any more.

I'll stay with my drops. I like them because I'm used to them!

[phil parker]

I've been an avid user of drops all my life, but like most other forum members, I rarely use the drops preferring the tops and hoods. I removed flat handlebars from my expedition bike because of the lack of hand positions, in particular using the hoods allows you to twist your wrists by 90 degrees to relieve the tension on the forearms and shoulders. After fitting drops again and having to use travel agents to optimise the brakes and a JTek shifter to convert Shimano to Campagnolo I've now decided to to try the increasingly popular 'butterfly' shaped bars, but using the multiple adjustable Modolo Dumbo bars.

I'm still having to fine tune them at the moment and the weather isn't good enough to get in miles in at the moment and test them over a distance, but I'm optimistic that they will offer everything I want for a heavier touring option.

[MikeMarsUK]

I use 'butterfly' bars on my tourer. You get a wide variety of hand positions, and a slightly more upright stance which is easier on the back.

[matt2matt2002]

Butterflies sound good - but is there much of a weight increase?

[MikeMarsUK]

The bike weighs plenty enough anyway, a few more inches of bar makes no detectable difference! If you use the primary position it is at the far end of the bar, so you can feel a lot more flex than on a traditional bar (which is a good thing as far as road buzz is concerned). The main drawback from my viewpoint is that there is very little space to put accessories (lights, computers, GPS, etc), since there is only a short length of bar which is perpendicular to the road.


-- Edit: Looking at it, I think there is roughly the same length of pipe as you'd get on dropped bars.

[simonhill]

I use straight bars with longish curved bar ends. This gives me loads of different hand and arm positions. Most non British tourists I've met seem to use straight (or a variation of) bars.

Reasons:
they were on the bikes when I bought them;
never had any hand problems;
I feel more comfortable/safer/in control with straight bars;
I like to be in full control when in town, or fast descent, etc, and I can reach brakes and gears with hands securely on the hand grips;
all my levers, shifters, brakes, (MTB style) are designed for straight bars so no messing about fitting things;
easier to pack when flying;
they seem to annoy drop bar bigots (joking).

If you like them go for them. There is a serious ant-straight bar thing with some traditional tourists. I rember an article in the CTC mag a while ago, where the Dr was talkingh about hand problems and dismissed the use of straight bars in about one sentence. He then went on at length about problems encountered by drop bar users.

I also remeber the review of the Thorn Raven (??the Rohlhoff one) a few years ago. At the time it was one of very few 26" straight bar tourers available in the UK - a style quite a lot of us ride. Rather than test it as it was, the reviewer had to retro fit drop bars. He then had to frig some of the components too fit these non standard bars. I'm afraid this rather painted the pictutre of biase in the CTC at that time.

[RobMac]

Phil like you said "but like most other forum members, I rarely use the drops preferring the tops and hoods." Which is absolutely true, what I probably didnt make clear in my last post was, I wouldnt 'just' use flat bars but flat bars 'with' bar-ends.
The responce "more hand positions with dropped bars" I dont agree, you'll get as many with flat bars and bar-ends.

Rob

[andrew_s]

If you hold your hands out in front of you with the thumbs pointing inwards towards the other hand, that's the default flat bar position. The default drop bar position (on the lever hoods) is with your wrists turned through 90deg, thumbs pointing upwards.
I've found I don't get on with the wrist position on flat bars, and after a while I get tingling and numbness in the little/ring fingers. It's not so much that other positions aren't possible, but that you spend most of the time in the default position where the bike controls are accessible. I've swapped the bars on the flat bar bike for inverted On-One Marys, which have enough of an angle rearward to ease the problem.

Also, don't dismiss the lower part of drop bars because they aren't used very often. You'd appreciate them if you'd ever had to do 80 miles into a strong headwind, with a ferry to catch at the far end.

[syklist]

I decided on straights with bar ends after a lot of thought.
Guess it's what you are use to in the end.

I think you are right, if it is comfortable why change? My partner and I have wide curved bars on our bikes a bit like the ones we had on our first touring bikes. These are combined with 'triathalon bars' and bar ends for cycling into a headwind. The bars weigh around 160 g, are strong and excellent value for money.

My experience is that wide bars have comfort advantages if you have wide shoulders. The curve, swept back and slightly down gives me a natural hand position. Another reason to consider wide bars if if you have luggage on the front of the bike and/or wide tyres. Even with full front panniers and handlebar bags the steering remains nice and light. Lying low on the triathalon bars gives a one gear advantage into a headwind. With hands on the triathalon bar pads I can sit bolt upright.

Cheers
Stan