Subject: Slow Cyclinganothereye wrote:Chris, thanks for clarifying. Just change the handlebars. I have flat bars on my touring bike and I think I'm more visible to other road users as a result. I believe it's important to be assertive (confident of my position on the road) as my rights get more respect. Body language is important; that's why I asked.
I know that you can raise your handlebars, but to do that on a modern tourer you need a new stem, new bars, new brake levers and probably new shifters! So to the novice cyclist, that's £100+ before you've started, which is a bit of a leap of faith if you don't know if your bike be any nicer to ride afterwards. Wouldn't it be nice if every bike shop carried a bike that had high bars and wasn't poor quality?
There was someone on a thread the other day who said that North Road bars were no good for long journeys, but honestly, if you try a pair on a
good bike they are wonderful.
This is how the bars are set up on my tourer:
It has a roadster stem, and a Nitto Moustache bar. I grant you it looks weird, but honestly, you would not believe how comfortable and effortless riding this bike is over a long distance.
But, and this is where it scores over a roadster, it's fast too, and the brakes work. Gears from 25 to 110 inches.
I've loaned this bike out to non-cyclists, and they've loved it. But would they be able to buy something like it in an average bike shop? No chance.