drop handlebars vs straight

frant2

Im relatively new to this cycling lark - bad knee forced me to give up running, im really getting into it so want to upgrade the bike, whats the advantage of drop bars and is it easy/expensive to change - i have a claud butler which seems ok for now. thanks in advance - sean

Wicklowrider

frant2 wrote: »

Im relatively new to this cycling lark - bad knee forced me to give up running, im really getting into it so want to upgrade the bike, whats the advantage of drop bars and is it easy/expensive to change - i have a claud butler which seems ok for now. thanks in advance - sean

Yes its expensive to change.
I've been investigating flat bars as an alternative to drops as a comfort measure. I have had spinal surgeries and find the drops hard on my neck at moment. All opinions I got were from people who got rid of the flat bars and went to drops because flat bars just don't seem to work over longer distances. They are fine for commutes, shorter spins but difficult to get on with on longer rides. Reports of sore wrists, shoulders and necks convinced me to stay with shallow/short reach bars. got these opinions from experienced distance riders who had tried both flat and drops for enough miles to form a reliable opinion.
Drop bars give you a better variety of positions even without going into the drops. You can hold near the centre on top, outward towards the curve on top or hold the hoods. If you bend from the waist you can be as aerodynamic as you wish,without going into the drops.
If you want to relax the back and take in the scenery you can sit up. Road drops are also more aerodynamic because they are typically narrower than flats. Drops also help greatly with handling - getting the centre of gravity lower for decents or corering for example.

penexpers

Advantage is multiple hand positions which help over longer rides.

It could be expensive enough to change because you would probably need to replace the gear shifters/brake levers as well as buying the handlebars and bar tape.

Lumen

Aside from the comfort issues, you have immediate access to brake and shift levers from both the hoods and the drops. This is particularly useful when descending.

Dr_Colossus

As a somewhat related hijack why would someone go for shallow drops over normal drop? Normal drop/reach seems to be in the order of 145mm/88mm while some of the shallow drop bars are as low as 28mm/77mm. I think the shallow drop bars look terrible and make the bike look childlike or something.
Granted I understand that if you've flexibility or back problems shallow drops might be kinder but in that case would it not be better to get normal drops and add in a few extra spacers to increase the effective front tube length. I thought the idea of drops was for aerodynamics which shallow drops don't seem to offer much of as well as destroying the look of the bike.

Lumen

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

As a somewhat related hijack why would someone go for shallow drops over normal drop? Normal drop/reach seems to be in the order of 145mm/88mm while some of the shallow drop bars are as low as 28mm/77mm. I think the shallow drop bars look terrible and make the bike look childlike or something.
Granted I understand that if you've flexibility or back problems shallow drops might be kinder but in that case would it not be better to get normal drops and add in a few extra spacers to increase the effective front tube length. I thought the idea of drops was for aerodynamics which shallow drops don't seem to offer much of as well as destroying the look of the bike.

Shallow drops seem to be quite popular with the pros as they get a more aero position on the hoods. It works both ways.

Dr_Colossus

I don't understand I'm afraid, are the hoods not the straight section through the stem and possibly around the brake/gear levers? Since this is mostly a straightish bar through the stem does the aero position in the hoods not depend on the stem angle/height and/or level of bend in your elbows to lower your profile while cycling? Not sure how a shallow drop bar would offer a better aero position while in the hoods over that on a normal drop bar. Apologies if this is a very rudimentary question.

Lumen

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

I don't understand I'm afraid, are the hoods not the straight section through the stem and possibly around the brake/gear levers? Since this is mostly a straightish bar through the stem does the aero position in the hoods not depend on the stem angle/height and/or level of bend in your elbows to lower your profile while cycling? Not sure how a shallow drop bar would offer a better aero position while in the hoods over that on a normal drop bar. Apologies if this is a very rudimentary question.

You're thinking about this in terms of "what if I changed my handlebars?", but the bars are just one component of a complete package, other elements of which (stem angle and number of headset spacers) can be varied to compensate.

If you want a lower position on the hoods without affecting your position on the drops, you would use a shallower design of bars combined with a different stem/spacer combination to keep the position of the drops the same.

My Giant FCR 2.5 recently got converted to drops. Got some handmedowns and a mate to put it together on the cheap, but just to give you an idea of price of the other stuff, this is what I got:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=11574
€22.93 (gone up in price since)

+ http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=24223
€8.03

+ http://cgi.ebay.ie/Shimano-Sora-STi-Levers-8-Speed-Triple-Cables-/200479228769?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item2ead7e4361
£101.79

+ a stem I got from a mate

+ same mate in a bike shop to put it all together.

I have to say though overall I find drop bars much more comfortable than flat bars.