# Talk me out of a flat bar.....



## tcmers

I'm planning on building a cross bike. In reality, it will be more of an all round bike.....gravel grinders, dirt roads, light trails, two track, etc. I do plan on riding some local cross races. So...my thoughts are to use flat bars and Sram Apex flat bar shifters and derailleurs. I have a 36/46 FSA crank, and will use a 10 speed cassette, something along the line of 12/30 or 32 or 34. If I am only going to do 4 or 5 local cross races per year, do I really need a drop bar set up?


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## johnlh

I enjoy taking my cross bike on long gravel rides, and appreciate the multiple grip options afforded by traditional drops. For cross racing, a flat bar would suit me just fine.


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## macming

tcmers said:


> I'm planning on building a cross bike. In reality, it will be more of an all round bike.....gravel grinders, dirt roads, light trails, two track, etc. I do plan on riding some local cross races. So...my thoughts are to use flat bars and Sram Apex flat bar shifters and derailleurs. I have a 36/46 FSA crank, and will use a 10 speed cassette, something along the line of 12/30 or 32 or 34. If I am only going to do 4 or 5 local cross races per year, do I really need a drop bar set up?


My friend runs a flat bar and V brakes on his cross bike, and he races local XC races with it.

I say go for it :thumbsup:


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## sslos

I prefer drops, because I have a road racing background and am comfortable on them. 
But before the UCI make them illegal, Thomas Frischknecht won silver at the '97 (I think...maybe it was '96) CX Worlds on flat bars.
Ride what's comfortable.

Los


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## tcmers

Thanks for the feedback. I have a road racing background as well, but find myself far more comfortable on flat bars as the roads get rough. (Gravel, two track, etc.) I suppose that if the flat bars don't work out, It is a reasonably easy and fairly inexpensive change to go to drops.


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## pretender

I keep reading very good things about the Jones H-Bar for the type of riding you are describing. I don't know if they are USAC-legal (especially the cut version), but you could easily swap to normal flat bar for CX season.


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## AndrwSwitch

Need is a strong word.

I prefer a drop bar for my 'cross bike, including riding it on singletrack. I use less drop than I would if I only rode that bike on the road. In fact, I made the mistake a couple times of making it fit well on the road and then having it slaughter my back off-road.  I've just switched it to compact drops too.

When I spend a long time doing something less dynamic than actual mountain biking with a flat bar, it really messes with my shoulder. The H-bar actually sounds like a good compromise if you don't want to have to get into the drops to have a more secure grip. I find myself surprisingly happy riding the hoods on flat to rolling singletrack.

As always, YMMV. If you have a bike with a compatible drivetrain that you don't mind taking out of service for a bit, maybe try putting that handlebar on your 'cross bike before you buy the stuff to finish the 'cross bike, so you can give it a try.


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## dankilling

sslos said:


> I prefer drops, because I have a road racing background and am comfortable on them.
> But before the UCI make them illegal, Thomas Frischknecht won silver at the '97 (I think...maybe it was '96) CX Worlds on flat bars.
> Ride what's comfortable.
> 
> Los


It was '97 

1997 World Cyclo-Cross Championships Elite Men Part 2/2 - YouTube!


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## 88 rex

johnlh said:


> I enjoy taking my cross bike on long gravel rides, and appreciate the multiple grip options afforded by traditional drops. For cross racing, a flat bar would suit me just fine.


This seems to be where I've settled as well on my opinion of flat bars. For CX racing, definitely. For gravel grinders and long rides, drops, especially something with some flair.


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## Crank-a-Roo

If you want a flat bar 'cross bike, get a 29er mountain bike with a rigid fork.


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## tihsepa

Crank-a-Roo said:


> If you want a flat bar 'cross bike, get a 29er mountain bike with a rigid fork.


Not the same. 

Mountain frames typically have a much shorter seat tube making it really difficult to shoulder the bike.


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## Quattro_Assi_07

*Works for me...*

All I have are road bikes.

BMC CX01


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## tednugent

Crank-a-Roo said:


> If you want a flat bar 'cross bike, get a 29er mountain bike with a rigid fork.





tihsepa said:


> Not the same.
> 
> Mountain frames typically have a much shorter seat tube making it really difficult to shoulder the bike.


Not to mention, the frame is quite heavy compared to a cross bike....

You can probably switch the bars to a flat bar like from a mountain bike... but the brake levers & shifters may not work with the flat bear AND if you get MTB shifters/brake levers... it may not work with the derailleurs properly, so that means drivetrain replacements also.


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## 88 rex

tednugent said:


> Not to mention, the frame is quite heavy compared to a cross bike....



Not always true. The Foundry Router is ~937g.

But weight aside, I agree that I would prefer a CX frame for the geometry and shouldering. 

One other bar to consider is the Groovy Luv Handle.


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## tcmers

tednugent said:


> Not to mention, the frame is quite heavy compared to a cross bike....
> 
> You can probably switch the bars to a flat bar like from a mountain bike... but the brake levers & shifters may not work with the flat bear AND if you get MTB shifters/brake levers... it may not work with the derailleurs properly, so that means drivetrain replacements also.


If I go the flat bar route, (definitely leaning that way) I plan on using Sram Apex flat bar shifters and derailleurs. Brake levers are still up in the air, but there are plenty of canti or v brake options available for flat bars. 

Thanks for all fo the feedback!


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## tcmers

Quattro_Assi_07 said:


> All I have are road bikes.


Nice! You aren't doing anything to convince me to go with drop bars. That is one sweet ride!


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## The Bike Dude

Some races don't allow flat bars


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## d2p

99 cyclocross bikes walk into a bar . . . the bartender says "Hey you don't belong here! This is a flat bar."


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## GearDaddy

If you want to run a flat bar, great. The only problem might be that it won't work with your frame size. The reach to drop bars will be further than when using a flat bar, so if you swap out to a flat bar you will probably want to use a longer stem. That may or may not work well with your frame.


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## Faapaa

Geardaddy has pointed the challenge using flat bar on cross frame, part of the overall reach is stem + bar reach. Riding a cross/road frame with flat bars normally requires longer TT. But if you don't use to sit in hoods or drop and riding position is still ok, maybe a flat bar could work. Why not get a 29'er instead


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## tcmers

Thanks for all of the feedback. I understand the top tube concerns. I just ordered a frame specifically for this build, so I sized it accordingly. I have enough spare parts laying around to build it up most of the way and try it out. If It doesn't seem to work, I can always change plans.


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## Quattro_Assi_07

tcmers said:


> Nice! You aren't doing anything to convince me to go with drop bars. That is one sweet ride!


Thanks. I built it as more as a gravel road/mild off-road/commuter. I have really enjoyed it. When I first built it up, I knew that I wanted a 10 speed SRAM drive train (to match my BMC SLT01 with SRAM 10sp) but their Double Tap flat bar shifters hadn't been released just yet so my build was put on hold for a couple of months. As soon as they were available, the bike was completed. I was told this was the first use of these shifters in the US.


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## pretender




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## eric_syd

Miguel Martinez, U23 World Champion 1997.
one bike with drop bars and bar-end shifters, one sloping frame with Flat bars and Grip shifts....
Miguel Martinez Champion du monde cyclocross espoir - YouTube


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## pretender

Looks like Frishknecht used a pretty long stem with a standard CX frame. Not sure what issues would arise from the long stem. IMO what you're after is getting your hands roughly where the hoods of a drop bar would be, so the bike ought to handle fine or?


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## davidka

pretender said:


> Not sure what issues would arise from the long stem. IMO what you're after is getting your hands roughly where the hoods of a drop bar would be, so the bike ought to handle fine or?


Yep, one needs a longer stem to approximate the length at the hoods. Realistically, you wind up short of that since the drop bar's reach adds 80-100mm. That could mean you'd need a 220mm stem. 

I'm running a 130mm stem in a little lower position than I had with my drop bar setup. I also built the bike on the next-bigger frame size from where I had been (60 to 62cm, long TT). The fit is comfortable and the bike is really confidence inspiring anywhere I need to corner or do any MTB type maneuvering. I only ever miss the drop bar when I ride it on the road.


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## tcmers

davidka said:


> Yep, one needs a longer stem to approximate the length at the hoods. Realistically, you wind up short of that since the drop bar's reach adds 80-100mm. That could mean you'd need a 220mm stem.
> 
> I'm running a 130mm stem in a little lower position than I had with my drop bar setup. I also built the bike on the next-bigger frame size from where I had been (60 to 62cm, long TT). The fit is comfortable and the bike is really confidence inspiring anywhere I need to corner or do any MTB type maneuvering. I only ever miss the drop bar when I ride it on the road.


My frame arrived today. The effective top tube measures about 20mm longer than my road bike. I'm running a 100mm stem on the road bike. I've got a 120mm stem laying around, so I'll do the initial build with that, see how it works, then go longer if needed. I'm guessing that a 130 will get me closer to where I want to be.


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## m_s

Flat bars (even narrow ones) are also usually much wider than drops at the hoods. Increased width effectively means increased reach.

This is making me think again about doing a SS with some sort of swept "alt" bar.


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## wvucyclist

I have flat bars on one of my cross bikes. I normally run a 100mm stem on a 55 top tube, and the flat bar bike has a 56.5 tt and I have a 130 stem on it and it feels great. Very comfortable in the technical stuff.


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## davidka

m_s said:


> Flat bars (even narrow ones) are also usually much wider than drops at the hoods. Increased width effectively means increased reach.
> 
> This is making me think again about doing a SS with some sort of swept "alt" bar.


It would seem that way but the hand orientation is very different. Consider the width at the centers of your wrists or even your thumbs. Unless you're riding a really wide flat bar, it's closer than the bar-width number would indicate.


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## tcmers

wvucyclist said:


> I have flat bars on one of my cross bikes. I normally run a 100mm stem on a 55 top tube, and the flat bar bike has a 56.5 tt and I have a 130 stem on it and it feels great. Very comfortable in the technical stuff.


Thanks for the info. That is ismilar to what I have in mind. I'm waiting for some parts. They sould be here this week. I should be able to get things set up and the steere tube cut when they get here.


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## seat_boy

I find I pretty much have to use bar ends when using a flat bar on a road bike. It's the only way to get enough room to stretch out. My CC:










... which I've recently switched back to drops (although I'm using On One Midges, so not traditional drops) I missed that down in the drops feeling when putting down power, and since this is my "fast" bike, on went the drop bar.


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