# Flat bar road bike - please don't read if you are anti-flat bar



## mfm (Sep 12, 2006)

I am in the process of having a road bike converted over to flat bar setup. Two weeks of riding a road bike with drop bars has convinced me to go back to a flat bar setup.

The question I am having is whether to go with a straight (or fairly straight) flat bar, or go with a riser bar on the road bike. I suppose if my intent was to have a more upright position (a reason why many want a flat bar road bike), then a riser bar would make the most sense.

But I am not looking for a more upright riding position. If anything, I like to ride in a position equivalent to riding near the top of the hoods on a drop bar. This is a position that I can maintain for my exercise rides (between 14-20 miles a ride).

Any suggestions?


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

mfm said:


> I am in the process of having a road bike converted over to flat bar setup. Two weeks of riding a road bike with drop bars has convinced me to go back to a flat bar setup.
> 
> The question I am having is whether to go with a straight (or fairly straight) flat bar, or go with a riser bar on the road bike. I suppose if my intent was to have a more upright position (a reason why many want a flat bar road bike), then a riser bar would make the most sense.
> 
> ...


Why a riser? Just get a FB and stem combo that will equal your set-up now.
Unless you have a 31.8 stem, you will need one anyways.

Riser also have generall have more sweep than flat bars.

My FD roadie was set-up just a slight bit higher that the tops on my drops. 1cm higher.

This is an older picture.


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## mfm (Sep 12, 2006)

DIRT BOY said:


> Why a riser? Just get a FB and stem combo that will equal your set-up now.
> Unless you have a 31.8 stem, you will need one anyways.
> 
> Riser also have generall have more sweep than flat bars.
> ...


The suggestions of a riser bar are coming from those people who have converted flat bar road bikes. I was just curious whether there were geometry issues in converting a road bike to a flat bar setup that are alleviated somewhat by the use of a riser bar.

I think it goes back to what I had originally posted. Most who convert from drop bars to a flat bar setup want a more upright riding position, something that the riser bar helps a great deal with.

Your photo shows a flat bar setup that I could see myself riding. I am looking at a road bike with a more upright geometry (Trek Pilot, Klein Reve) that allows me to achieve a long top tube (good for my long arms) while keeping the standover to a reasonable height.


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

mfm said:


> The suggestions of a riser bar are coming from those people who have converted flat bar road bikes. I was just curious whether there were geometry issues in converting a road bike to a flat bar setup that are alleviated somewhat by the use of a riser bar.
> 
> I think it goes back to what I had originally posted. Most who convert from drop bars to a flat bar setup want a more upright riding position, something that the riser bar helps a great deal with.
> 
> Your photo shows a flat bar setup that I could see myself riding. I am looking at a road bike with a more upright geometry (Trek Pilot, Klein Reve) that allows me to achieve a long top tube (good for my long arms) while keeping the standover to a reasonable height.


Just use a higher rise stem and shorter.

I think risers look very silly unless it's a Fixed/SS.

The riser will get you up and slighty back. FB just up. Shoter and highr ride stem same as the riser.

We go through this on MTBR a bit. Risers are usally much wider as well.


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## Lifelover (Jul 8, 2004)

While I currently do not have one I'm a big fan of flat bar road bikes. However, I'm a little confused with your post. In your last post you said:

"I am looking at a road bike with a more upright geometry (Trek Pilot, Klein Reve) that allows me to achieve a long top tube (good for my long arms) while keeping the standover to a reasonable height"

However the first post seemed to indicate that you already have a bike you want to convert.

IMO you should adjust the height via a stem and stick with flat bars. I think riser bars would look a little funky on a road bike. I think riser bars also tend to be wider.


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## Cory (Jan 29, 2004)

*To skip over your point entirely and start a diatribe...*

I'm not anti-flat bar--I rode my last road bike that way for a couple of years when it became a commuter/beater, and just bought my wife a flat-bar roadie. But your post brought two questions to mind:
The first is that if you like to ride in a position equivalent to the hoods on a drop bar, why not just ride on the hoods of your drop bar? To me, at least, the hand and wrist position that way are more comfortable than on a flat bar, and you have some options if that gets tiring. Raising the bars so they're about level with the saddle opened a whole new world for me. I probably didn't spend 0.05 percent of my time on the drops until I did that. Now I'm up to 5 percent, and the hood position is more comfortable, too.
The second is, does "having it converted" mean you're paying a bike shop to do it? That's such a quick, easy job that it's a natural do-it-yourself, even for a beginner.
As for the bar, who can say but you?. Risers don't look good to me, but I have Rivendell Albatross bars on one of my old MBs (like old swept-back 3-speed bars), and they're about as geeky as you can get. Even those have an alternate hand position, thought. I taped the area between the thumb shifters and the stem, and i ride there a lot.


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## mfm (Sep 12, 2006)

Lifelover said:


> While I currently do not have one I'm a big fan of flat bar road bikes. However, I'm a little confused with your post. In your last post you said:
> 
> "I am looking at a road bike with a more upright geometry (Trek Pilot, Klein Reve) that allows me to achieve a long top tube (good for my long arms) while keeping the standover to a reasonable height"
> 
> However the first post seemed to indicate that you already have a bike you want to convert.


I have available to me two road bikes, a Trek Pilot and a Klein Reve, either of which I can convert to a flat bar setup. Would love to have both converted to flat bar setups! They each have their pluses. :thumbsup: 



Lifelover said:


> IMO you should adjust the height via a stem and stick with flat bars. I think riser bars would look a little funky on a road bike. I think riser bars also tend to be wider.


I agree about the riser bars. My last flat bar bike (Jamis Coda Elite) had a Ritchey "flat" bar (580mm, 5 degree bend), much less wide than the typical riser bars. After spending some time with various bike setups over the weekend, I have decided on a flat bar and will adjust the length and drop via the stem.


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## mfm (Sep 12, 2006)

Cory said:


> I'm not anti-flat bar--I rode my last road bike that way for a couple of years when it became a commuter/beater, and just bought my wife a flat-bar roadie. But your post brought two questions to mind:
> The first is that if you like to ride in a position equivalent to the hoods on a drop bar, why not just ride on the hoods of your drop bar? To me, at least, the hand and wrist position that way are more comfortable than on a flat bar, and you have some options if that gets tiring. Raising the bars so they're about level with the saddle opened a whole new world for me. I probably didn't spend 0.05 percent of my time on the drops until I did that. Now I'm up to 5 percent, and the hood position is more comfortable, too.


The Trek Pilot is about as comfortable a road bike as you can get. And the setup I rode had the handlebars almost level with the saddle (bars a touch lower). On reasonably smooth and level asphalt I was fine. But some of the roads in my exercise route aren't all that smooth. I find that a flat bar allows me more control of the bike over roads like this.

I am also more comfortable braking a flat bar bike, especially when going downhill (I don't ride the brakes). I like that I am a split-second away from being able to stop or slow my bike with flat bar brake levers, rather than wonder if I will make it in time when my hands aren't on the hoods of a drop bar.

The last reason for wanting a flat bar setup is pure preference. I like the Rapidfire shifters (I've used Deore, LX, and R660), and I like being able to see in a split-second glance at the handlebar what gears I am using.


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## Sixtwo (Sep 2, 2007)

I like flatbars as well BUT, due to numb hand issues, was forced to box up my Giant FCR1 and go with a roadie (OCR C3) with drops because I need more hand positions...


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