flat bar roady's?

R

Ro

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Ive been comuting on my hardtail now for over 12 months, clock up around 50km per day and am getting sick of changing tyres when I want to go xc, wearing the drive train and basically I want something faster. So ive been checking out road bikes but Im not sure how good the tyres would go riding through the industrial areas near mascot, heaps of glass and loose edges. So these flat bar style frames look interesting, looks like I could put chunkier tyres on them? Anyone got any experience with them?
They worth the $? and are they much fsater then my kona kula with slicks?
 
Sorry I don't have links or model names, but I'm pretty sure that Specialised and Bianchi both do a flat bar roadie/commuter deal.
 
Contact xero on these boards, or click on the Supersports banner when you see it, and tell him to bring in one of these:

http://brodiebikes.com/2005/light/speed/infinity/index.php

AWESOME road bike. I'm definitely a satisfied customer.... This thing charges and handles like a dream! :cool:

Definitely worth the money. This thing will let you accelerate WAY faster, less effort to maintain a fast cruising speed, and when taking high speed corners on it, you'll never want to ride fat or knobby tires on the road again. The flat bars mean the handling is similar to a MTB, and the hydraulic disc brakes mean you won't lose any power in the wet (just be careful of the skidding you'll get with road tires, though...).
 
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alot of flat bar road bikes on the market are just that; road bars with flat bars stuck on. if you are worried about using one on rough roads, with potholes n shite, maybe you should just build up a commuter bike with slicks, old gears (ss?) and old parts you have lying around.
 
Giant also do them there called teh CRX rangle started from around $800 and mving up to the $1500 mark.

GT have the zum 3.0 and zum 1.0, and Avanti have and flat bar range also that is rather good.

Id have a look at all of these they are certainly value for money.

Rhys
 
Ro,
You wouldn't want to look the past the Raceline range of flat bar roadies. They make one called the Forza at about 1100, the another one called the Zap at 1300 with carbon fork and 105 gear. Both really good value for money bikes. You should be able to have a look at one at any authorised Apollo dealer, but have a look at the following website anyway.
www.racelinebikes.com
Good luck.
 
most flat bar road bikes have a full road drivetrain on them i.e. cranks, cassette, and mechs. So if you're using it for a bit of offroad work as well, they might not be so good? There are some flat bar roads more suited towards offroad however. Cannondale have the Badboy, which is basically a light xc frame with bigger stays and fork for 700c wheel. Runs sram I think. I know someone who is running one with Shwalbe Fast Fred tyres which work awesome. Have to be careful with clearance for tyres though... ends up a pretty fast bike. great commuter. I know Cannondale are a bit more $, but they are very good when you consider build quality.
 
personaly, if i was to buy an "off the shelf bike", i would get a GT Zum 2.
but like i said, just chuck some slicks on a mtb and away you go!
you dont sound like your willing to spend a hole heap of cash on this do you?
 
flat bar

I wouldn't spend a whole bunch on a commuter, the weight difference between reasonable and crazy price roadys is alot closer than MTB. Try and get the best wheels and tyres, thats where you'll feel it most.

Your concerns about glass etc: Go skinny - less surface area means you can navigate between road debris, the tyres I'm using ATM are Michelin Axial Sport, they friggen rock I haven't had a single flat in 2000 km despite a big-ass cut in the rear tyre. They also have a decent amount of tread/grooves for wet weather.

Pants.
 
Been away from the net for a few days just had our first kid, so the heads got a new focus now. Back at work today and dreaming of bikes again though. Not sure if I mentioned Im already on a sweat xc hardtail for commuting but the whole idea is its my only bike and the commuting can be pretty harsh on the drive train plus I want to up my speed so Im thinking lighter. The lbs is telling me to go full roady, might start watching the trading post and see whats value for $$, thanks for all the tips might try some test rides.
 
Just be careful of those dropbars if you are going full roadie... For the aerodynamics you get, you lose a whole lot of handling....
 
Yeah, but on the road the drops are so much better. Narrower for cutting up traffic, more stretched for speed (a must when copping the headwinds on the way home), and I don't find I have any handling issues once I got used to braking and shifting from the hoods (in fact my hands rarely leave them).

I wouldn't go back to a flat bar for any commute longer than 30 mins, just not worth it. Plus it means when I jump back on the mtb I'm in heaven - sitting back, hands nice and wide, big fat tyres, plush suspension, slow as heck. :)
 
What about times when you need to hop up curves or do small drops?

I know what you mean about logging in road miles with drop bars... I won't argue that... but for "creative" city commuting and all the obstacles and weirdness that it presents? Like side hops up curbs, small drops, and the like? Wouldn't you would prefer flat bars for that?
 
Sure, flat bars are better for that stuff - but with practice you can do it on the hoods. I'm no master, but I reckon I navigate the cruft that passes for Sydney roads fairly well. It is hardly extreme, but I hop up and down a couple of gutters on my usual commute (whichis about 30km each way), plus the fairly regular hop over things on the road surface.

I reckon the big disadvantage with drops is that you need to use roadie brake levers/shifters - which tend not to be as good value as mtb stuff.
 
After years of commuting on mountain bikes I now commute on a SS road bike and I'll never go back. Getting to work just got a whole lot more fun.

My biggest problem with drop bars is the inaccessability of the brakes. When you're flying through traffic on tarmac you really want to be able grab the brakes when you want.

My solution is to use bullhorn style bars with bar end levers. That way the brakes are on hand and you can still stretch out and get into aerodynamic positions. You could also invert drop bars and chop the ends off for a similar effect.

I'm glad to have ridden MTBs so much as bunny hopping and general obstacle avoidance skills become quite essential to avoid many a rim-mangling pothole.
 
luckyphil said:
you dont sound like your willing to spend a hole heap of cash on this do you?
Click to expand...

Thats pretty much it, $ are for the mtb the whole idea of this commuter is to cut travel time and save the drive train on my mtb, plus Im sick of chainging tyres several times a week.
So Im thinking I'll look out for a second handy 52cm roady, preferably an old chromo/steel frame. Give that a burl and then maybe change the bars over to flat if I dont feel like ive got the control in the traffic. Plus how would holding onto trucks with roady bars go?
 
Sounds like a good plan. I found an old steel norco road bike and it hammers compared to an XC mountain bike.
 
Hey man, I totally thought the same thing about road bars - way off.

Stick with road bars - the geo is so different on a road bike and the gyro-effect with the wheel size totally makes for a more stable ride than you'd think. I found that my mountain-control improved heaps with the extra balance practice on a roadie - and hangin onto trucks is easier with the narrower bars. Just gotta focus on your balance and not on steering....ha, ha....lemme know how many ways you almost die being as stupid as that.
 
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