Drop bars for hybrid

[Prateek Srivastava]

Hi,

I ride a Btwin Original 5, and I wish to change my handle bar from flat type to drop type. The idea of doing so is to have a better range of positions and give some relief to my back. Please give your inputs on the investment I will need to make, improvement it will have on my riding form over long distances (300K+) , and what else I need to keep in mind before I make this change.

Regards,

Prateek

[vivek]

Hi Prateek,

If you want to change to a drop bar and expect relief to your back, then you are in the wrong direction. Drop bar will be more aggressive and will in no way give relief on the same bike compared to a flat bar.

Instead you may want to check on bike-fit. The sizing may be wrong.

A drop bar however will be an advantage for better range of hand positions. But please check whether it is worth doing on Original 5. The geometry may make be unsuitable for adding drop bar.

Regards,

Vivek

[Shankar Shastry]

In my experience, drop bars are easier on your back than straight bars. However, I have not had any serious back pain issues so take that with a grain of salt. Also, there are plenty more reasons (read hand positions) to switch to drop bars. You will need the following stuff for the switch, apart from drop bar and bar tape

1. New gear and brake cable set
2. New brake levers/brifters

3. New bar end shifters(if not using brifters)
4. New mini V brakes (if using brifters)

The combined cost of these may be close to the original cost of the bike or even more, depending on which option you choose.

Like Vivek mentioned, if you are suffering from any kind of pain while riding - first examine your bike fit, then check if you are fit yourself.

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[berkeleydb]

Might want to try bar end extenders (not sure if I am using the correct term)... they provide an alternate hand position. Also try ergo grips, which provide better support to the palms. I use both... they make considerable difference.

-{db}.