Marine Bike

Flat Bar Road Bikes – All You Need to Know

Along with the hybrid bike, the flat bar road bikes are one of the latest evolutions in the biking industry.  There are more than six billion people on this planet and apparently they enjoy a wide variety of biking activities.  Not content with dealing with current bike models that don't completely meet their needs, many biking enthusiasts, designers, engineers and companies have pushed for the development of sub categories of bikes like the flat bar road bike.

The flat bar road bike is like a hybrid bike in many ways.  They are both combinations of mountain and road bike designs, engineering and technology.  Hybrid bikes are more mountain bike than road bike, while flat bar road bikes are more road than mountain bike.  The place where the flat bar road bike misses out in the minds of many bike lovers is that while the hybrid can go both off road and on road, the subject of this page can only ride on pavement.

Uses

These bikes are perfect for city bike riding like commuting to work, running errands or just going on a ride around the city.  Because they have so much road bike DNA in them, flat bar road bikes are perfect for long and fast rides too.  Many users love their versatility and find riding much more rewarding and financially beneficial than driving their cars.

Features

While all bikes vary somewhat, and more so in a newer category like this, flat bar road bikes usually have these features in common:

Riding Position:  The flat handlebars on these bikes allow the rider to sit more upright.  This is opposed to the lower sitting and curved handlebars of a traditional road bike, which force the rider into a more prostrate position to help with aero dynamics.

Frame:  The frame on these bikes is all road racer; super lightweight, usually made with high-grade materials.  Frames for these bikes could be made from high-grade aluminum, titanium, chromyl steel or carbon fiber composites.

No Suspension:  Like a road bike, there is no suspension on these bikes.

700c Wheels:  Built for speed and aerodynamics, these large wheels will get the job done if you're looking to get somewhere quick.

Adaptable Design:  The flat road bikes are designed to have space for larger wheels, fender and accessories like luggage racks that traditional road bike don't.  This gives you the option to decide how much you're going to put on your bike or how light you're going to keep it.

Disadvantages

Some road bikers argue that the flat bar design is more comfortable but takes away the benefits of the drop handle bar.  Drop bars are better for chest open climbing techniques according to many experts.  Flat bars also take away most of the available hand positions that drop bars have.  Bar ends can also be added to these bikes to give you more grip positions, though to rectify this.

The frame is also a negative for many riders.  Even if you're not doing park or street style riding, you're still going to run into the occasional obstacle or situation on your flat bar road bike where a strong frame is needed.  With these models you don't get as much strength as you would with a hybrid bike and their frames are unlike those of mountain bikes.  Basically, don't think you can tackle any jumps on these bikes.  This category of bikes also lacks suspension, so you're in for a stiffer ride with more abuse being put on your body than your bike can absorb.

While these bikes are based on road bikes and have their frame geometries, many companies don't make high-end versions of these models.  For some reason the market can't seem to support a top of the line bike with flat bars.  Unfortunately, this means that a lot of research and development is not put into these bikes and they will continue to get the R&D hand-me-downs from their pure road bike cousins.

While there are many great models, many lack the technology and materials put into road bikes that they are based on.  Perhaps as the market grows there will be more money, research and innovation poured into these models.

Popular Models

While many companies sell flat bar road bikes that are specifically designed to fit that category, you can also take flat bars and put them on any existing road bike.  This gives you the option of converting your race bike for more comfortable riding when you're not wearing a number on your shirt.

Here are some companies and their corresponding models of flat bar road bikes that are amongst the most popular:

Marin:  Lucas Valley, Fairfax

Raleigh: Cadent FT1

Fuji: Absolute

GT: Traffic

Schwinn: Voltare

Cannondale: Quick

Novara:  Fusion

Trek: FX 7.9

GIANT:  FCR Series

About the Author

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