Originally Posted by
MikeDeason
Never having ridden a drop bar bike for extended periods, I am wondering if the drop bars are raised, does the top not then sit at a flat bar height leaving me with a similar posture?
And if I absolutely hate the drop bars could I convert this bike to a flat bar or am I better off selling it and purchasing the FX6?
There is a sweet spot in how near/far, how high/low and how wide/narrow the handlebars are. Exactly where that sweet spot is, is determined by many, many factors. Not the least of which is your own personal proportions and physical attributes. But also the bikes geometry & intended use.
People who complain about the comfort of drop bars simply don't know what they don't know about bike fit.
The biggest hurdle is getting your hand placement in the same place. Drop bars have about 4 additional inches you need to take into account in stem length. But they also tend to be narrower owing to the rake/trail of the steering geometry and speeds that a road bike travels. I suppose you could maybe find a 190mm stem or whatever for the same basic road bike body position and weight distribution as a roadbike but with the muscles incorporated to rotate your arm and shoulders the way they need to be for a flat bar...You'd hate it. But I really think that drop bar to flat bar conversion is probably the more challenging proposition than going the other way.
You are veering squarely into dedicated hybrid territory if you are thinking flat bars are where you'd like to go.