Hi All,
For those who didn't read my introduction in that thread, I'm about 6'0" and 320lbs at the moment. I'm a guy with a big gut. I have a road BSO right not from Walmart that I bought on a whim while at the store and I've been enjoying...let call it, the POTENTIAL that a road bike has. One issue I've had is likely down a lot to fit, and that's riding drop is difficult because my legs hit my gut, so I spend most of my time on the top of the bars (best for the issues) or on the hoods (bearable but not perfect). I've fitted that BSO as best as I could and I know my saddle is an appropriate height for my legs at least.
I'm researching getting an entry level road bike (a real one) in the sub $550 range. This has led me to debate whether or not I would be better off with flat bars or drops. The way I see it
Flats
+more upright position without having to mess with stems or spacers
+brakes more readily available
+cheaper (a couple hundred dollars difference when looking at Trek or Specialized)
Drops
+obviously cooler looking
+more hand positions to relieve pressure on long rides
- less room for my gut due to more aggressive riding position
- would need to mess with spacers and stems to get a flat bar like position.
Now, granted this is an individual decision and without getting on some bikes and trying them no one here can tell me what to do. However I'm interested in your experiences and opinions of those experiences. The way I see it I can get flat and either save some $$ or put that $$ towards a better bike, or I can get drops and utilize spacers and a more angled stem to have a more relaxed position. Either way I doubt I'd spend much time in the drops and would be on the top of the bars or hoods anyway. Has anyone had to make a decision like this before? How did it turn out? Will I be out of place with flats in a riding group?