Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Brighton, Michigan
Posts: 661
Bikes: Optima Baron LR, '14 Nishiki Maricopa,'87 Trek 330 Elance, '89 Miyata 1400, '85 Peugeot PGN10, '04 Fuji Ace, '06 Giant Rincon, '95 Giant Allegre, '83 Trek 620, '86 Schwinn High Sierra
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My Baron Lowracer does have its advantages and disadvantages compared to my small fleet of DFs.
The advantages: On smooth flat roads, I'm a bit quicker, about 2mph faster usually. And on downhills, I'm far faster than when on my DF's. There is the view from the seat. I see everything in front of me. And with the mirrors on the handlebars, a firm view of what is coming up behind me. I feel safer riding it on the roads because of the mirrors. And because of the good views in front of me, I don't see my bike computers as much, and thus, the miles seems to fly by faster. Oh, and the feeling I'm on my couch, pedaling the afternoon away.
The disadvantages: Hills. I hate them on my bent, and I'm slower by a 1-2mph on most hills. And they take more work and energy. On shorter rides, this isn't too much of an issue. But as I've taken up riding 200-300k brevets lately, a few thousand feet of climbing does add up. This has caused me to use my DF on hillier events, where I'm less tired at the 100 mile mark than I would be with my Baron. Also, crank sizes. On my DF's, I'm fine with 170mm cranks. I recently switched to 165mm cranks from 155mm for more leverage with the local hills, but this has caused knee pain. Also some achilles heel soreness. So, I'm going back to 155mm cranks.
Bumpy roads and chipseal ruin my rides too. On smooth flat roads, my Baron is always faster. Put chipseal on that road, then it can become unrideable on my Baron. The vibrations from chipseal not only slow me down, but also shake my eyes to the point that it's hard to focus (put your fingers on the temples of your head, rub back and forth as fast as you can. Now double it. That's how bad some chipseal is around here). Hard bumps have also caused some headaches after a ride too.
And the last disadvantage is rain. Because I'm always looking up due to the low seat angle, if it rains, I cannot look down. On my DF, I can look down the avoid the rain hitting my face or sun glasses. No such luck on the bent. If there is a hint of possible rain during a planned session, I take my DF instead.
Overall, I prefer the Baron over the DF's. But it all depends where I ride, and what type of terrain and/or weather.