Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Flat bars on vintage racer

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Flat bars on vintage racer

Old 04-02-21, 06:32 PM
  #1  
Erzulis Boat 
Le Crocodile
Thread Starter
 
Erzulis Boat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Santa Barbara Calif.
Posts: 1,873
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 367 Post(s)
Liked 771 Times in 311 Posts
Flat bars on vintage racer

Put flat bars on a 57/56.5 1980's mystery French race bike for a buddy. I used the same stem (prolly around 100/110 if I recall).

He has gone over the bars twice over the years. He is not a "cyclist". I couldn't figure out how he managed to accomplish that, but I digress.

Is there some method to running a flat bar on these old bikes that were made for drops? Like a way shorter stem or something, or is he just a klutz?

Reason- I have some old frames about, and need a wine tasting bike. I was thinking flat bars and a lower saddle.
Erzulis Boat is offline  
Old 04-02-21, 07:14 PM
  #2  
Classtime 
Senior Member
 
Classtime's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 4,672

Bikes: 82 Medici, 2011 Richard Sachs, 2011 Milwaukee Road

Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1924 Post(s)
Liked 1,954 Times in 1,086 Posts
I have two buddies who went over the bars by grabbing the brakes and then as they are thrown forward they grab more and over they go. One buddy broke a collar bone. Use the same levers and North Roads maybe.

edit: flat bars make my hands numb unless I am REALLY riding. I put North Roads and cork grips on my PX-10 and thought it was fantastic.
__________________
I don't do: disks, tubeless, e-shifting, or bead head nymphs.

Last edited by Classtime; 04-02-21 at 07:17 PM.
Classtime is offline  
Likes For Classtime:
Old 04-02-21, 07:42 PM
  #3  
clubman 
Phyllo-buster
 
clubman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 8,829

Bikes: roadsters, club bikes, fixed and classic

Mentioned: 133 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2287 Post(s)
Liked 2,028 Times in 1,244 Posts
It's not bars, it's front brake related. Good front and rear modulating brakes will fix it. A bike 'fit' never hurts for guys that aren't cyclists.

edit...sure great wine bike with the right brakes. I'd go 'porteur' over flat bars just cuz.

Last edited by clubman; 04-02-21 at 07:46 PM.
clubman is offline  
Likes For clubman:
Old 04-03-21, 09:16 AM
  #4  
Oldairhead 
RUSA #3100
 
Oldairhead's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Oregon City
Posts: 834

Bikes: Yes

Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 234 Post(s)
Liked 486 Times in 178 Posts
Is he a Brit? They have their brake levers reversed so maybe he is a "rear brake" cyclist using the fromt brake!
__________________
https://utahrandonneur.wordpress.com
Oldairhead is offline  
Old 04-03-21, 09:22 AM
  #5  
repechage
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 20,322
Mentioned: 129 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3449 Post(s)
Liked 2,800 Times in 1,974 Posts
Longer stem I have found - by a cm or two.
or if an Italian bike, Cinelli Condorino bars for style points.
repechage is offline  
Likes For repechage:
Old 04-03-21, 09:26 AM
  #6  
cudak888 
www.theheadbadge.com
 
cudak888's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Southern Florida
Posts: 28,496

Bikes: https://www.theheadbadge.com

Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2401 Post(s)
Liked 4,350 Times in 2,075 Posts
Flat-bar weight distribution, a strong front brake, and someone who doesn't know how to modulate = over the bars. V-brakes, I bet?

Build an IGH commuter with North Roads or something approximating that bar shape and position. Personally, I feel flat bars absolutely stink for bikes designed for enjoying the day, which is exactly what "wine tasting bike" is bringing up in my mind. If you want to forget there's a bike under you, don't even think flat bars.

-Kurt
__________________












cudak888 is offline  
Old 04-03-21, 10:29 AM
  #7  
guy1138
Senior member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 175
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 66 Post(s)
Liked 124 Times in 51 Posts
V-brake levers on caliper or canti brakes?
guy1138 is offline  
Old 04-03-21, 11:06 AM
  #8  
Erzulis Boat 
Le Crocodile
Thread Starter
 
Erzulis Boat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Santa Barbara Calif.
Posts: 1,873
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 367 Post(s)
Liked 771 Times in 311 Posts
Originally Posted by guy1138
V-brake levers on caliper or canti brakes?
V brake levers on caliper. I rode it and grabbed a handful at a bunch of speeds and didn't have issues. I just think a combination of marijuana, beer, and poor riding skills were the main contributing factors. I just felt bad that perhaps I had missed something geometry-wise by installing the flat bars.
Erzulis Boat is offline  
Likes For Erzulis Boat:
Old 04-03-21, 09:00 PM
  #9  
Hudson308 
Mr. Anachronism
 
Hudson308's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Somewhere west of Tobie's
Posts: 2,093

Bikes: fillet-brazed Chicago Schwinns, and some other stuff

Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 526 Post(s)
Liked 256 Times in 165 Posts
Great bar suggestions above, so I won't add anything there. A riser stem like those used on ATBs/hybrids might also help.
__________________
"My only true wisdom is in knowing I have none" -Socrates
Hudson308 is offline  
Old 04-03-21, 10:32 PM
  #10  
randyjawa 
Senior Member
 
randyjawa's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada - burrrrr!
Posts: 11,672

Bikes: 1958 Rabeneick 120D, 1968 Legnano Gran Premio, 196? Torpado Professional, 2000 Marinoni Piuma

Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1370 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,743 Times in 934 Posts
The problem sounds more like rider skills rather than being component related. Hard braking with the front brake and improper rider position can cause this problem.

Flat bars will not do too much to change the rider's position. I have tried several different handlebar styles and the one that best moves me back and to a more upright position are pictured below...

From this (see how far the rider must reach to reach the brake levers - a considerable distance in front of the steering stem...


To this...


I chose to change the shifters, from the down tube position to handle bar mounted adding to the comfort factor and negating the need to reach all the way down to the down tube shifter mounted position...
__________________
"98% of the bikes I buy are projects".
randyjawa is offline  
Likes For randyjawa:
Old 04-03-21, 11:28 PM
  #11  
cudak888 
www.theheadbadge.com
 
cudak888's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Southern Florida
Posts: 28,496

Bikes: https://www.theheadbadge.com

Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2401 Post(s)
Liked 4,350 Times in 2,075 Posts
Originally Posted by Erzulis Boat
V brake levers on caliper.
Odd combo. Are the calipers designed for linear pull, or did they just happen to work better with linear-pull levers?

The only cases I've found where linear pull levers improved performance of a brake - contrary to popular opinion - are with cheap front band brakes. The extra pull helps immensely and allows the band to be set looser at rest, thus minimizing potential drag. Granted, that combo can be enough to endo or jackknife a rider at low speeds if they're not careful.

-Kurt
__________________












cudak888 is offline  
Old 04-05-21, 09:06 AM
  #12  
Erzulis Boat 
Le Crocodile
Thread Starter
 
Erzulis Boat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Santa Barbara Calif.
Posts: 1,873
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 367 Post(s)
Liked 771 Times in 311 Posts
Originally Posted by cudak888
Odd combo. Are the calipers designed for linear pull, or did they just happen to work better with linear-pull levers?

The only cases I've found where linear pull levers improved performance of a brake - contrary to popular opinion - are with cheap front band brakes. The extra pull helps immensely and allows the band to be set looser at rest, thus minimizing potential drag. Granted, that combo can be enough to endo or jackknife a rider at low speeds if they're not careful.

-Kurt
Just what I had in a parts bin. It was no problem for me to use.
Erzulis Boat is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.