Flat Bar Gravel Bike Anyone?
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: SoCalifornia
Posts: 33
Bikes: Giant Revolt, Specialized Diverge, Jamis Dragon 29, Giant XTC, Giant Defy 5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Flat Bar Gravel Bike Anyone?
Ready to venture into the newer gravel/go anywhere/do-it-all bike and considering a flat-bar version. I currently ride 29er MTB and 26" MTB, traditional road bike and a rigid hybrid bikes. Would a flat-bar gravel bike perform better over a drop-bar on unpaved road and singletrack? Looking at GT Grade FB, Specialized Sirrus, Giant etc. Any recommendations? Thanks.
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Posts: 5,773
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 453 Post(s)
Liked 104 Times
in
87 Posts
If your looking for a flat bar Gravel bike, and you already have a 29er, just stick some CX/Gravel tires on it, and you will effectively have a flat bar Gravel bike for the cost of a set of tires.
#3
cowboy, steel horse, etc
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: The hot spot.
Posts: 44,801
Bikes: everywhere
Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12635 Post(s)
Liked 7,528 Times
in
3,989 Posts
Average 29er would weigh more, have a longer fork and higher BB than the Grade FB. A nice XC 29er race bike would weigh less, I reckon...
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,737
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 147 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
8 Posts
I have the GT Eightball. Has an IGH hub.
Its much lighter than my 29er and with all-around tires can perform well on fire roads and single track.
Don't let people call them hybrids. They're worthy do-it-all bikes.
Its much lighter than my 29er and with all-around tires can perform well on fire roads and single track.
Don't let people call them hybrids. They're worthy do-it-all bikes.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 506
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 101 Post(s)
Liked 41 Times
in
33 Posts
Drop bars great...i was on gravel for over 6 hours yesterday, and its nice to be able to reposition your hands in so many ways. Several companies make "flared" drop bars which give you some of the extra leverage of flat bars. Salsa's woodchipper bar is a good example. Speaking of Salsa, you might look at the Vaya and Fargo bikes...they both come with flared drop bars.
#6
Behold my avatar:
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SW Colorado
Posts: 1,045
Bikes: 2019 Gorilla Monsoon, 2013 Surly Krampus, Brompton folder
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6941 Post(s)
Liked 441 Times
in
288 Posts
I rode Soma Oxford bars for a 7 hour gravel ride last week, on a converted MTB. They provide a more upright position than even the original flat bars. I like this ride a lot, but its kind of an "old man" style. (See my Ocoee thread in this section).
#7
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: SoCalifornia
Posts: 33
Bikes: Giant Revolt, Specialized Diverge, Jamis Dragon 29, Giant XTC, Giant Defy 5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Speaking of Salsa and similar higher end bikes, it is nice but currently too pricey for my budget. My 29er Jamis steel works wonderfully on gravel, mountain and rough dirt but bit heavy and sluggish on flat gravel riding. My road and hybrid bikes with 28c rubbers may not be as durable or even suitable for long haul gravel riding, fear that something will break.
Lots of small hill and dry dirt road alongside my local dedicated bicycle path (30 miles round trip) and I wanted a gravel bike to tackle both on a one bike outing instead of going home switching bike for different pavements. With my aging body lol......I am comfortable on flat-bar but not so on drop-bar over long haul riding (getting old sucks and not so bendy.....lol again). hence I was looking at the GT Grade FB over the drop-bar version, Specialized Diverge over the Sirrus and other comparisons.
I wonder how's it is like riding hours over gravel or road? Really admires and inspiring you guys riding 6-7 hours. did you guys continuously on the saddle for that long or have take short breaks in between? I had done a hour road riding with a few seconds to a minute for water break. longer than that w/o break will see me dead flat on the pavement, having a good nap.....
Lots of small hill and dry dirt road alongside my local dedicated bicycle path (30 miles round trip) and I wanted a gravel bike to tackle both on a one bike outing instead of going home switching bike for different pavements. With my aging body lol......I am comfortable on flat-bar but not so on drop-bar over long haul riding (getting old sucks and not so bendy.....lol again). hence I was looking at the GT Grade FB over the drop-bar version, Specialized Diverge over the Sirrus and other comparisons.
I wonder how's it is like riding hours over gravel or road? Really admires and inspiring you guys riding 6-7 hours. did you guys continuously on the saddle for that long or have take short breaks in between? I had done a hour road riding with a few seconds to a minute for water break. longer than that w/o break will see me dead flat on the pavement, having a good nap.....
Last edited by plaucc; 09-27-15 at 05:01 PM.
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,737
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 147 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
8 Posts
Speaking of Salsa and similar higher end bikes, it is nice but currently too pricey for my budget. My 29er Jamis steel works wonderfully on gravel, mountain and rough dirt but bit heavy and sluggish on flat gravel riding. My road and hybrid bikes with 28c rubbers may not be as durable or even suitable for long haul gravel riding, fear that something will break.
Lots of small hill and dry dirt road alongside my local dedicated bicycle path (30 miles round trip) and I wanted a gravel bike to tackle both on a one bike outing instead of going home switching bike for different pavements. With my aging body lol......I am comfortable on flat-bar but not so on drop-bar over long haul riding (getting old sucks and not so bendy.....lol again). hence I was looking at the GT Grade FB over the drop-bar version, Specialized Diverge over the Sirrus and other comparisons.
I wonder how's it is like riding hours over gravel or road? Really admires and inspiring you guys riding 6-7 hours. did you guys continuously on the saddle for that long or have take short breaks in between? I had done a hour road riding with a few seconds to a minute for water break. longer than that w/o break will see me dead flat on the pavement, having a good nap.....
Lots of small hill and dry dirt road alongside my local dedicated bicycle path (30 miles round trip) and I wanted a gravel bike to tackle both on a one bike outing instead of going home switching bike for different pavements. With my aging body lol......I am comfortable on flat-bar but not so on drop-bar over long haul riding (getting old sucks and not so bendy.....lol again). hence I was looking at the GT Grade FB over the drop-bar version, Specialized Diverge over the Sirrus and other comparisons.
I wonder how's it is like riding hours over gravel or road? Really admires and inspiring you guys riding 6-7 hours. did you guys continuously on the saddle for that long or have take short breaks in between? I had done a hour road riding with a few seconds to a minute for water break. longer than that w/o break will see me dead flat on the pavement, having a good nap.....
The redesigned 2016 Fairdale Weekender is now the best flat bar all-around bike out there. It has the clearance to take Panaracer Fire Cross 700 X 45 tires. That would still be lighter than a 29er and the balloon tires would feel solid on gravel...
Last edited by NormanF; 09-27-15 at 05:34 PM.
#9
cowboy, steel horse, etc
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: The hot spot.
Posts: 44,801
Bikes: everywhere
Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12635 Post(s)
Liked 7,528 Times
in
3,989 Posts
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,119
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I think rigid 29ers make excellent gravel bikes and you can build them up as light as anything else. I'm a big fan of the Jones Loop H-Bar. I've had really good experiences with the Stan's Raven 29x2.0 tire; they roll nice on smooth stuff but have that extra volume for when things get chunky.
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 506
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 101 Post(s)
Liked 41 Times
in
33 Posts
Speaking of Salsa and similar higher end bikes, it is nice but currently too pricey for my budget. My 29er Jamis steel works wonderfully on gravel, mountain and rough dirt but bit heavy and sluggish on flat gravel riding. My road and hybrid bikes with 28c rubbers may not be as durable or even suitable for long haul gravel riding, fear that something will break.
I wonder how's it is like riding hours over gravel or road? Really admires and inspiring you guys riding 6-7 hours. did you guys continuously on the saddle for that long or have take short breaks in between? I had done a hour road riding with a few seconds to a minute for water break. longer than that w/o break will see me dead flat on the pavement, having a good nap.....
Last edited by wheelsmcgee; 10-05-15 at 04:18 AM. Reason: Quote fix
#12
Senior Member
#14
Senior Member
After riding mtb exclusively since 1990, & currently riding a 2006 Heckler, a couple years ago I tried something new, I purchased a Giant FCR2 flat bar road bike, but had some hand numbness after rides of less than 1.5 hrs. I recently built up a Trek 3500 disc with a carbon fiber fork and 29" wheels. Drop bars came eventually. I used them for 100 miles or so, then switched back to flat for one ride. I really missed the hand positions so I went back to drops & never looked back. Got an actual cross/gravel bike on the way with drops & can't wait to try it out, I'm hooked now! Once you get used to the drops & the extra speed gains, you will likely love them.
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,505
Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones
Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5877 Post(s)
Liked 3,445 Times
in
2,066 Posts
Flat bar gravel bike? Isn't this what they call a mtb?
A vintage mtb can made a dynamite and inexpensive gravel bike with a tire change; oh yeah, they come stock with flat bars.
A vintage mtb can made a dynamite and inexpensive gravel bike with a tire change; oh yeah, they come stock with flat bars.
#18
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NYC
Posts: 46
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Here's a 2009 Kona Jake the Snake that I converted to something along the lines of what you're talking about. I bought the bike from a guy in Jersey this past spring for $500. Low mileage (one ~700 mile tour) and bone stock. He threw in a rack, bag, tubes, Lezyne hand pump, and some other sweet extras. Was a pretty good deal in my opinion. Anyway, ditched the knobbies for some 35mm Panaracer T-Servs, put on some Truvativ carbon riser bars, as well as some steel fenders from Velo Orange. It's my all weather commuter and it handles the bad street surfaces really well. Run 60psi in the back and 40psi in the front.
#19
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NYC
Posts: 46
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I know this is completely off topic, but how do you post those large photos like 66Satellite above? I've been messing with the attachments and trying to dig up old threads on the topic but I am having no luck. Do my images have to be hosted on a third party site like Flickr in order to post full size? I'm using Google Chrome on a computer running Mac OSX 10.7... Does that matter? Again, sorry for hijacking the thread, this is really getting on my nerves...
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Frankfurt, Germany
Posts: 1,536
Bikes: Focus trash find commuter, Eddy Merckx Corsa, BP Stealth TT bike, Leader 720 TT bike, Boardman Comp Hybrid drop bar conversion, Quantec CX budget cyclocross build, SerottaNOS frameset ready to build up!
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 124 Post(s)
Liked 97 Times
in
65 Posts
Upload to Imgur and then copy/paste the BB code. Works for me, anyway.
#21
Full Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Perkins, Oklahoma
Posts: 241
Bikes: A few
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
My gravel bike is a Salsa Fargo and I'm running Jones H bars on it. Love 'em. I've wrapped almost the entire bar giving me lot's of hand positions including forearms when I hit the smooth stuff or need some relief from the wind.
#22
just keep riding
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Milledgeville, Georgia
Posts: 13,560
Bikes: 2018 Black Mountain Cycles MCD,2017 Advocate Cycles Seldom Seen Drop Bar, 2017 Niner Jet 9 Alloy, 2015 Zukas custom road, 2003 KHS Milano Tandem, 1986 Nishiki Cadence rigid MTB, 1980ish Fuji S-12S
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 173 Post(s)
Liked 33 Times
in
22 Posts
Ready to venture into the newer gravel/go anywhere/do-it-all bike and considering a flat-bar version. I currently ride 29er MTB and 26" MTB, traditional road bike and a rigid hybrid bikes. Would a flat-bar gravel bike perform better over a drop-bar on unpaved road and singletrack? Looking at GT Grade FB, Specialized Sirrus, Giant etc. Any recommendations? Thanks.
We rode together this past weekend on a mostly hard packed gravel ride and he did very well. I've ridden with him before on a ride that involved gravel, pavement and a few miles of moderate singletrack. No problems with the bike at all. While I am far more comfortable with drop bars on that kind of ride, he is equally biased toward flat bars.
It really comes down to what you feel better with.
#23
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: SoCalifornia
Posts: 33
Bikes: Giant Revolt, Specialized Diverge, Jamis Dragon 29, Giant XTC, Giant Defy 5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I ride a Specialized Sirrus Sport with bar ends and it works well with me. Started as a mountain biker, flat bar is more natural to me as it opens up my arms and chest. Recently bough a entry level Specialized Diverge A1 Sport and a Giant Defy but my upper body not so getting used to its drop bars. Hopefully a few more "new bike shake-down" and minor adjustment rides will get it right. All my bikes are adjusted to the same configurations: handlebar horizontal height same as saddle and handlebar/stem distance to saddle, give or take 1/2" - 1". Wider flat bar suits me better as the ends are more swept inwards and more relaxing grip w/o twisting my hands too much like on a drop bar.
Last edited by plaucc; 11-10-15 at 11:26 AM.
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 164
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Ready to venture into the newer gravel/go anywhere/do-it-all bike and considering a flat-bar version. I currently ride 29er MTB and 26" MTB, traditional road bike and a rigid hybrid bikes. Would a flat-bar gravel bike perform better over a drop-bar on unpaved road and singletrack? Looking at GT Grade FB, Specialized Sirrus, Giant etc. Any recommendations? Thanks.