Trekking bars for 1200s?
#1
Full Member
Thread Starter
Trekking bars for 1200s?
I like flat-bar touring bikes. A lot. Specifically, I like trekking bars for the oodles of hand positions, the tons of room for gear, and the ability to use Rohloff shifters without modification, cheap MTB hydros, etc.
My favorite bike of all time was a 1983 Peugeot MTB that got fresh paint, a B-17, v-brakes, and and some trekking bars. I commuted on that tank for 5,000 miles before burning through some rims and upgrading to a bike that cost 50x what i paid for the Peugeot, but I miss it.
That Peugeot was great for 60-70 miles, but I wonder--as I build a rando bike for PBP 2023 qualification, do I want to recreate the glory (with better components), or should I suck it up and build a drop-bar bike. Despite multiple fits from some of the best (no, really) fitters, I still only ever spend time in the drops if my hands are killing me or I'm in a stiff headwind, but if a 1200k is going to subject me to hours of sustained winds, maybe it's worth it.
My longest-ever ride was roughly a 400k (205 miles), on drops. My hands hurt a bit at the end, but that's largely because that bike had Paul Racers, rather than the hydros my new road bike has.
My favorite bike of all time was a 1983 Peugeot MTB that got fresh paint, a B-17, v-brakes, and and some trekking bars. I commuted on that tank for 5,000 miles before burning through some rims and upgrading to a bike that cost 50x what i paid for the Peugeot, but I miss it.
That Peugeot was great for 60-70 miles, but I wonder--as I build a rando bike for PBP 2023 qualification, do I want to recreate the glory (with better components), or should I suck it up and build a drop-bar bike. Despite multiple fits from some of the best (no, really) fitters, I still only ever spend time in the drops if my hands are killing me or I'm in a stiff headwind, but if a 1200k is going to subject me to hours of sustained winds, maybe it's worth it.
My longest-ever ride was roughly a 400k (205 miles), on drops. My hands hurt a bit at the end, but that's largely because that bike had Paul Racers, rather than the hydros my new road bike has.
#2
Senior Member
Try them if you want, there's no harm if you know they work for you. People ride brevets on all sorts of bikes. You could even try using aerobars if you want another position for headwinds. Some people hit some stiff headwinds at PBP last year.
#3
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this is the kind of thing where you are the expert. Very few randonneurs use anything other than drop bars.
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You mentioned Rohloff. If you use a Rohloff on drop bars, there are over a dozen ways to mount the shifter if you use the stock Rohloff shifter. I tried about three different locations before I settled on using the Hubbub adapter to put the shifter on my right side bar end. But I had used bar end shifters for a couple decades before I bought the Rohloff, so it was second nature for me to reach down there to shift.
https://www.cyclingabout.com/rohloff...op-handlebars/
They show the Hubbub adapter as being wooden, that is WRONG, it is all metal. Photo of my setup below. Note that I use two V brake noodles to route my cables forward from the shifter. I do not think anyone else uses those noodles the way I do, most people have the cables sticking out the side of the shifter.
https://www.cyclingabout.com/rohloff...op-handlebars/
They show the Hubbub adapter as being wooden, that is WRONG, it is all metal. Photo of my setup below. Note that I use two V brake noodles to route my cables forward from the shifter. I do not think anyone else uses those noodles the way I do, most people have the cables sticking out the side of the shifter.