Anything particularly unsafe about flat bars???
 

I was on a wine tour last night and got talking to another older couple that lives in the area and are into cycling. She rides in a local club and was telling me about it, there's 4 levels and she rides with level 4 (the slowest). I know you can't really tell someones ability looking at them but she's early 60's, 5'3" or so, and didn't appear to be particularly athletic, where I'm 46, 6'0", and though not the strongest rider not in bad shape either. I was thinking if I rode in her group with the level 4's that it sounded great to get out for a not too intense social ride with a group, so I said I'd look into it.

I built my bike myself to best fit the type of riding I do, it probably falls in the hybrid category, maybe flat bar gravel bike(ish). It's still a decent bike though. When it came up that I rode a flat bar her response was "Oh, we ride road bikes. You wouldn't be able to keep up. Besides they wouldn't let you ride anyway, flat bars are too unsafe, you need to have drop bars". I never got a chance to ask her what that meant before the tour was over.

Now I'm fairly confident that if she can keep up with the group then I'd be able to too, road bike or not. However, what could she possibly mean that flat bars are too unsafe?

I think the "unsafe" stuff is nonsense, and the "'you won't be able to keep up" is entirely a question of the rider. So, I'd say those are a pair of uninformed opinions.

It doesn't really make any sense but I'm betting they think drop bars are 'safer' because of the drops. Your hands are more secure. But...most people don't ride in them much so it doesn't make sense.

BUT, the one thing I'd say is don't make assumptions about other riders' ability based solely on apparent age and shape. There's always somebody older, fatter, and faster than you. In fact, I strive to be that 'older, fatter, faster' rider for as many people as possible, when I ride!

You're absolutley right. I did say that you can't judge someones ability by looking at them and I should have elaborated on that, but it wasn't the focus of the question. I have to admit I was a little surprised that this little old lady looked at me and said I couldn't keep up because she has a road bike and I don't. I mean I suspect I would but that needs to be proven on the bikes.

What she really meant was that she and her bike club is a bunch of elitist snobs...The comment she made about flat bars being unsafe is complete BS..

:rolleyes: That rotten chestnut, again?

Ask yourself, what kind of bars do downhill mountain bike riders use? There have been some who use drop bars but, overwhelmingly, they (as well as most mountain bike riders) use flat bars. Which is rougher, road biking down a road at a high rate of speed or hurtling down a rock strewn slope at a high rate of speed? Now as why mountain bike riders use flat bars.

The entire sport of MTB would disagree.

I know in a lot of riding groups, Triathlon bars (base/aero extensions) are not usually welcome , because the controls are often out of reach, especially if you’re tucked in on the extensions.

It could also be that they don’t want anyone showing up with a basket-and-fenders beach cruiser, and spoiling the “serious cyclist” vibe.

She's confused

This

I find that flat bars just get uncomfortable after 15 - 20 miles or so. Drop bars have many more hand positions, each moves you back and shoulders a bit and that makes them better for long rides.

I would imagine by "unsafe" she meant that you might be riding in the group with wide bars and your elbows sticking out. Anyway that's the best I can come up with for a reason.

Sounds like she had had too much wine.

Well that's one way to blow you off

Unless they award a green jersey at the end of each ride.

John

I bet she did not have a dork disk nor a kick stand on her bike!
gm

Yeah I've heard that lots so I'm not going to argue, seems most people have this opinion. I do have horns for some extra hand possitions. I've done multiple 100km+ rides and never felt that was an issue. On the flip side the GF and I recently did an "intro to the velodrome" ride for fun. I'm not totally inactive, my job is physical often, I cycle obviously, do weights, cross train/personal trainer with the GF the odd time, occasionally play tennis etc... Riding at the velodrome was the first time I'd riden drops in a very long time and I couldn't get over how exhausted my upper body was riding on them, and we were only doing a few minutes here and there. I guess everybody has their thing.

I know flat bars can get really wide (and for good reason as cyccommute mentions) but mine are 600mm. That's more or less how wide my shoulders are, so unless these grannies bump shoulders and jockey for position thats a hard argument lol.

Nope. Not a damn thing.

Its whatever you're comfortable with. I ride very wide drop bars - 46cm, set same height as the seat (except my road racing bike, which is an inch lower) and can ride those bars for hours. My mt. bike has 700cm bars, but no bar ends as we've too many tree gates where i generally ride.

Don’t ask her for investment advice.

Where's Larry Sellers, he probably has an answer to this question (along with a few other comments)?

I asked a bike shop here in Waterloo Region Canada about a straight bar bike on a group ride and they said it was a no go. They also said it was because a lot of riders of straight bar bikes didn't have the skills needed to ride in a group. Perhaps this lady was of the same opinion?

Cheers

I'll second that!

You know what? I think you're right with this one and OMG I'm triggered!!! lol

Since you're from Ontario, I was recently on a ride through Ajax (really nice trail system for a small town) and came across a group a few times where our routes crossed, most had "Ajax Cycling Club" jerseys on.... and all had drop bars! They were a **** show on the trail! Not a one of them knew, or at least cared about trail ettiquite. The first encounter the trail was paved mabye 2m wide or so, there was about a dozen of them and they stopped to have a chat. A mass of bikes and people completely blocking the trail and a meters worth on either side. THey wouldn't move for us so we had to swing way wide and avoid some obstacles in order to go around them. Next encounter the same thing except due to the terrain we couldn't pas on either side. We were dinging the bells and yelling at them as we approached. One glanced back at us then went back to the conversation. After we had to stop one of them finally aknowledged us and said to the others we were trying to pass. We were clearly an inconvenence for them so they took their time. I mean the audacity of us! Clearly it's their trail, we're just thankfull we have the priveledge of using it too. Other times trying to pass them on the trail was a tricky proposition - picture that scene in the movie where Bambi was trying to walk for the first time and that's what a lot of these people were like on bikes. They were riding right in the middle of the trail and after ringing bells and telling them we were passing on the left they were still weaving in the middle of the path. One threw his left hand up after us announcing we were passing whatever TF that meant. Clearly it wasn't acknowledgement we were going around because he also drifted left.

But they think us flat bar people don't know what we're doing!!!

Before I get flamed, I'm having a bit of fun with this. I'm not saying all of you drop bar people are like BMW drivers, just this particular group lol!

as someone who's done his fair share of bumping shoulders and jockeying for position... I agree. 95% of people don't really need drops.

I will say that getting impaled by a flat bar seems like it would hurt. I know my local group ride used to have like a crash a week, so probably not a great idea to add an extra risk to that. But again... buncha grannies riding at 15mph... not likely.