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Flat Bar Road Bike
Road bikes are light, efficient bikes, designed to go farther and faster while at the same time expending less energy. One of the reasons road bikes have drop bar handlebars is to allow the rider to be in a more aerodynamic position and therefore go faster. One of the problems is that this lower position is hard on the back and can get quite uncomfortable. That is where the flat bar road bike comes in.
A flat bar road bike is sometimes also called a fitness bike and is relatively a new style of bicycle. Simply it is a road bike that is fitted with a flat handlebar like on a mountain bike along with MTB-style shifters and brake levers. Using this combination gives people a light, fast bike yet with a more upright riding position that is easier on the back. This type of bike is commonly used for fitness riding, commuting and urban riding.
The flat bar roadie is in many ways like a hybrid bike. They both are a combination of mountain and road bike designs both in engineering and technology. The difference is a Hybrid bike is more of a mountain bike than a road bike. At the same time the flat bar bikes are more road than mountain bike.
Where the flat bar is different than a true road bike is not all in the handle. It is also in the design as it is designed for the more upright sitting position. So it is not a matter of just swapping out the handle bars brakes and shifters. This is truly a design of its own. The advantage it has over a hybrid is it is light like a road bike with the small tires and built to go fast. The disadvantage of the flat bar road bike in some people’s minds is that while the hybrid can be ridden on the road and off, because of the small tires the flat bar can only be ridden on pavement.
Along with the hybrid bike, these bikes are one of the latest design evolutions in the industry. People today are always looking for different ways of doing things because we all enjoy doing things differently. As a result people started experimenting with the current bike models a few years back because they didn’t completely meet their needs. The biking enthusiasts and designers got engineers and companies to development sub categories of bikes which resulted in bikes like what we now call the flat bar road bike.
Something to think about when it comes to a flat bar bike. Sometimes after a person has ridden for a few years they've fallen in love with riding. When this happens they usually find they are riding longer and further than they ever dreamt they would. Usually when this happens they become less happy with their flat bar bike and wonder about converting it to have the road bars. This is both an expensive adventure and not a good idea. This is because the bike really isn't properly designed for it. My advice here is enjoy your flat bared bike that you have come to appreciate for riding to the store or around town and just get a new bike for the road.
It is a wonderful thing when someone learns to love riding.