(upbeat electronic music)
- If you're wanting to get into cycling,
then you may be wondering what kind of bike you should get
and what is gonna best suit your needs.
In particular, a drop bar bike like I'm riding
or a flat bar bike like James has got there.
- So in this video, we are gonna go through the differences
between the two, and we're also gonna go through
some experiments so you can make an informed decision
about which one to get.
- Yeah, so to do this we've got two bikes
from our partner Orbea.
They're both nice Vector models.
And the first thing we're gonna highlight
is the difference in position between a drop bar bike
and a flat bar bike.
So to do this, we're gonna do some extremely
high-tech special effects to show you the difference
in position.
As you can see the flat bar bike puts you
in a more upright position.
And this can be more comfortable for beginners,
because it requires less flexibility.
It can also be more conducive to riding with a backpack.
The drop bar bike allows you to get longer and lower
at the front, and this is more aerodynamic,
meaning that you should be able to go faster
for the same amount of effort.
It does require more flexibility though,
but it also helps lower your center of gravity
to help cornering.
- Right, so we're gonna do it, mate.
(upbeat electronic music)
- The drop bar offers three different hand positions.
The hoods, the drops, and the tops.
- So most riders spend most of their time
on the hoods, but the drops are used for getting more low
and more aerodynamic.
And it's also good for sprinting and descending
as your hands feel more secure and tend not to bounce out.
Whereas the tops, I use as a kind of change of hand position
as it can be more comfortable and more upright.
- To assess the relative merits of the two bar types,
we've devised some incredibly high-tech
and sophisticated experiments.
- We have.
- Right, experiment one.
(mellow beats electronic music)
So for this experiment we're going to try
and asses the difference in aerodynamics,
and therefore speed, you can travel for the same effort
on the two different handlebar types.
To do this, we're gonna ride down
this two kilometer section of road as fast as we can
on both bikes and then we'll see which one
we did it in the quickest timing.
So...
- Sounds like a good experiment, mate.
I reckon let's do it.
- Let's do it.
(both make whooshing sound)
- Here we go.
- Three, two, one.
Go! - (grunts) Yeah!
(upbeat rock music)
- 2K's a lot longer than I thought!
Already I can feel...
Much wider, much less aero!
All I wanna do is get low!
- Three...
Two...
One.
(upbeat rock music)
Yeah, it was fine, yeah.
(both laughing)
How about you?
- I mean all efforts are hard, aren't they?
- Yeah.
- But what did you find the position?
How did you find the bike?
- Yeah, I mean this has got a four centimeter bar on it.
And I can get nice and aero and narrow.
- I struggled, I...
My body was just telling me just to try and get lower.
Going quick didn't feel nice to be quite honest.
Let me try that bike and--
- Yeah, let's swap.
- See how we get on.
- Let's swap.
- Go!
(bike whooshing)
(upbeat rock music)
- Straightaway, feels more comfortable at high speeds.
Can get in this low, narrow, aerodynamic position.
(upbeat rock music)
(grunts)
- Oh, God!
Yeah I got the results here
on my phone.
So I did the drop bar bike in two minutes, 49 seconds,
an average speed of 43 kilometers an hour.
- That's not bad.
- Your drop bar run.
- Ah, you've beaten me.
(laughs)
- You did it in 2:41 with an average 45 kilometers an hour.
- Alright mate, that's good.
- And then on the flat bar bike, I did that
in three minutes, 10.
So about 20 seconds slower almost.
- Yeah.
- And that was an average of 37 kilometers an hour.
You did it in 3:04, which was an average
of 39 kilometers an hour.
So you've beaten me again, quite like 6 seconds.
- Okay.
- But that's 'cause I held you up at the--
- I think, yeah, I think that starting--
- Yeah, that's why.
That's definitely why.
- But as you can see from the results,
that the drop bar was definitely fastest for both of us.
But that's to be expected as the drop bar
allows the user to be in a much more lower
and more aerodynamic position.
But going fast might not be the priority for you,
but if it is, then drop bar's the winner.
- The drop bar's the winner.
(mellow beats electronic music)
The drop bar bike's great, because the three different
hand positions are for really awesome versatility.
So if you're thinking about doing longer rides
or perhaps even your first sport eve,
then if your wrists, hands or arms
start to get a little bit tired, you can get relief
and comfortable again by just changing your hand position.
- It's funny you say that, because the flat bar
does only offer one hand position.
But it's actually really good for kind of short,
more urban rides.
It's because it's kind of shorter, wider,
so it's kind of more comfortable, and it's more stable.
So it's really good for weaving in and out of traffic.
So it's pretty good for nimble riding, really.
- Yeah, do you know what, right?
I think we need to do another experiment
to assess the nimble steering of the flat bar
versus the drop bar.
- Ollie, I think that's a really good idea.
I think we should call it the agility challenge.
- Yeah, the agility test.
It's like crufts on bikes.
(dog barks)
- [Man On Bike] Yikes.
- Experiment two.
(mellow beats electronic music)
Experiment two is the agility test.
So me and James are both gonna ride at speed
through this slalom of cones.
And fitted to each cone is a high-tech
and highly sophisticated hit detection mechanism.
(chicken squawks)
We really have spared no expense
in creating this experiment.
(mellow beats electronic music)
We're both gonna ride through the slalom course,
round that mini roundabout, and back through.
So the start and finish is here.
We're gonna time each other on both of the bikes,
and the fastest time is the winner.
But you incur a five-second penalty for every egg,
or I mean hit detection device, that you hit.
(huffs)
Right.
- Let's get on with it.
- I'll time you.
You ready to go?
- Yeah, I'm ready.
- Flat bar bike, James.
Three...
Two--
- I'm nervous.
- One...
Go!
- Right, I'm clipped in.
Should've taken it slow.
Little slow.
Through, I'm through.
Round the roundabout.
Oh no, off balance!
There we go.
(grunts and pants)
- Ooh, clean run.
17 seconds.
- So now it's Ollie's turn.
He's adopted the drop bar bike.
You all ready, Ollie?
- Yeah.
- Alright, four...
Three...
Two...
One, go!
(mellow beats electronic music)
14, 15, 16,
17...
18.
Oh, egg down!
Oh, he missed that one!
(laughs)
And stop!
With a time of 22 seconds.
- James up now on the drop bars.
Give you a countdown. - I'm ready.
- Three, two-- - Yeah!
- One. - Yeah!
- Go!
And go!
- Oh no, he's not clipped in.
Oh! (grunts)
Oh, oh, oh!
(laughs)
(mellow beats electronic music)
Oh, I've lost a few eggs there.
So it's made it a little easier.
Ouch!
- Get in, get in the gate!
- Oh, hit that one as well.
- Right, 20 seconds of time penalties.
So 43 seconds.
- Go!
(bike clicking)
(laughs) Nice!
Oh, oh! (gasps and laughs)
(mellow beats electronic music)
Through the first corner.
Through it, nice and clean.
Nice little balance there through the tight one,
like through, and he stops in a time of 23 seconds.
- I think next time I have to race through eggs
I'm gonna go flat bar.
- Yeah, there you have it.
Agility challenge, done.
- Completed it, mate.
(mellow beats electronic music)
So now time for experiment three.
- Finally, we're gonna look at stability
and the balance of each bike.
Now this is actually how NASA tests bikes.
It's that accurate.
- Seriously accurate.
- So we're gonna try, on these beams,
to ride across them without falling off.
- That's right the Wooden Beams of Death.
(person yelping)
(playful instrumental music)
(exclaiming)
(laughing)
(deep laughter)
- He's over it cleanly now where the difficult bit,
lining up the bike.
- Oh! (grunts)
- Oh! (grunting)
No!
Just bails on that second beam.
One more try, mate.
Here we go, last up.
The first beam, done.
Cleanly.
(groaning)
- Lousy Williams up next on the wide flat bar bike.
(bike clicking)
- Oh! (beep)
- Failed it!
Tough, man.
It's tough.
(laughing)
(drum roll)
- Oh! (audience cheering)
- Oh man, that was...
- That was hard. - Yeah?
- I was rubbish.
- All that's proven to me so far is that my bike handling
needs some work. (laughs)
So now, we've swapped bikes, and we are going to...
I mean you're gonna have a go on the flat bar,
and I'm gonna have a go on the drop bar.
- Yeah, hopefully that'll be easier
than what I just did.
(laughing)
- Well, let's see how you get on.
Do you want to go first?
- No.
(playful instrumental music)
- Right, he's over the first beam.
It's the second one that's the difficult one.
He's balancing the bike, tryin' to straighten up
for the second beam.
(Ollie sighs)
(James sighs deeply)
Second attempt, over the first beam nice and easy,
on to the difficult part.
(playful instrumental music)
Last attempt, over the first beam,
straighten out the bike.
He's going quick!
Oh, so close!
Right, now it's my turn to have a go on the drop bar.
- Yeah.
- Not really looking forward to this one.
- Good.
- Let's see how we get on.
(playful instrumental music)
(audience talking and cheering)
- He's up the first beam.
(audience cheering and exclaiming)
(Ollie exclaiming)
- How do you feel?
- I think it's pretty clear that we could both,
especially myself, work on our bike handling skills
a bit more.
But even so, I wasn't able to complete the beams properly.
Definitely was more stable on the flat bar.
And I'm not just sayin' that.
It was, I've definitely found that easier.
- And I mean, I completed it just about on my third run
on the flat bar, and on that...
It was very difficult.
So..
- I managed to shin myself on the pedal as well.
- Yeah, so definitely--
(laughing)
If you're getting a bike for weaving through traffic
then this is definitely the bike for you.
- Or if you want a bike to ride over beams
then you've got a choice between either this bike
and this bike, and they're your only options
then that one's better.
(mellow beats electronic music)
There you have it.
Our experiments are complete.
- Yes, but it is worth factoring in
that if you are coming from a mountain bike background
then the flat bar might seem a lot more familiar.
Don't you think?
- Yeah, yeah, and also some people can be intimidated
by the look of a drop bar bike, but we'd say
absolutely don't be intimidated by the look of it.
If you fancy of getting one, get one.
And the other thing we should stress
is that there's no right or wrong answer here.
We're not saying one's better than the other.
Both are great.
They're just different, and they have different advantages
and disadvantages.
- And that's it.
So if you have enjoyed this video,
then please give us a thumbs up.
And if you have got some friends that are new to cycling,
then why don't you share it with them?
- Yeah, and if you're looking for another video to watch,
then why not click here for a video
on how to use clip-less pedals.