Drop bars or flat bars may be the best option for you, depending on your use case. But when
we take a look at both designs objectively, the best option for most people is a flat handlebar,
and it's not even close. In this video, we will analyze the differences between these
two handlebar designs, covering everything from performance to frame geometry,
product design to safety. As rider comfort is a subjective experience, ergonomics is not part
of my analysis. Some of you will find drop bars comfier, others will find flat bars comfier. Let's
start with when flat bars are objectively better than drop bars, and later, we'll flip the script.
Flat bars are better for bike handling. The wider your hands sit from the steering axis,
the more leverage you have to steer your bike. With a wide flat bar, you can expect better bike
control at high speeds (as the additional leverage helps to counter the ground forces
that are constantly nudging your handlebar), and at low speeds (as you can make small adjustments
to help keep your balance). A high steering leverage is also particularly important if
you use front luggage, as any weight at the front of the bike requires additional effort
to steer. Even with a very heavy front load, wide handlebars can provide a light steering response.
You can expect to ride with more confidence and more control with a flat handlebar,
especially on rougher terrain. But note: there are drop bar exceptions to the rule that make the most
of a high steering leverage. The Curve Walmer is 600 millimetres wide at the hoods,
which is getting mighty close to offering flat bar levels of control.
Flat bar bike designs are more stable. As the grips are closer to your body when you use a
flat handlebar, manufacturers need to increase the front centre of their flat bar frames by
approximately 50 to 60mm to ensure rider hip, back and arm angles can be maintained. This has
multiple indirect benefits. Number one: you get a longer wheelbase, which makes your bike more
stable at speed due to a lower centre of mass. Number two: you get a larger front endo angle,
which makes it harder for a bump, pothole or rock to send you over the bars. And number three:
when you stand up, your centre of mass is better centred between your tires,
which maximizes both front and rear tyre grip. As a result, flat bar bikes are more stable and
confidence-inspiring to ride, in particular, on steeper or rougher sections of trail.
Again, there are drop bar exceptions to the rule that design in long front centre lengths. I made
a frame geometry masterclass around one such bike that you can watch in the top corner of this page.
Flat bar frames have no toe overlap. You have toe overlap when you turn your handlebar and
your front wheel makes contact with your forward foot. This is usually a problem on drop bar bikes
in the small to medium sizes but can be a problem on bigger bikes with fenders too.
With the longer front centre lengths of most flat bar frames, we can virtually eliminate
toe overlap for riders of all heights, which improves low-speed safety, in particular.
Flat bars offer better braking performance. One finger braking is easy on a flat handlebar,
which leaves your thumb and three other fingers to get a firm hold on the small-diameter grips.
In comparison, drop bars typically require more fingers on the brake levers,
especially in the hoods, which results in a less firm hold. This is particularly noticeable if you
try and brake into bumpy corners. In addition, flat bar brakes offer more stopping power with
the same lever force. This is thanks to mountain bike brakes being available with more pistons
and larger pad surface areas, as well as larger-diameter rotors.
Low gear ratios are more common on flat bar bikes. Low gear ratios are absolutely essential
if you want to make riding in the hills nice and easy. If we compare the lowest gear ratios
on bikes in the off-road touring category in my buyer's guides, the flat bar bikes have
20% lower average climbing gears than the drop bar bikes. This is because flat bar shifters
are easily paired with mountain bike drivetrain components. As these parts are intended for the
steepest terrain they come with the gear ratios to match. There are many ways to hack drop bar
drivetrains, but ultimately, low gear ratios are more commonly found on, and are easier to retrofit
to flat bar bikes. My Touring and Bikepacking Bike Buyer's Guides are updated yearly for free,
and will teach you everything you need to know about the bikes before allowing you to compare
over 200 bikes at the back of the books. You can find a link to my guides in the description below.
The price is often lower on flat bar bikes. If we take a look at the Marin bike range,
we can see that the drop bar Gestalt X10 and flat bar DSX1 share a very similar aluminium frame,
carbon fork and specification. In fact, the spec on the flat bar bike is a touch better.
The extra cost for the dropbar model? $400. We see similar price differences with Specialized bikes.
The Sirrus X 5.0 is $550 cheaper than the Diverge Base Carbon. Again, the flat bar spec
is undoubtedly better, but the price does not reflect this. The price discrepancy could be
attributed to the shifters of drop bar bikes being more expensive to manufacture. For example, a set
of Shimano Ultegra road shifters is three times the cost of the equivalent flat bar shifters.
Another explanation could be that the drop bar market will simply pay more for the same thing.
Whatever the reason, flat bar bikes almost always represent the best value for money.
Flat bar bikes offer a broader range of handlebar designs and hand positions. While drop bar
handlebar designs do vary, especially in terms of width and flare, it's nothing compared to flat
bar designs. It's a bit of a myth that drop bars offer more hand positions. These days you can find
flat bars in a crazy number of configurations. Bar ends fitted inboard? Sure. Outer bar ends?
Of course. How about a nice loop? Butterfly wings? They make that. Back sweep? Get it
in whatever angle you want. It's hard to imagine there isn't something for everybody. I'd recommend
playing around with the website WhatBars to get a sense of your flat bar options.
Flat bars allow for more backpacking bag capacity and better access. Handlebar pack
volume is much less restricted on a flat handlebar as the bar and levers do not
interrupt the width of the bag at all. The bag volume is often twice as large on a flat bar!
In addition, the roll closures are much easier to access, as the drops don't get in the way.
Flat bar grips are easier to live with. Bar tape is susceptible to tearing,
moving about, or unwrapping itself with use on a long bike trip. This just means more
bike maintenance. In comparison, flat bar grips are tough enough for mountain biking,
long-lasting and super easy to replace, given they often slide straight on and are fastened
down with bolts. Additionally, it's much easier to replace and maintain brake and
shift cables on a flat bar bike, as you can do so without unwrapping and re-wrapping any bar tape.
Flat bars have a low risk of sweat corrosion. If you've ever worked in a bicycle repair shop,
you'll know all about sweat corrosion! This is a chemical reaction that occurs between your sweat
and aluminium handlebars, in particular, and the corrosion is often eating away at your
handlebar without your knowledge. This is a good reminder to periodically peel back your bar tape
if you use aluminium handlebars. While sweat can destroy a flat handlebar too,
it turns out that bar tape is the ultimate sweat sponge,
which results in corrosion almost exclusively being a drop bar problem.
Flat bars are better for gearbox shifters. If you like the idea of a gearbox drivetrain,
a flat bar holds the advantage. While there are many workarounds for getting a Rohloff or
Pinion gearbox shifter onto a drop bar, the twist shifter is easier to access on a flat bar as it
sits right under your hand at all times. It also allows you to dump at least eight gears at once,
which is surprisingly useful when touring or backpacking.
if we take a step back from the points I've just made, we can see there's a strong
safety argument for using flat bars. Think about it. Better handling and control. Better braking.
A more stable frame design. No toe overlap. And less risk of handlebar
corrosion. All of these factors ultimately help to keep you upright. This is important
to note for riders who aren't yet super confident with their bike handling skills.
If you're new to bike travel or are spending a lot of time off-road, I'd recommend honing
in on flat bar bikes. Right, it's now time to find out when drop bars are objectively better.
Drop bars are more aerodynamic. By the time you're cycling at 30kph, as much as 90% of the resistive
force experienced comes from aerodynamic drag. For those who intend to travel further or faster,
there is a strong case for drop bars. Drop bars are faster at higher speeds because the
hand positions on offer will help you to tuck your elbows in and lean forward, putting your
body in a more aerodynamic shape. Additionally, you'll get a reduction in your body's frontal area
thanks to the narrower width. This allows you to ride further with the same effort,
or the same distance with less effort. Drop bars are great in headwinds too. That said, some flat
bars are designed with aerodynamic handholds in mind. Alternatively, you can add bar ends to the
inside of your grips for a speedy ride position, or better yet, fit some aero bars to your bike.
Drop bars are better in traffic. Drop bars are often best in urban environments. This
is due to their 15 to 30cm narrower width, making splitting traffic, riding near close passing cars,
negotiating pedestrian areas, and riding through narrow alleyways much easier.
Drop bars offer the drops position. In the drops, you can lower your hands to adjust your hip angle,
stretch out your back, and take some weight from your backside.
These adjustments may keep you feeling fresher on a long ride.
That said, butterfly bars are a flat bar option that provides a similar high and
low ride position. And aero bars fitted to any bike allow for similar body tweaks to the drops.
I think that's it for drop bars, so that begs the question, why are they so popular? I said
this would be an objective analysis, but perhaps there's a subjective reason why
drop bars are popular. Could it be that drop bar bikes simply look better? After all,
it's a fact that you'll get more Instagram likes with drop bars! It's worth noting that
drop bars aren't popular everywhere. There is a clear cultural divide between drop bar and flat
bar touring bike manufacturers. Mainland European brands will almost always spec
a flat bar on their touring bikes, while North American and British brands cling dearly to drop
bars. If everyone around you, and every shop is selling bikes with one particular bar type,
it's very easy to assume that that handlebar will be the best option for you too.
In summary, while drop bars do excel on faster and longer rides, as well as in urban areas, when we
take an objective look at both handlebar designs, it's clear that flat bars are the best option for
most people. The higher steering leverage allows for better bike control both at high and low
speeds. We can also use this steering leverage to better overcome the slowing effect of any front
luggage, and the leverage also better resists the forces coming from the ground on rougher terrain.
The frames themselves work out to be more stable thanks to that long front centre,
and this helps to eliminate toe overlap almost entirely as well. Flat bar bikes often brake
better and offer a firmer handhold at the grips. The brake and shift cables are easier to maintain,
the grips aren't delicate like bar tape, and there is almost no risk of handlebar corrosion.
If this list isn't exhaustive enough for you yet, there's also more space for handlebar
packs with large volumes, and the cherry on the top is the lower cost.
You can support this work directly on Patreon or via Paypal, and if you'd like to learn a
thing or two about bikepacking or touring bikes, check out my buyer's guides! Goodbye!