Cycling help

[GreenCastle]

Hi - rarely post on this forum.

Can anyone recommend a good bike which is fast / lightweight which has flat handbars - not a big fan of the other handle bars.

Any help recommend.

Thanks

[lapsedhibee]

Hi - rarely post on this forum.

Can anyone recommend a good bike which is fast / lightweight which has flat handbars - not a big fan of the other handle bars.

Any help recommend.

Thanks

Pretty much all bikes which are built for speed will be lightweight and have 'dropped' handlebars. You might be able to persuade a bike shop to change the bars, brake levers and gear shifters. They wouldn't necessarily scoff!

[speedy_gonzales]

There's actually quite a range of hybrid bikes available that have racing bike geometry and drive train but straight bars. Some are billed as commuters, others as courier bikes.
There a manufacturer out there called "Whyte" that have very light frames, Shimano 105 gear and straight bars. I ride a Whyte Stirling, and it holds its own compared to those on drop bars.
There plenty out there to choose from, maybe pop in to a local bike shop (still open as classed as an essential business) and seek advice for a bike for for both your purpose and wallet.

[lapsedhibee]

There's actually quite a range of hybrid bikes available that have racing bike geometry and drive train but straight bars. Some are billed as commuters, others as courier bikes.
There a manufacturer out there called "Whyte" that have very light frames, Shimano 105 gear and straight bars. I ride a Whyte Stirling, and it holds its own compared to those on drop bars.
There plenty out there to choose from, maybe pop in to a local bike shop (still open as classed as an essential business) and seek advice for a bike for for both your purpose and wallet.
Don't the tyres on that slow you down?

[speedy_gonzales]

Don't the tyres on that slow you down?

Not that I notice, they're 700cc X 32mm, my Specialized Tri-Cross has 32mm. Anything less on Edinburgh's roads will rattle your teeth loose.
Most road bikes run 25-30mm so if the tyre is inflated correctly there is minimal difference.
There's actually a new trend in bikes with fatter tyres,650b X 47mm, I wouldn't go that big but have test ridden a Whyte Portobello, it was very comfortable and rolling resistance was negligible, the actual road contact was no more than a 27mm tyre due to the profile. The only thing that let the bike down was the gearing, it was a bit relaxed and towards the lower end. I like to cycle at a fair pelt otherwise I'd be on my mountain bike or my Grifter!

[lapsedhibee]

Not that I notice, they're 700cc X 32mm, my Specialized Tri-Cross has 32mm. Anything less on Edinburgh's roads will rattle your teeth loose.
Most road bikes run 25-30mm so if the tyre is inflated correctly there is minimal difference.
There's actually a new trend in bikes with fatter tyres,650b X 47mm, I wouldn't go that big but have test ridden a Whyte Portobello, it was very comfortable and rolling resistance was negligible, the actual road contact was no more than a 27mm tyre due to the profile. The only thing that let the bike down was the gearing, it was a bit relaxed and towards the lower end. I like to cycle at a fair pelt otherwise I'd be on my mountain bike or my Grifter!

:agree: Narrow tyres are miserable in the city. I use 38mm now, lovely and comfy, though they're harder going out on nice smooth country roads.

[GreenCastle]

Thanks for the replies.

I don’t know much about what makes are good / not good.

Are Giant bikes good ? Was looking at a Giant Fast road.

Also any thoughts on getting shoes / clips it just doing mostly fitness training with It.

Thanks again.

[The_Exile]

I was looking at leccy bikes for the inevitable return to work, jeez are they pricey! You'd struggle to get a half decent looking one for under a grand.

[Green Man]

Thanks for the replies.

I don’t know much about what makes are good / not good.

Are Giant bikes good ? Was looking at a Giant Fast road.

Also any thoughts on getting shoes / clips it just doing mostly fitness training with It.

Thanks again.

Giant bikes are good, I know a couple of folk with Giant road bikes.

As mentioned above, faster bikes tend to have drop bars. What is it you don’t like about them? I got a drop bar bike last year and find the bars much more comfortable to hold than the flat bars on my mountain bike.

[GreenCastle]

Giant bikes are good, I know a couple of folk with Giant road bikes.

As mentioned above, faster bikes tend to have drop bars. What is it you don’t like about them? I got a drop bar bike last year and find the bars much more comfortable to hold than the flat bars on my mountain bike.

Just haven’t felt as comfortable with them. I’ve done spin classes and used them but tried a friends bike and couldn’t get the hang of them.

[lapsedhibee]

Just haven’t felt as comfortable with them. I’ve done spin classes and used them but tried a friends bike and couldn’t get the hang of them.

Great boon when trying to cycle quickly into a strong headwind, imo, as you can so easily drop down on to the lower handles. Though some folk who swear by straight bars insist that it's easy enough to crouch down on them to cut wind resistance. (I'm not convinced!)

I've had good Giant and Genesis bikes.

[GreenCastle]

Great boon when trying to cycle quickly into a strong headwind, imo, as you can so easily drop down on to the lower handles. Though some folk who swear by straight bars insist that it's easy enough to crouch down on them to cut wind resistance. (I'm not convinced!)

I've had good Giant and Genesis bikes.

Thanks for help. Just need to find a shop that sells Giant and somewhere they aren’t all sold out.

[ZAGREB RED]

Been trying to get hold of a new bike myself recently, I use the roads and trails in the local forest so have a 29er mountain bike.
Distinct shortage of bikes at the minute, saw on BBC Scotland news the other night bike sales have increased by around 400% since the Coronavirus crisis.

[SteveHFC]

Been trying to get hold of a new bike myself recently, I use the roads and trails in the local forest so have a 29er mountain bike.
Distinct shortage of bikes at the minute, saw on BBC Scotland news the other night bike sales have increased by around 400% since the Coronavirus crisis.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/st-520-mountain-bike-yellow-id_8558840.html

This came last week and it's perfect for the roads and trails. :aok:

[hibbymark]

I’ve just bought the Triban Rc500 from Decathlon with flat bars ( it also comes as a drop bar). I’m no expert but the speed of the bike on 28mm tyres compared to my Hybrid bike I had previously used for over 10 years is incredible ( my Strava app if accurate has clocked my highest speed at over 45 mph ). My naivety on all things bike might mean that to some 45 mph is slow but for me It actually gave me the fright of my life !! Interestingly Decathlon sells the RC 500 with drop bars on the website as a road bike but it’s described as a Hybrid when it’s bought with flat bars . I guess like most things in life it comes down to budget . Every report that I read online raved about the Rc 500s value for money and many described it as the best budget road bike on the market. There’s some eye watering prices in bike shops when you start looking and I genuinely believe although there’s clearly been huge advancements in materials of bikes and technology over the years , shops and manufacturers know that many people save big money buying bikes through the governments cycle to work scheme. Add that to the obvious supply and demand that the good weather and lockdown has brought and bike shops are in a pretty good place just now . Good luck with your search .

[Jones28]

I’ve got an Apollo mountain bike that is gathering cob webs in the shed, if anyone’s interested PM me. 17” frame with Shimano gears and brakes.