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!
