Flat bar road bike opinions?

I'm thinking of buying one of the flat bar road bikes on the market. Plan to
use it for errands and occasional commuting ( my main commuter is a road
bike). I'd like the bike to have rack bosses, and fender bosses if possible.
I can always use clip on fenders, but need a rack mount. I can spend $1000
but would prefer to pay less. I use a slick tired hardtail MTB now, but I'd
like to convert that back to dirt use. I read a writeup on the Kona Dr. Dew
in Bike Mag but it's kind of pricey. Anybody have a cheaper alternative?

Mike

"Slider2699" wrote in message
om...
I'm thinking of buying one of the flat bar road bikes on the market. Plan
to
use it for errands and occasional commuting ( my main commuter is a road
bike). I'd like the bike to have rack bosses, and fender bosses if
possible.
I can always use clip on fenders, but need a rack mount. I can spend $1000
but would prefer to pay less. I use a slick tired hardtail MTB now, but
I'd
like to convert that back to dirt use. I read a writeup on the Kona Dr.
Dew
in Bike Mag but it's kind of pricey. Anybody have a cheaper alternative?

Mike


Joe Breeze has begun marketing a line of "Town Bikes" that are designed for
errands and shopping. See http://www.breezerbikes.com/ for more info.

--
~_-*
....G/ \G
http://www.CycliStats.com
Developers of CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

"Slider2699" wrote in message
om...
I'm thinking of buying one of the flat bar road bikes on the market. Plan
to
use it for errands and occasional commuting ( my main commuter is a road
bike). I'd like the bike to have rack bosses, and fender bosses if
possible.
I can always use clip on fenders, but need a rack mount. I can spend $1000
but would prefer to pay less. I use a slick tired hardtail MTB now, but
I'd
like to convert that back to dirt use. I read a writeup on the Kona Dr.
Dew
in Bike Mag but it's kind of pricey. Anybody have a cheaper alternative?

Mike,

I was in the market for one as well, but I was shooting for something with
discs and possibly suspension. I compiled a list of almost everything I
could find. Here's the list from roughly the most expensive to the least:

Cannondale Bad Boy Ulta
Gary Fisher Fast City
Kona Dr. Dew (and its little brothers dew deluxe and dew)
Giant OCR Touring (a touring road frame with discs, drop handlebars)
Cannondale Road Warrior
Specialized Sirrus
K2 Mach S
Fuji Forza
Rocky Mountain Metro
Jamis Coda Comp
Novarra Big Buzz
Giant Cypress SX
Motobecane Cafe Latte / Noir

Of this list, I think the Specialized Sirrus is probably the best bets. I
know it has eyelets, v-brakes, and rides well. Heck, the Sirrus Sport even
has discs for $800.

I thought I really wanted one of these, but I have since changed my mind. I
built up a flat bar road bike from an old schwinn and found that going any
kind of distance caused pain in my hands and wrists, despite trying several
stems and bars and using bar-ends. It was the combination of the aggressive
position and long distances with the flat bar that did it. I don't have
these problems with either my road bike or mountain bike. You might evaluate
the distances you plan on riding and see if you can rent one for a long test
ride before you buy. You could have the same problems I did.

Good luck!
-Buck

Buck wrote:
:: "Slider2699" wrote in message
:: om...
::: I'm thinking of buying one of the flat bar road bikes on the
::: market. Plan to use it for errands and occasional commuting ( my
::: main commuter is a road bike). I'd like the bike to have rack
::: bosses, and fender bosses if possible. I can always use clip on
::: fenders, but need a rack mount. I can spend $1000 but would prefer
::: to pay less. I use a slick tired hardtail MTB now, but I'd like to
::: convert that back to dirt use. I read a writeup on the Kona Dr. Dew
::: in Bike Mag but it's kind of pricey. Anybody have a cheaper
::: alternative?
::
:: Mike,
::
:: I was in the market for one as well, but I was shooting for
:: something with discs and possibly suspension. I compiled a list of
:: almost everything I could find. Here's the list from roughly the
:: most expensive to the least:
::
:: Cannondale Bad Boy Ulta
:: Gary Fisher Fast City
:: Kona Dr. Dew (and its little brothers dew deluxe and dew)
:: Giant OCR Touring (a touring road frame with discs, drop handlebars)
:: Cannondale Road Warrior
:: Specialized Sirrus
:: K2 Mach S
:: Fuji Forza
:: Rocky Mountain Metro
:: Jamis Coda Comp
:: Novarra Big Buzz
:: Giant Cypress SX
:: Motobecane Cafe Latte / Noir
::
:: Of this list, I think the Specialized Sirrus is probably the best
:: bets. I know it has eyelets, v-brakes, and rides well. Heck, the
:: Sirrus Sport even has discs for $800.
::
:: I thought I really wanted one of these, but I have since changed my
:: mind. I built up a flat bar road bike from an old schwinn and found
:: that going any kind of distance caused pain in my hands and wrists,
:: despite trying several stems and bars and using bar-ends. It was the
:: combination of the aggressive position and long distances with the
:: flat bar that did it. I don't have these problems with either my
:: road bike or mountain bike. You might evaluate the distances you
:: plan on riding and see if you can rent one for a long test ride
:: before you buy. You could have the same problems I did.

Interesting....I was recently looking at the Sirrus...however, after
spending over 30 minutes riding it at the LBS, I upgraded to a road bike
with drop-type bars for the very reason you mention. having more options on
position just seemed to make a big difference to me.

In article ,
"Roger Zoul" wrote:

Buck wrote:
:: "Slider2699" wrote in message
:: om...
::: I'm thinking of buying one of the flat bar road bikes on the
::: market. Plan to use it for errands and occasional commuting ( my

:: I thought I really wanted one of these, but I have since changed my
:: mind. I built up a flat bar road bike from an old schwinn and found
:: that going any kind of distance caused pain in my hands and wrists,
:: despite trying several stems and bars and using bar-ends. It was the
:: combination of the aggressive position and long distances with the
:: flat bar that did it. I don't have these problems with either my
:: road bike or mountain bike. You might evaluate the distances you
:: plan on riding and see if you can rent one for a long test ride
:: before you buy. You could have the same problems I did.

Interesting....I was recently looking at the Sirrus...however, after
spending over 30 minutes riding it at the LBS, I upgraded to a road bike
with drop-type bars for the very reason you mention. having more options on
position just seemed to make a big difference to me.

For people who think they might want a flat-bar bike but fear these
comfort issues, a cross bike with top-bar add-on levers might be just
the ticket:

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/brakes.html#cross

They are designed to add on to your normal brake levers. Sheldon has
several times said how much he likes the Tektros.

--
Ryan Cousineau, http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club