Hi all,
I have decided myself to go on my first trip when the spring sets, and for that i’ll need to get myself a decent bike. I think an entry gravel bike will do the trick, but i feel like the classic sporty “road bike” position could be hard on my back for riding long hours.
So i started thinking about dutch bikes, like the ones in [this video](https://youtu.be/aESqrP3hfi8), and wondered if some kind of telescopic handlebars exists so a rider could switch from a low, efficient porsition to an upgright, more relaxed and comfortable postition, or if simply raising the bars a little (if the frame allows it) can improve riding comfort.
Might seem like a dumb question, but i’m a very casual cyclist and never had a proper bike before,
Thanks !
by Kyustern
3 Comments
You want a handlebar that allows you multiple positions, with one of them being more upright and one of them being lower down and more efficient?
That’s a drop bar, you’re describing a drop bar.
Gravel bikes are typically more upright than road bikes, and depending on the model of bike they can be very upright, if you want even more height you’ll end up nearing touring bike territory, or a mix of the two.
Take a look at the difference in bar height between the Marin Nicasio (fairly upright gravel bike) and the Four Corners (very upright gravel/touring bike), or the Kona Rove vs the Kona Sutra.
If you get a bike and feel like the handlebars are too low you can always raise the bars with a stem or riser bars, and you’ll still maintain the lower down drops position. You can also get different bars with different measurements, some will have very dramatic drops while others will be more shallow.
You could fit/buy a gravel bike with flat bars. Comfortable, but difficult to get low when confronted by head winds, I use flats with end bars for more positioning choice. Some tourers use butterfly bars which give you even more hand positioning choices but can be a bit bulky.
Other that drop bars and butterfly (I’d recommend those over drop bars for someone who’s casual) bars mentioned, I’d say “alternative” bars are worth looking into. Like Jones H-bars or Crazy Bars by velo orange.