40
votes
Accepted
What are the benefits of drop bars?
The main advantage is more hand positions. With a regular flat bar, you hold your hands at the grips (with possibly about one more hand position available if you have bar ends).
With drop bars, you ...
- 46.1k
24
votes
Accepted
Aero Bars vs The Drops
Yes, typically you will obtain an improvement in speed by adding clip-on aero bars to your bike.
How much extra speed is dependent on many variables though (mostly how it changes your aerodynamics) ...
- 2,415
24
votes
Handle bar rotates on its own. Can’t screw the screw all the way down
That’s a tension bolt for a quill stem I think. Is there a wedge shaped piece floating around inside the fork now? You can fish it out with that bolt or maybe flip the bike upside down.
The last few ...
- 4,917
22
votes
Accepted
Bike seems less stable when using handlebar bag
Yes, the bag can cause the instability. The physics is quite simple.
Ordinarily, a bike is self-stabilizing. If you turn the handlebars to the left, you steer to the left and the bike leans to the ...
- 17k
20
votes
How to bend handlebar to customize it?
No! Don't do it!
Certainly not with aluminium / alloy bars. Any bending stresses the internal structure of the metal, weakening it. Even in a metalworking shop, I would be doubtful of the safety of ...
- 17.2k
19
votes
How do I remove a severely stripped/rounded-off Allen/hex head bolt?
I can suggest three methods.
The mounting clamp has a gap. You can use a thin saw to split the bolt there. It might scratch the clamp, but with careful action, the saw blade will not touch the ...
- 14.4k
17
votes
Bike seems less stable when using handlebar bag
That's fairly normal behavior. You point out that you got used to it, but couldn't "trust the bike". It's a very similar scenario to moving to a new bike with much different geometry and not ...
- 9,938
16
votes
How to best prevent handlebar tape from unraveling at the inner ends?
I use high quality electrical tape (such as 3M Super 33+) to mechanically hold the bar tape in place. Over top of that, I use the provided finishing tape, which usually matches the bar tape better ...
- 15.4k
16
votes
Bike fell down on rocks, how to fix handle scratches
I would wrap the bar-end in bartape - same stuff used on road bikes/drop bars.
This will hide the damage, limit the same thing happening again, provide you some more cushion to your hands, and lets ...
- 121k
15
votes
Accepted
Mounting light on handlebar with bag installed
As Chris H notes, the clerk was wrong. And he suggests a good suggestion to raise the light above the bag. However, you can also mount the light below the bag as well. Operating on the same principle ...
- 29.1k
15
votes
Handle bar rotates on its own. Can’t screw the screw all the way down
Older bikes have what is known as a quill stem. The stem telescopes inside the fork steerer tube and is held in place with a wedge. The long bolt you removed threads into the wedge. When the bolt is ...
- 75.5k
15
votes
I bought my first road bike, and it hurts my back and hands
Don’t try to correct reach with the saddle fore-aft position. Only use stem length for that.
Moving the saddle forward probably made it worse. Generally the more backwards your saddle is, the easier ...
- 26k
14
votes
Accepted
What's this part of the bike, and is it safe to alter it?
What he hammered down is the star nut. It's a gription (yes I made that word up) device that serves as an anchor point in the steer tube to allow the top cap to properly compress the headset during a ...
- 9,938
14
votes
Accepted
Is it really necessary to loosen/unmount handlebar while packing bike?
Two reasons, one major and one a little more subtle.
Majorly, most adult bikes won't come close to fitting in a standard, non-oversize bike shipping box if you just turn the bars and fork as you ...
- 81.9k
14
votes
PRO LT Handlebar Stem asks to tighten top handlebar screws first before bottom screws? Conflicting manual instructions?
Here are a few diagrams I drew in Autodesk Fusion 360 to explain how these zero-gap stems work.
According to the instructions provided with the few zero-gap stems I've encountered, you should tighten ...
- 15.4k
14
votes
Apparent pedal force improvement from swept back handlebars; why not use them?
For one thing, the aerodynamics are terrible. For another, most cycling is not dependent on peak power, but on sustainable power, for which leg strength (or body strength) isn’t as important as ...
- 29.2k
14
votes
Can you use two different shifters (eg. Left-Tiagra,Right-105) on the same cockpit/handlebar?
The shifters on your left and right side don’t have to match. They can even be from completely different manufacturers.
On road bikes it can be problematic because when riding “on the hoods” (the ...
- 26k
13
votes
Accepted
Spots on bike bar tape after wet ride
It's almost certainly cork that is used in the bar tape for its vibration damping and sweat absorbing properties.
It's clearly visible in this promotional image for Cinelli tape:
- 18.3k
13
votes
Why aren't there more bicycles and accessories designed specifically for women?
First, we have to acknowledge that sexism is objectively a problem in society. In athletics, a smaller proportion of women participate in competitive sports than men. Historically, women were excluded ...
- 29.7k
13
votes
Accepted
What are disadvantages of aero drop bars?
The shape can limit options for mounting equipment on the bar.
For example, this ENVE SES handlebar has a clamp area of 48 mm:
This is probably enough to put a computer mount next to the stem, but ...
- 3,981
12
votes
How to bend handlebar to customize it?
Doing it safely with aluminum is not simple or equipment-minimal, either modifying it or making it from scratch. But, if you want to make a hobby of it for a while, you can do it safely in steel in ...
- 81.9k
12
votes
How to bend handlebar to customize it?
I wouldn't recommend bending handlebar -- if the bar breaks (which is more likely due to the stresses you're putting on it), you're probably going to lose some teeth or worse. I don't know your skills ...
- 46.1k
12
votes
How to I get my handle bars to cooperate with my wheel?
Make sure you adjust the center bolt on top first while the 2 stem bolts on the side are still loose. Only tighten it a little, until there is no more headset play. That preloads the bearings, and ...
- 2,051
11
votes
Accepted
Are folding handlebars a good idea from an engineering standpoint?
Well, from an engineering standpoint, no. It increases complexity, cost and weight. Those might be a deal breaker for the commuters who would likely use them. From a practical standpoint, maybe. @...
- 1,381
11
votes
Aero Bars vs The Drops
This answer elaborates a bit on the answer above, pulling from some YouTube videos done by Specialized Bicycles in their own wind tunnel as well as a few other sources. It goes on a (hopefully ...
- 29.7k
11
votes
Rental bike for holiday: wise to change handlebar style?
I'd recommend getting used to a new handlebar style (or frame geometry or any other change) slowly. On a multi-day trip problems tend to accumulate, so I would't recommend trying anything new. An ...
- 21.8k
11
votes
How to increase speed on my hybrid bike with flat handlebars and 700X35C tyres?
Before looking to improve the bike, I'd look to improve your fitness. I was able to average 13–14mph on my hybrid for 1–1.5hrs; at that time, I was commuting 3–5 miles each way per ...
- 17k
11
votes
Accepted
How can I raise my handlebars when there are no spacers above the stem?
One or more of the three options
Change the stem to one with an angle, with such a short stem height gain will be limited.
Replace the bars with a riser bar, these will give up to 40mm, maybe more of ...
- 49.1k
10
votes
How to use drop handlebars properly?
Most of the answers are correct, but I want to dispute some relatively minor points made some answers and comments.
Riding on the Hoods
Writers here are correct that most people are on the hoods much ...
- 29.7k
10
votes
Accepted
arm and elbow position -- sticking out or straight, also pushing or pulling on handlebar
Ultimately all road bike positions are a compromise between comfort, power and aerodynamics. The balance between each component depends on your goals, experience, flexibility and any underlying ...
- 30.5k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible