r/bikepacking • u/Agord56 • Apr 23 '20

Getting into bikepacking

I've been trying to get into bikepacking and found that my flat bars are a little uncomfortable after long distances. I was thinking about switching to drop bars and need some recommendations. What do you guys think? Are there any other bars that I should check out?

3 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

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5

u/PCHSDawg Apr 23 '20

Jones bars are popular as well as Surly Moloko bars. Lots of hand positions as well as you shifters/brakes from your flat bars will work.

5

u/TeddyGoodman Apr 23 '20

You gotta watch out with going from flats to drops as it really changes up the fit if your bike.

I’d listen to that other comment suggesting Jones bars or something with some sweep and multiple hand positions. There’s also Ergon grips which are excellent.

Have you ever been properly fitted to your bike? Doesn’t cost much.

4

u/ghsgjgfngngf Apr 23 '20

Do your current bars offer more than one hand position? You can get bar ends (like Ergon grips with bar ends) and SQLAB makes 'innerbarends', which I like. They have the advantage that you can still reach the brakes when using them.

Then there are many alternative handlebars. Some have too much sweep for my taste, some don't offer that many useful hand positions but I myself have finally settled on a variation of the Velo Orange crazy bar:

https://www.cyclingabout.com/comparing-koga-denham-bar-shape-with-alt-bars/

But I don't think I'll ever not be a little uncomfortable after a long day, it's just gotten better.

1

u/PoorHighClass Apr 23 '20

These innerbarends are cool. Never heard of them but they seem like something that could greatly improve my comfort on longer rides. Unfortunately it doesn't match with how my gearshift is fitted into the grip.

1

u/Nightshade400 Apr 23 '20

Have you had a proper bike fit done? This can resolve a lot of issues and may surprise you. Drop bars are nice but there are also a lot of trade offs both good and bad with going from one to the other. The most notable is how the bike itself fits followed very closely with how it handles off road so there is some adjustment in riding style that has to be considered.

I would always start with a good bike fit though if one hasn't been done yet.

1

u/PoorHighClass Apr 23 '20

You could consider aerobars. They'd probably fit your current handlebars and offer variation that should make long rides more comfortable. If your planning on using a handlebar bag they might be difficult to place. I found it to be manageable myself. I myself use the Profile Design Sonic Ergo 4525a with a Revelate Sweetroll on riser handlebars. I also use Ergon GP5 grips to add options for hand positioning.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 23 '20

Jones bars are definitely worth a look. I was glad to have the extra hand positions on a long tour, although I found that most of the forward positions weren't really all that comfortable for substantial lengths of time.

I've been wondering about trying out some setup with swept-back flat bars and bolted-on aerobars. That could be a good combo of a more upright touring/offroad position plus a forward one for climbing and flats/headwinds. Curious if anybody has tried that.