tell me about flared drop bars

[shouldbworking]

IE


What's the raison d'etre? Do i want them on a do it all cross / commuter / tourer?

[yellowjack]

shouldbworking said:

IE


What's the raison d'etre? Do i want them on a do it all cross / commuter / tourer?

That is all.

[IroningMan]

The bars on my singlespeed project - 1983 Dawes Fox - are flared, nothing like as much as those in the OP's pic, but I seem to remember from the promotional literature of the day that it was a comfort/touring thing, along with the closed-cell foam instead of bar tape which was also all the rage.

Those above, and others like the On-One Mary, Mungo, Midge and Fleegle designs, I'd have to bracket with messenger bags, skinny jeans and the other nonce sense that goes with urban fixies; Garlick and Swerni are the experts on that, though...

[burriana]

IroningMan said:

I'd have to bracket with messenger bags, skinny jeans and the other nonce sense that goes with urban fixies; Garlick and Swerni are the experts on that, though...

Harsh but fair.

[Gizmoish]

I quite like bars that are wider at the drops than the tops (IYSWIM), but with the tails of the drops in line. Flared outwards is as bad as those daft bullhorn things.

[snotrag]

Designed for off road. Have got a set of midge bars at home. Work wonderfully off road BUT does not give you the handheld options of regular bars - you can't really sit on the hoods. Very very good off road. Pointless on road. Ideal for a 'fat bike' or monster crosser.

[shouldbworking]

snotrag said:

Work wonderfully off road BUT does not give you the handheld options of regular bars - you can't really sit on the hoods.

That's the sort of thing I thought having seen them around. Still, given the bizzaro setups of the various nodders or fixie bikes around I suppose its hardly a surprise