Flat bar on Gravel frame bike

Kcorc wrote:new to forum...apologizes if this has been discussed before. 

Would appreciate any thoughts on setting up a gravel bike with flat bars.I know this would also involve switching out the shifters and brake levers. My main interest in a gravel frame is the ability to run wider tires, i.e., ~45mm. but I really prefer flat bars vs drop bars. Most hybrid/urban bikes with flat bars can't fit that wide of a tire.

+1, the geo is not suited for it and it's just not worth it IMO.

Any XC hardtail or some kind of a sporty trekking like a Specialized Sirrus (random example) should do the job. There are definitely options. 

You'd be better off putting smaller tires on a Karate Monkey or something.

I'm guessing you just haven't tried the right drop bars at the right height.  It sucks that you can't really buy complete bikes with uncut forks.

Here's a pic of one of my gravel bikes with 62mm of spacers on a 160mm head tube. The tops are still below the saddle a bit and if I want to get aero I can just bend my elbows. 

Volsung wrote:

I'm guessing you just haven't tried the right drop bars at the right height.  

HollyBoni wrote:

This. I think so many people associate drop bars with a stretched out, road race position. 

 

ljsmith wrote:

i know when I first started riding drop bars it was a hard transition, but compact bars didn’t exist back then.  The difference in hand position is so different it really takes a while to get comfortable.  But the effort is well worth it, having numerous hand positions and the ability to get aero make a huge difference especially on long rides.