Which handlebars are best? - Butterfly or Drops?

gabriel4990

I'm refitting my Specialised Sirrus for touring, and I was wondering whether I should go for the butterfly or drops design handlebars for long days on the road over periods of weeks.

Is it a general personal preference or is there a right answer? Even if it is personal preference, I'd love to hear what people think

Thanks
Gabriel

dilemna

Gabriel Welcome,

There is no right answer. It is what ever YOU feel most comfortable with. On my Specialised Sirrus I have the std flat bar with bar ends and adjustable stem but reversed so the bars are angled like drops. I have thought of drop bars proper as I prefer them but the cost and hassle of actually converting the bike to drop handle bars isn't really economically viable and too much hassle if I don't actually get on with them on this bike. You will also need new road brake/gear STI or Ergo levers plus all knew cabling, bar tape and to re-index all your gears. Also I'm not sure if STI levers work with V brakes (some one will be along to correct me). If your bikes's transmission is Shimano you will pretty much have to use Shimano STI levers and if Campag - Ergo levers.

If fitting butterfly bars is your thang, which I have never tried as I just know I would not be comfortable with them, I believe you could still use your V brake levers and rapid fire shifters if that is what you currently have fitted to your flat bars as they would essentially remain in the same place when transferred to the butterfly bars. However make sure you get the bar thickness that allows you to do this. TBH I have always thought butterefly bars are for older folk who either have back problems or struggle with leaning forward, but I maybe wrong.

There is a thread on CycleChat soley for hybrid flat bar / drop bars. I would guess that the Specialised Sirrus would figure frequently as they are a fairly popular bike.

http://www.cyclechat.net/topic/13134-di ... -bar-bike/

Underscore

gabriel4990 wrote:

I'm refitting my Specialised Sirrus for touring, and I was wondering whether I should go for the butterfly or drops design handlebars for long days on the road over periods of weeks

Gabriel,

I have a nearly-10yo Sirrus that I use for a 37-mile round trip commute. I did have the original flat bar with Ergon grips/bar-ends but got problems with pins & needles and numbness in my hands once I got past 10 miles or so in the saddle. I looked at converting to drop bar but the cost was prohibitive so a got a BBB butterfly bar with their foam grips. It is definitely better than the flat/bar-end combo that I had on there before and I can avoid any serious discomfort by making use of the wider range of hand positions.

Having said that, when I take my road bike in, the drops on that are more comfortable still (though that does have a carbon fork compared to the Cr-Mo on the Sirrus) so I've voted for drops. In your case, however, the difference in cost is so great (if everything else on your bike is capable of being reused) and the butterflies are enough of an improvement over a flat bar that I would suggest you go with that and give it a go - it's only £20 to try, and you could probably sell it for half that if you decide to convert to drops later.

HTH,

_

psmiffy

Neither - it just a matter of preference - when I was younger I rode drop barred bikes - mainly because that was what derailler equipped bikes came with - come the mountain bike they came with flat bars and I discovered that they suited my rather unathletic body better

Myself I cannot see many pros to drop bars for touring - unless you like to get your head down and go for - for me a trekking sort of bar seems to suit my head up and doddling style - but thats me

Problem I see retro-fitting most butterfly bars to bikes is that unless you fit a very long stem the bends in them tends to bring the controls much closer than I would like

Hoopdriver

The advantages to drops are simple and obvious 0 they offer a LOT more hand positions than flats and over long rides that can make a HUGE difference to your comfort!

psmiffy

Hoopdriver wrote:

The advantages to drops are simple and obvious 0 they offer a LOT more hand positions than flats and over long rides that can make a HUGE difference to your comfort!

really depends on how you define a flat bar - if it is just that - then drops have plenty more hand positions - add bar ends to flats and they become much more usable for touring - use a trekking or buttefly bar and then you have at least the same number or perhaps more hand positions - add in they are generally slightly wider and the controls are under you hands when sitting up at slow speed and on bumpy surfaces they probably just shade it my oponion - but its about what suits the individual - there is no right and wrong way

andymiller

Hoopdriver wrote:

The advantages to drops are simple and obvious 0 they offer a LOT more hand positions than flats and over long rides that can make a HUGE difference to your comfort!

Hmm. Now wasn't the title of the thread - 'which is best butterfly handlebars or drops?' When it comes to choice of hand position I think butterfly bars win hands down.

And I'm guessing that you've never actually ridden a flat barred bike with bar ends.

Gabriel - bear in mind that changing from flat bars to drop bars and vice-versa can be a lot more complicated than it looks at first sight due to the issues about getting different controls and mechs to work together. It's not impossible by any means, but something to bear in mind.

Hoopdriver

As a matter of fact I have ridden a flat barred bike with bar-ends - and they are nowhere near as comfortable or versatile as drops. As for butterflies, they are just an unnecessary complication - if you want versatility, comfort and still to be able to access your brakes easily, let alone fit them nicely on your bike without hassles, just go for drops. Easy

gabriel4990

Thanks so much everyone for your helpful advice.

I realise changing from flats with bar ends (what I currently have) to drops would be a huge and expensive hassle because I'd need to get new shifters, brake levers etc, and then retune derailleurs.

If I were to get butterfly bars all I'd need to do is move the controls which wouldn't be too hard.

The question is, bearing all this in mind, would drops still offer sufficient gains? Looks fairly equivocal.

Gabriel

treetops

I'd guess this would be down to personal preference. I've tried flat, flat with bar ends, drops and butterfly bars.

I found flat to be too restrictive, flat with bar ends to be pleasant for the first few days (numb fingers after a few long days riding) and drops were OK but really only useful in two positions (coincidentally not on the drops...). I've stuck with the butterfly bars - they look strange but have given me no hand problems whatsoever.

treetops

I'd guess this would be down to personal preference. I've tried flat, flat with bar ends, drops and butterfly bars.

I found flat to be too restrictive, flat with bar ends to be pleasant for the first few days (numb fingers after a few long days riding) and drops were OK but really only useful in two positions (coincidentally not on the drops...). I've stuck with the butterfly bars - they look strange but have given me no hand problems whatsoever.

squeeler

I ride drops at the weekend on my "racer". I commuted until mid last year on flat / riser style bar with bar ends and I've commuted the last 6 months on a butterfly bar.

I've a tendency towards lower back ache after 2+ hours on the bike whatever bar I've used, the more upright I am the longer it delays the ache. It's a matter of taste, I've no complaints comfort wise but it does affect the bike handling, it does not feel very sporty or dynamic.

I would say it's certainly worth a go, they are only cheap if you can use all the parts from your current flat bar, you can always swap to something else with no harm done!

DikM

Horses for courses. On my road bike I use drops but for touring nothing beats butterfly bars.

Basically, butterfly bars give you the flexibility of THREE riding positions:
1. For normal touring, hands are on the front bars. This is quite a stretched position similar to what you get with drops on a road bike so, contrary to what was stated above, you probably would not want an excessively long stem. It is an excellent position for riding into a head wind. So talk of it being for granddads is nonsense; you can be pretty aerodynamic in this position.
2. For pulling hard uphill, hands are on the side position.
3. For riding in heavy traffic or steep downhill, hands are on the rear bars where the controls are.

Varying the position gives relief to the arms and back on long rides.

If the existing bars are straights, there should not be any big problem in fitting brakes levers and shifters to butterfly bars without any need for re-cabling.

mea00csf

I've toured on both my mountain bike with bar ends (actually more like thumb hooks due to a carbon bar) and on my road bike with drop handlebars.

One thing to bear in mind when thinking of drops, if you're going downhill, or even just travelling fast on the flat, i found i HAD to be on the drops. This was due to not being able to get enough pressure on the brake levers from the hoods when I had a panniers on the back. The extra stopping power you need is a lot more and i just didn't have confidence i could stop within a decent distance. I have to admit, i found fast downhills on the drops, with panniers quite scary, admittedly it was a road bike (Giant SCR) so was not ideal and was twitchy anyway, but it wasn't an experience i'd like to repeat.

I've done 2 weeks tours with flat bars and "thumb hooks" and had no problem at all