FlatBar Purchase decisions

I get passed by road bikes too on my MTB along Beach Rd, but doing the ‘Bay ride’ on a road bike is pretty cruisy. Most half-keen roadies ride 100kms in a normal ride anyway.
I like the fact that I can take my MTB everywhere I want to go. From offroad/single track one weekend to 210kms around the bay on the other (with maybe a change of tyres….).

You mentioned you want to go a flat bar hybrid? If that;s in addition to you MTB, then a full roadbike might satisfy the role better, as you still have the MTB for that ‘flat bar’ cruise.
I suppose this doesn’t help you one little bit.

Great weather forecasted for Sunday. Bring it on!!!

My first choice was the felt SR71, next Avanti Blade Pro, next Giant CRX1, Specialised Sirrus, etc.

As long as it is road component based, 105/Ultegra, 25x700c wheels, most flat bar road bikes are very similar.

Mini V brakes are better than road brakes, discs are now appearing on some road bikes, Carbon forks better than CrMo, Al frame lighter than steel, etc. Look for something below 10kg.

Do you have a particular bike in mind?

My decision unfortunately will have to be based on the 'hip pocket nerve' therefore a price range no greater than around $1600 (Australian). I favor the avanti Blade elite at the moment as I like disc brakes. I have searched the internet and there are no bikes in that category which have 27 sd gears, disc brakes (preferably hydraulic), road wheels, carbon forks / seatpost & clipless pedals.

I will really have to make a decision on what is my priority Carbon forks / seatpost or disc brakes that is why I posted the thread. I bought an MTB with discs because I got sick of the V brakes binding one side, or squealing when applied. How much better is Carbon over CR Mo?

I would agree with the Avnti Blade choice. At that money it will have carbon forks. Suspension seatposts on the Avanti are from Specialised, tyres should be 23 or 25mm, and disc brakes, what a luxury, go for it!!!

For $1600 Aus there has to be a compromise in componentry. In this instance the compromise is the forks which are Cr Mo. The discs are shimano Hydraulic.

OK, The brakes are a higher priority than the forks, think about tyre size to soften the ride, 25mm or 28mm are softer than 23mm.

I have 25mm on my Felt/carbon forks, my friend with the Giant Perigee/CrMo forks has 28mm, the Giant gives a softer ride than the felt on roads with large (3/8-1/2"😉 blue metal surfaces. Smooth bitumen and concrete paths, no difference.

I think the Avanti will be a good choice.

Thanks George. What is your opinion of the difference in rolling resistance between 28mm, 25mm & 23 mm tyres. For training purposes I would use 28mm however for the 2005 Around the Bay in a day (212 km) I wonder if there would be an advantage in using 23 mm.

Any one else have any opinions?

For training, for 28mm 85psi will be the go, soft ride not that fast, 23/25mm @ 120psi is what i use for racing, but not that comfortable, on the coarse bitumen, I'm always looking for the white line to ride on.. but yes a lower roling resistance, you will notice it on the arms more with 23/25.

I should ask your age, this effects overall comfort on a bike... (me 55)

recently had my half century.

Then 28mm tyres and a suspension seat post is it, even consider aftermarket bars with a slight rise, 2"-3", my friend with the perigee (57) has put 4" riser bars on her bike last week, she now smiles more when riding... .

I will be a gentlemen and not comment why she is smiling..............😄

My wife and I are both flat-bar roadies. I have a Giant Cypress SL, and she has a Giant Cypress SX. They are both good bikes, but I guess I ought to tell you why I bought the SL.

First and foremost, I ride where there are a lot of hills, and my Sunday 35 is just about all climbing, at different degrees. I find that the Ultegra rear der. needs less adjustment, and is always a good shifter. My wife, who averages a slower speed and puts out less mash at the pedal has had no trouble with the 105-but she is not a stand-up climber and makes less demands of the drivetrain while climbing.
I don't fit on the Felt, although it is a beautiful bike. I have a short inseam and a long torso, and found the Giant's Geometry to be perfect (I can ride a larger frame then I would be able to on a traditional geometry) for my body. The chainstay is just slightly longer then the Sirrus and the SR71 as well, and it provides for very comfortable ascents (35mph is nothing, and I have had her up in the fourties with no wobble).
The carbon fiber seatpost and fork are neccesities- they take up a lot of the road shock, and yet provide nice road feel. I hated the suspension seatpost on my old bike and threw it away because even at full resistance, it still screwed with my rythm while pedaling. My wife says she doesn't feel the road shock...but again, demands less of her bike then I do (and never rides on anything but 28's with 85psi-I'm on 23's at 110-120 most of the time). I rode all the others, and I can say that the Sirrus stands out as a decidedly stiffer ride. I think this is due to Giants Fluidform frame- while the welds are not the prettiest, the material size is larger, allowing for a different wall size-it feels similair to my all steel Marin.
As for a bar, I prefer totally flat with a 3' sweep. I have added bar ends for comfort on climbs, but most of the time I am on the bar. The trick for comfort is to make sure your seat is not tilted forward, and that when you look at the bar in position, it obscures the front axle.
On brakes. This is just my personal opinion, but I see no reason for disks on a road bike. Unless they are 8" hydraulics, I find they have poor modulation, and one of the deciding factors in getting a flattie was that I love the way V-brakes stop...better then any side pull or disk I have felt under a very high price bracket. On a roadie, they take far less abuse, so the problems mentioned will be negated.
The Giant, with the same components, was $400 less then everyone else- and as a special order by someone who had bought 3 bikes in the last two years (I have never seen another SL in this area...Northern California)...and constant LBS troll, I got it at an even better price.
Also, I prefer thumb shift to twist- I have found the twist grips to be less then indestructable, and very finicky (and annoying).
Last- Why did the wife get one too? Because I have found that Giant dealers...at least here, are really cool. Our local gave her HIS personal bike for ten days- she put a hundred miles on it and loved it. Tried to ride the Sirrus and the shop wouldn't even ask her if she needed help.
Hope this all helps- ride everything and see what fits the best is the most important point...and a bike is for at least 8 years, may I suggest that you do not put a maximum price on it because in the end you'll just want another one
Cheers

Sam,

thanks so much for the post. You always have a good balanced perspective on this style of bike. 😎

pgs,

the Giant Cypress that Sam is refering to is called a Giant Perigee in Austraila. However only available here in Tiagra group, there are some 2004 models still available, my friend got hers for below $1K.

The Giant CRX range replaces the Perigee for 2005.

Thanks George and Sam. I visited my LBS on the weekend and discussed discs vrs vee brakes and carbon vrs cr mo forks. Also my experience in the ;Around the Bay in the Day' on Sunday convinced me that hydraulic discs would be deadly on road tyres (i kept locking my rear MTB with slicks).

I am therefore now looking for a bike with carbon Forks & seatstay and decent componentry (27 speed) for around $1600. The Giant CRX1 looks pretty good at the moment however I will check out the others ie. Trek, Merids, Racelineat the Melbourne Bike show this weekend

Im doing through the same deliberations as you, same budget etc. Get any good info at the bike show? I'd be interested to know what you decide.

Have a look at the Felt SR81/71 at www.feltracing.com. They seem pretty good for the price - although you might need to add clipless pedals, maybe C seatpost if you dont like the suspension one that comes with the bike.

Seems like the Melb Bike Centre www.bikes.com.au has about the best deal around price wise on these.

cheers
Bruce

A decision has finally been made, the Giant CRX1. The only thing lacking on this bike is bar ends and bottle cages. Apart from that it satisfies all my criteria. Also it looks great, the black paint job and the shimano wheelset make it look fast. It stands head and shoulders over the competitors.

Drive train Componentry between the major players is mostly the same the deciding factors are the carbon forks & seatpost, pedals, brakes and frame angles. The Giant in my opinion comes out the best

Firstly Hello to everyone. (im new:P)

I'm about to make this decision as well... flat bar roadies seem to be the way to go 🙂

However i'm still weighing up between the Avanti Blade elite and the Giant CRX1

They are of comparable price but my personal view is the Giant seems like the better deal, is lighter (due to carbon forks and seat post) than the avanti, even though i **LOVE** the idea of having disc breaks.

They also add weight..

does anyone konw which is more durable? ie longer lasting carbon based frames or CroMo?

Also any other pointers to check out would be useful...

(background on my bike -
have gone about 10,000k on my giant rincon with 100psi slicks and pretty nicely worn the thing out. looking for a good bike to last a long time, commuting about 60k+ per day.

Thankyou to everyone!

pgs said:

I will really have to make a decision on what is my priority Carbon forks / seatpost or disc brakes that is why I posted the thread. I bought an MTB with discs because I got sick of the V brakes binding one side, or squealing when applied. How much better is Carbon over CR Mo?

It's pretty easy to keep V brakes / side pulls / whatever type of brakes in shape so they don't squeal / stick.
The squeal can be fixed super easy by 'towing' the pads, and sticking by adjusting the springs. This website explains it all:
parktool.comFAQindex.shtmlOpen ↗

Your right ... too many options to choose from. Ive just decided on the Felt SR71, with an upgrade on the wheels from R500 to R550. Was a choice between the Felt and the CRX1. Like you I commute about 50km/day.

What attracted me to this bike was the better level of components, better finish and colour (in my view), and arguably more capacity to add better bits and pieces if my budget or riding style change - at only a few more $. But in the end I think that all the higher end flatbars are pretty much of a muchness.

Ive never had any problems with V brakes, C or CrMo forks. Past CrMO frames have been indestructable. The Felt stops on a dime even in the wet. Got great service from the LBS.

hnr_global said:

Firstly Hello to everyone. (im new:P)

I'm about to make this decision as well... flat bar roadies seem to be the way to go 🙂

However i'm still weighing up between the Avanti Blade elite and the Giant CRX1

They are of comparable price but my personal view is the Giant seems like the better deal, is lighter (due to carbon forks and seat post) than the avanti, even though i **LOVE** the idea of having disc breaks.

They also add weight..

does anyone konw which is more durable? ie longer lasting carbon based frames or CroMo?

Also any other pointers to check out would be useful...

(background on my bike -
have gone about 10,000k on my giant rincon with 100psi slicks and pretty nicely worn the thing out. looking for a good bike to last a long time, commuting about 60k+ per day.

Thankyou to everyone!