Weird thing I saw in NYC

Cori said:

I saw several road bikes with the handlebars turned upside down. What's the reasoning behind this?

It's just a (bad) way to get the bars higher. It puts the brake levers on the "back side" of the
bars, which makes it VERY easy to lock up the brakes by accident (since your weight will tend to
press the levers harder when braking).

A lot of riders call those "DUI bars" since they're often on bikes that are being ridden by people
with no interest in riding a bike.

Quoted message said:

I'm doing the five borough ride and have been advised to bring my hybrid, and not my road bike.
Which should I bring?

The roads are rough, but if your wheels aren't too fragile, I don't see why you couldn't get away
with a road bike. Thousands of others will.

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles habcycles.comhabcycles.comOpen ↗ Home of the $695 ti frame

Cori said:

I saw several road bikes with the handlebars turned upside down. What's the reasoning behind this?

They're morons.

Quoted message said:

Also does anyone have any experience biking in NYC. I'm doing the five borough ride and have been
advised to bring my hybrid, and not my road bike. Which should I bring?

I've done Bike New York plenty of times. I've done it on road bikes, a hybrid, and mountain bikes.
Bring whatever bike you feel like riding, they'll all "survive". NYC isn't exactly a war zone.
You'll find potholes, but you'll also ride miles upon miles of silky-smooth pavement.

You will see literally every kind of bike, from $8000+ Colnagos or Looks, to high-end recumbents, to
old, rusty Huffys that look like they were found in the dump that morning. <G>

I've seen kids do the 42 mile route on BMX bikes!

Barry

Cori said:

Also does anyone have any experience biking in NYC. I'm doing the five borough ride and have been
advised to bring my hybrid, and not my road bike. Which should I bring?

The 5 borough ride has literally thousands of participants. You do not have a chance to go fast at
all, so what bike you have won't matter.
--

David L. Johnson

__o | The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win you're _`\(,_ | still a rat. --Lilly
Tomlin (_)/ (_) |

In article said:

I saw several road bikes with the handlebars turned upside down. What's the reasoning behind this?

Turning them around gets you up straighter. It is easier so smoke cigerettes when you are sitting
straighter.

Quoted message said:

Also does anyone have any experience biking in NYC. I'm doing the five borough ride and have been
advised to bring my hybrid, and not my road bike. Which should I bring?

I've always used a road bike for that.. and all my riding in NYC. If you are doing that ride with
friends, have a means of keeping together. Each one with a cell phone, some kind of flag, a chicken
glued to your helmet, etc. Riding around with something like 30,000 others can be crowded at times.

--
--
LITTLE KNOWN FACT: Did you know that 90% of North Americans cannot taste the difference between
fried dog and fried cat?

"Cori" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I saw several road bikes with the handlebars turned upside down. What's the reasoning behind this?

My first bike (a hand me down from my brother) had drop bars swung around with the drops on top - no
gears back then (40 odd yrs ago) and back pedal brakes were the go. That was how you fitted the
little guy on the big guys bike. Was relatively common among 8 to 10 year olds in country towns in
Oz. A bike shop trued wheels and adjusted seat heights but there were no $ for a new stem. Put you
in an upright position not unlike a current mtb position.

It was green, brand name "Speedwell" if I recall and we did some serious distance to and from school
(there was a bike shed!) and around the district after school and on weekends.

40 years went past, got successful, overweight and unfit, tried many forms of exercise until a dim
but still burning light once reminded me that a previous light that I once rode a bike ... and after
all those years the memories resurfaced ... and I won't be giving it up this time

best, Andrew

"But riding is my special gift, my chiefest, sole delight; Just ask a wild duck can it swim, a
wildcat can it fight... I'll ride this here two-wheeled concern, right straight away, at sight." A B
'Banjo' Patterson - "Mulga Bill" 25 July 1896.

Quoted message said:

Also does anyone have any experience biking in NYC. I'm doing the five borough ride and have been
advised to bring my hybrid, and not my road bike. Which should I bring?

I've always used my hybrid, which I've just outfitted with 700 x 28 slicks. More practical IMO but
I've seen road bikes too (just watch out for that patch of old cobblestones by DUMBO in Brooklyn.)
Don't expect to ride fast -- with 30,000 riders you'll encounter major bike jams entering Central
Park and the Verrazano Bridge. Still Bike NY is a great experience - a giant two-wheeled party.
Enjoy the ride -- it's a fun way to experience NY.

Diana B., LPN Diva Nurse

The JerZ Fox

Money doesn't buy happiness. Poverty doesn't buy anything.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Also does anyone have any experience biking in NYC. I'm doing the five borough ride and have been
advised to bring my hybrid, and not my road bike. Which should I bring?

The streets of NYC took a serious beating this winter. There are lots of pot holes to deal
with. If you bring your road bike, make sure you have the tires pumped up to their max to
protect your wheels.
-----------------
Alex __O _-\<,_ (_)/ (_)

"Cori" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I saw several road bikes with the handlebars turned upside down. What's the reasoning behind this?

Also does anyone have any experience biking in NYC. I'm doing the five borough ride and have been
advised to bring my hybrid, and not my road bike. Which should I bring?

Cori

NYC? Bring this: springfieldarmory.comprod pstl 1911 ms.shtmlOpen ↗

"Pete Hickey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Cori <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I saw several road bikes with the handlebars turned upside down. What's the reasoning
behind this?

Turning them around gets you up straighter. It is easier so smoke cigerettes when you are sitting
straighter.

ROFL!!!!!!!!

Bring the hybrid - you'll have a better chance to get a look around at the extreme verticals, 'cause
you'll not do much "riding," it's the experience more than the ride. (Hmmm, then again, maybe bring
the bike that you'll most not mind being bashed up a bit in a crowd.)

Mark

"Cori" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I saw several road bikes with the handlebars turned upside down. What's the reasoning behind this?

Also does anyone have any experience biking in NYC. I'm doing the five borough ride and have been
advised to bring my hybrid, and not my road bike. Which should I bring?

Cori

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I saw several road bikes with the handlebars turned upside down.

A lot of riders call those "DUI bars" since they're often on bikes that are being ridden by people
with no interest in riding a bike.

=v= Oh, brother! (Where art thou?) Could it also just possibly have something to do with the fact
that not everyone has the money to run out and buy new handlebars at the drop of a hat?

Quoted message said:

It puts the brake levers on the "back side" of the bars, which makes it VERY easy to lock up the
brakes by accident ...

=v= Of course, the levers can be removed and put back onto the bars in a better location. <_Jym_

Jym Dyer said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I saw several road bikes with the handlebars turned upside down.

A lot of riders call those "DUI bars" since they're often on bikes that are being ridden by
people with no interest in riding a bike.

=v= Oh, brother! (Where art thou?) Could it also just possibly have something to do with the fact
that not everyone has the money to run out and buy new handlebars at the drop of a hat?

If they had an interest in cycling, chances are they'd flip the bars around in the stem so the hooks
are pointing the right direction (even if the "drops" become "vitual mustache bars"😉. They'd also
probably take the time to set up the brake levers in a less suicidal mode.

Or at least I can say that if I were forced to ride a cheap bike that doesn't fit, I wouldn't
hesitate to spend five minutes to make it much less dangerous - I guess maybe there are those who
would consider that too much work... (?)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It puts the brake levers on the "back side" of the bars, which makes it VERY easy to lock up the
brakes by accident ...

=v= Of course, the levers can be removed and put back onto the bars in a better location.

Something they'd do if they were interested in cycling, but maybe not if they were just forced to
ride and didn't want to be bothered with leaning over to reach the bars.

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles habcycles.comhabcycles.comOpen ↗ Home of the $695 ti frame

As far as weird things go in NYC, this is not even worthy of mentioning.

Go to the east village, where they pierce their eyebrows with upside down handlebars.

That's weird.

Howard Levinger

"Jym Dyer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I saw several road bikes with the handlebars turned upside down.

A lot of riders call those "DUI bars" since they're often on bikes that are being ridden by
people with no interest in riding a bike.

=v= Oh, brother! (Where art thou?) Could it also just possibly have something to do with the fact
that not everyone has the money to run out and buy new handlebars at the drop of a hat?

Quoted message said:

It puts the brake levers on the "back side" of the bars, which makes it VERY easy to lock up the
brakes by accident ...

=v= Of course, the levers can be removed and put back onto the bars in a better location. <_Jym_