Flat Bar or Racer?

Fred in Australia wants a more up-right riding position, he was thinking of buying a larger frame to lift the stem higher. We also have our thoughts on the subject, maybe one will help?

Question:
Would prefer to buy a racer however not keen on aggressive riding position. If I purchase a size 52” frame rather than a 50”frame would that provide a more upright position on racer?
Looking at racer frames I would need to lift stem way too high to get more level with seat height.
Does the larger frame cause other problems?

Hi Fred.

The larger frame could be the answer, as long as this doesn’t make the bike too big to ride and not put the top tube up too close to your “family jewels” which could be nasty when getting off the bike. The other problem is the top tube length as a larger frame will be longer to match.

The other option, which I think is a better choice, is to have a look at the Sportive specific bikes, these have a higher front end giving you a more up-right position, both Trek (Performance Fit) and Specialized (Roubaix) market these bikes. The Trek Performance Fit frame dimensions are very interesting; there is a dimension chart on their web-site.

Another option is to look for a frame with a steep sloping top tube, like a Giant or a frame of similar dimensions. With one of these you go for a larger frame, but watch for the length of the top tube, make sure that you can get a shorter stem to make your position correct.

You could go for a flat bar Hybrid bike; this has the advantage of road wheels and tires, but with straight mountain bike style handle bars. This position would fit your needs, but there are no very light weight hybrids, if you want top racer light weight then you could change the bars to straights, but this would cost quite a lot as you would have to change the brake lever/shifters with the brake and gear cables as well as the handle bars.

Try to find a bike shop that has some or all of the above and see if they will let you have a test ride. Check out the web sites for Trek, Specialised and Giant, remembering to look for their sloping top tube bikes and frames and don’t forget the Hybrid answer!

Let us know what you decide, good luck Fred.