Is there any reason I should not buy this bike?

[vvill]

@jrenaut 98330 wrote:

If the compact drops effectively shorten your stem, that sounds like a definite winner. I know many of you have been saying that from the beginning, but I couldn’t look past track drops without trying them. So now I need to find some, and decide whether I want to stick with the flat bar brake lever or go back to the hoods.

Yeah, I was the same, sort of – when I got the Wabi I decided to try the traditional rounder, deeper road drops even though I suspected I’d prefer modern compact road drops.

They don’t exactly shorten your stem, but the distance to the hoods and drops will be shorter on compact drops vs. traditional or track drops. (Bar width also makes a slight difference.)

FWIW I like bullhorns quite a bit – they’re pretty similar to hoods. I prefer them set a bit wider than drop bars – lets you open up your chest for breathing/climbing leverage, but also need them closer to me than hoods so then I need a shorter stem, or some sweep back on the bar. (I haven’t yet ridden them on FG – only SS.)

[jrenaut]

@Orestes Munn 98340 wrote:

Those are pretty radical track bars and it’s been a while, but I don’t think most riders wouldn’t use them for anything but sprint events even on the track. They would be outright dangerous on the road, in my opinion.

I certainly didn’t feel safe riding with them in traffic. But I’ve seen people in traffic with much more ridiculous bars. As for style – all other things being equal, I’ll pick the one I like the look of better. And I’d give up a small amount of functionality for aesthetics, but not a lot. And this is my pretty bike, not my commuter or my SUV, so I’m a little more inclined towards the style end.

Anyway, I was reasonably happy with the road drops without the hoods this morning.

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