That just shows how highly dependent gear ratios can be on bike, tire, terrain, rider, and cargo. The 38 x 11 setup that you describe as plenty would be middle of the range for me on my gravel/commuter. Even when I ran a compact (48 x 11 at its tallest) on my road bike, I would frequently spin it out on the flats (granted, while really honking) and it felt short on downhills so I'd just tuck and run.
But that also points to the difference drop bars can make. Going from the tops to the drops at a constant cadence is the difference between one or sometimes two gears (higher speed registers a greater aero advantage). If you plan on putting in a lot of road miles, or just really long days of pedaling, then the extra hand positions of the right drop bar will far outweigh the familiarity or attack position of a flat bar. Totally depends on how you're using the bike. For a commute of less than two hours, no question flat bar is great. For a ride over two hours, especially on road or gravel where you're not up and down off the seat with nearly the regularity of a mountain bike, gimme them drops.
March 22, 2022, 9:26 a.m. - Pete Roggeman
That just shows how highly dependent gear ratios can be on bike, tire, terrain, rider, and cargo. The 38 x 11 setup that you describe as plenty would be middle of the range for me on my gravel/commuter. Even when I ran a compact (48 x 11 at its tallest) on my road bike, I would frequently spin it out on the flats (granted, while really honking) and it felt short on downhills so I'd just tuck and run. But that also points to the difference drop bars can make. Going from the tops to the drops at a constant cadence is the difference between one or sometimes two gears (higher speed registers a greater aero advantage). If you plan on putting in a lot of road miles, or just really long days of pedaling, then the extra hand positions of the right drop bar will far outweigh the familiarity or attack position of a flat bar. Totally depends on how you're using the bike. For a commute of less than two hours, no question flat bar is great. For a ride over two hours, especially on road or gravel where you're not up and down off the seat with nearly the regularity of a mountain bike, gimme them drops.