DROP BARS vs FLAT BARS for Bikepacking ? WHY I AM CHOOSING flat bars for my next race !

[@K9Manhunters]

Thank you so much for this video! I just discovered your channel. Love the quality of your video and of course the content. I‘ve been riding a hardtail for years with a flatbar (30mm rise 12deg sweep & innerbarends). I can ride for hours without any pain. 2023 i got myself a gravel bike with drop bars. The bike comes from a MTB company, so the geometry is closer to MTB than a road bike. After a bike fitting, after switching the bars (for dropbars with shorter reach, smaller drop and more flare), i still struggle with comfort. I am now seriously thinking to convert to a flatbar. Your video helped a lot!

[@rosscruz3468]

I really like the humility in the way you talk and your "straight to the point" style when you always tell us immediately your preference between two choices. You are a very good video content creator and cyclist. I have learned so many things from your videos though I'm just a regular guy who loves long distance bike rides in our country. Thank you.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Wow thank you soooo much ! Will try to keep it real in the future ! I have been riding my whole life and I found great joy to been able to share my passion with other people. Glad it helps !

[@Mike-vd2qt]

Very thoughtful discussion of flat bars vs drops, thanks. I've used flat bars on the Great Divide with a hardtail, and I've used drops off road Telluride to Moab on a full rigid. Also drops for decades of road touring, and gravel touring. Today, at 71 with arthritis and injuries, my shoulders, wrists, and neck have pain with flat bars. Mostly because flats position my arms wider, putting more strain on shoulders and neck. I agree that flat bars are more secure and faster with better braking on downhills; and feel that drops are faster on the flat and smooth sections. Both systems trade speed in one area for speed in another area. Trade offs. Happy Trails ☮

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Totally agree ! They all have their pros and cons ! Thanks for sharing your story !

[@bryantpackard1592]

Great points, just starting to get into longer distaqnces, but coming from Road, MTN racing and triathloons, including daily commutes of 30 miles here is my perspective: I lean toward drop bars with the Aero options too. But like anything it is highly course specific. I have run bar ends on my mtn bikes since 1989 and you can get speed on both setups. Planning for the tour divide in next few years and looking at using Salsa Cuthroat, already using their Warbird for mixed and bikepacking. Agree if more technical and or soft sandy stretches, flats will make it more managable.

[@gabegoldberg]

Thanks Gabriel for the to-the-point info. I follow plenty of bike related you-tubers but you are my new favourite for sure!

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Wow thank you so much ! Working on others videos… if you want me to talk about something specific let me know !

[@DS1150]

Great videos. You come across as a really likeable, genuine person along with a lot of experience to share.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Wow thank you ! I started this channel saying to myself that I would be myself ! Love to share my passion about bikes. See you out there !

[@aldunne2001]

Great insight and explanation of your thought process. What I like is that this opinion comes from your Tour Divide experience where you used drop bars, but concluded that flat bars would be a better choice. I also like that, near the end, you said that there could be some special cases where you would race with drops, so you are not locked in to any religion regarding bars. One of your reasons for choosing flat bars was that you have better options for handlebar bags as the drops can limit the length of the bag that can be installed. I would add that the integrated brake/shifter handles with the drop bars also need to have room to allow for the push to the inside, further reducing the bag length that can be mounted with drops. The only way to avoid this problem is to use bar end shifters, but they are not too common and require moving your hand to make the shift, which many not be possible in all situation. Looking forward to your upcoming film on the Tour Divide.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

I would not recommend end shifter in any technical riding ! Great points ! Thanks for watching

[@dmharvey30]

You made a great point about lower back pain and using the bottom of the drop bars.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Yes it is something not a lot of people are talking about ! Too painful for me ! Getting to old !

[@MrJhamil05]

Great Video, keep the great information coming. I always love Quebecois accents so no apologies necessary. we ski and hike in the Charlevoix region all the time. Jeff

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Thanks for visiting are great region !

[@rankin90049]

Great video!!

[@franknobody5965]

I have tried both...and I completely agree with you! Flats with inner and outer bar ends give so much flexibility and comfort!

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Thanks !!! Welcome to the flat bar family !

[@xosece]

the most complete drop bars vs flat bars video I've ever seen (and I've seen many), kudos to you. I prefer flat bars, even my road bike has flat bars. I also got a MTB and a hybrid bike (my favourite kind of bike) the Canyon Pathlite 6. If I ever buy a road bike again it has to be similar to the Canyon Roadlite 6, a 1X 46T 10-51T 12 gears and you can put up to 37mm tires on it.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Wow what a great comment ! Thank you sooo much !

[@marcmorin9945]

Très pertinent tes explications et oui tu fais d’excellents vidéos. Ton expérience donne beaucoup de crédibilité, alors merci j’ai hâte de voir le prochain sujet 😊

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

WoW merci beaucoup !!!

[@Chan1881]

Those SQ Lab inner bar ends were a game changer for my wife. Like you said, it simulates the comfortable hand position of the hoods of a drop bar, but she can quickly switch to the (more secure) flat bar grip when the riding gets rougher. Great video!

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Thank you ! Glad to see I’m not alone !

[@djvonski]

Quality content! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience! I used to ride an old cross country bike on my bikepacking trips and ran into a few problems once I switched to a gravel bike. As you have pointed out - bar bag being to wide for drop bars, the need to take the bag off the bar to take stuff out, not enough leverage and stability in more demanding, technical terrain. I think I agree with your opinion that for longer adventures an MTB with flat bars is probably a better choice due to the comfort it provides which if far more important than being faster. On the other hand, I think that a gravel bike is more suitable for shorter, quicker adventures, where you are travelling lighter and faster. Anyway, keep the content coming! I love the quality of your vids and your insights.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Thanks for watching and commenting ! So cool to find same minded people !

[@Jimoto]

More great information and insight, thank you. Can you give me a link to the horns and bar ends? Thanks!!!

[@chriswilliams2025]

They're from sqlabs. Nb check they fit with your dropper and lockout mechanisms.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Working on it !!! Thanks for watching !

[@douglasrobson4624]

It looks like the bar ends are by Cane Creek. The inner bar ends (horns) do look a lot like the 411’s by sqlab.

[@cricridamour9681]

Entièrement d’accord avec ton analyse. Moi-même j’utilise un mountain-bike tout-suspendu (Spe Epic) avec les options pour les différentes positions des mains pour mes ultras hors-goudron. Cependant je n’utilise pas d’aerobars si le ratio dénivelé/distance est supérieur à 1500m/100km, ou si la proportion de goudron à plat est inférieure à 50%. Je vais quand même rajouter 2 autres raisons que tu n’as pas évoquées en ce qui concerne les avantages d’un flat-bar/mountain-bike. Premièrement, c’est que dans les descentes, je prends du plaisir au lieu de subir comme avec un vélo de type gra-vel. Et ça c’est très bon pour le mental. Autre point positif, dans les descentes avec le mountain-bike, je suis beaucoup, mais alors vraiment beaucoup plus rapide qu’un vélo gravel. (Je roule avec un mountain-bike en compétition xc/xcm depuis 30 ans). Cela me permet de rattraper, doubler et distancer avec facilité les vélos gravel, et cela aussi est excellent pour le mental. Et je ne vais pas t’apprendre l’importance d’un mental positif sur les longues distances. Merci pour tes vidéos.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Très d’accord avec toi ! Merci du commentaire !

[@augmented2nd666]

I plan on learning bike packing soon, maybe next year or so, I mountainbike alot and started on street bmx but had to travel like 2 hours on single speed hard geared 30x9 to get to the skatepark, I'd do that daily and ride the park for like 6 or 8 hours a day so progressing to long distance rides seems natural to me although I love downhill, jumps and drops too. I'm planning on just using my hardtail devinci kobain for bike packing, probably need to consider a more all around type tire than the typical Maxxis Minion setup. I dont see any practical purpose of drop bars or gravel bikes in general, I get it that a road bike with larger tires might be fun on super light gravel paths, but where I live there are so few paths and access roads that are mellow enough I cant see the usage for where I live (Vancouver Island, BC) that and being limited to those paths when theres so many side trails along the way and fun stuff to jib around on, I wouldnt want to feel limited, the hardtail can easily do more that way, while also being comfortable for long distances, I'm not racing anyone in any style of biking, in fact I often ride slower anyways to enjoy the scenery and keep an eye out for natural stuff to hit, like when I rode BMX street, we'd keep our eyes peeled for natural ledges, rails and banks to hit, the whole world is a giant skatepark, find fun stuff and ride it. Cheers for the info on flat bars, I'm glad someones saying it, as I do in fact have a road bike, a vintage Apollo, and I feel absolutely limited and have less control on it, it only sees paved paths as I absolutely despise riding on the road with cars, and I much prefer my cheap GT aggressor for any in town riding on mostly mellow terrain.

[@Luthiervert]

Très bon contenu, Gab! Pas encore rendu là dans ma connaissance du vélo, mais j’apprends pareil!

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

WoW merci !!! Je vais continué de créer du contenu ! Au plaisir !

[@Gravel_Rat78]

I too have lower back problems. I went from flat bar to drop bar because I find being in the drops on long rides helps my lower back pain to be manageable compared to flat bars. Your last statement about mechanical advantage of wide flat bars for climbing while true, there is a solution for drop bars. First run wider drop bars. I have 42cm shoulders, but I run a 550mm drop bar with 15 degrees of flair in the drops. I’m using a 80mm stem with 75 degrees of rise as well. Lastly, I rotate my bars slightly forward so that the drops are about 10 degrees higher than parallel to the ground and I rotate the hoods inboard for better ergonomics of the hands. Try rotating your bars forward and climbing in the drops. I bet you would feel a difference in the amount of torque you can deliver to the rear wheel. One other thing that was a huge game changer in my gravel bike for me was adding a dropper post. Getting low helps stabilize the loaded bike while descending, and being able to raise the seat higher than normal helps in the steep chunky climbs.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Great tips ! Love it !!

[@UrsusPetro]

Very good and interesting video, thanks

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Thanks for watching !

[@Sayan_here]

Try out a carbon aerobar, able to use that as a alternate hand position and also battle headwinds on a race like srmr is a must in my opinion, even the rig servey shows that majority of riders use aero bar. Ill suggest give it a try.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Thanks ! I had those on the tour divide, but I’m gonna try something else for Silk Road… will save 2 pounds !

[@davidly2607]

Very helpful video. Thanks

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

My pleasure !

[@j.r.1184]

Very nice video, very informative. What is your opinion on the corner handlebars or other ALT handlebars? Wishing you a lot of success with your channel.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Thanks ! My opinion is really that everybody is different and the best way to learn is to try it !!! That’s how I found my perfect setup after all those years ! Lots of try and error

[@omare_biketonature]

I feel super comfortable on drops and flats equally, but for my first ultra I’m going with flats on my XC bike, 680 mm wide, 30mm rise and 14° back swept, 70 mm stem on +6º not aggressive or aero at all but pretty comfortable, SQ lab grips and horns, I’ve ridden almost 2,000km and I’m confident about my choice. The only thing I’m not sure about is whether I want to install aero bars or not? I have never used aerobars, bought them and installed them and it feels weird, don’t know if now is the time to experiment with things I’m not familiar with 😅 just because ultra racers use them 🤷🏻‍♂️plus I’m thinking of the weight penalty. Are those aerobars so useful in a race like the Atlas? Don’t know

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Hey ! I see you perfected your setup ! As for aero bars, I will make a video about it in few weeks ! But here is the post I made on the tour divide facebook group : facebook.com/share/p/nyn6srDbL6MjCJRD/?mibextid=K35XfP

[@BrianRPaterson]

Mini bar ends are excellent! Just be careful in the bush where branches, vines, small trees all try to grab a hold of you . I've been over the bars before! Fortunately, I was wearing a helmet and a backpack with a full water bladder. The helmet got trashed, and the bladder cushioned my fall like a hydraulic air bag. Worth thinking about. Cheers

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Yes great tip ! Almost happen a couple of times already !

[@rdslmi]

Super cool content ! Thanks for sharing your advices :) I'd be super interested in learning more about how you manage Raynaud's syndrome. I've been struggling to find a good system, so far the best thing working for me are bar mitts but i'm very shallow and hate the looks haha

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Hey ! I can make a video about that in the future but for now, go see my video here ! I talked about it : kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnjMpH-DmqaHqrssi=50gx_-NLonJLsA5w

[@rdslmi]

@@GabrielRancourtCycling Merci

[@mikekrasovec6390]

Drop bars are definitely a workable option. If you like the hoods and tops positions but never use the drops try getting a higher rise stem. An excellent method of finding your bar position is finding a local bike shop that rents sizer stems. If you can adjust the stem height and extension you can trial and error your way to your ideal. I've used the Cunningham sizer stems for road and MTB bikes and was quite happy (unfortunately the one that I used was vintage and thus had a 25.4/26.0 bar clamp). If in the San Francisco Bay area a local bike frame builder has made the "Mikkelsen size cycle" which allows you to independently adjust the bottom bracket height, head and seat angles, top tube length, seat tube length, stem height and stem extension - then test ride it. I've dealt with the builder as well as worked at a bike shop which had one. When setting up a customer for a custom frame it took virtually all of the guess work out of the process but did take time. They're also helpful for figuring out what geometry is best for you of already manufactured production frames/bikes.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Wow what a great shop ! Greats tips to make the right bike fit for you. Thanks

[@mikekrasovec6390]

@@GabrielRancourtCycling the shop with the adjustable stem is in Santa Monica (Bicycle Workshop) and the shop with the Mikkelsen size cycle was in Berkeley is sadly no more (Velosport) another few bike shops in the area had those size cycles but I believe that they went out of business as well (American Cyclery in SF and Cyclesport in Oakland). I don't know what happened to those size cycles. Most likely other shops or frame builders bought them at a discount but I moved back to Socal decades ago. I believe that Bernie Mikkelsen is still making frames. He was a great welder, good guy and eccentric compared to other frame builders. When I worked with them both at Velosport and at Mikkelsen's frame shop they had a Nexus internally geared hub with a coaster brake.

[@mikekrasovec6390]

I still keep a bike fit journal in one of my toolboxes. I'd measure the distance from the nose of the saddle to the bars, bar height, seat height... And tweak the fit a LITTLE. Maybe try a 1cm longer/shorter stem. Ride it for a couple of weeks. Then try a 1cm shorter stem but lower and ride it. Repeat. Tweak the saddle position. More tweaking of the bar position... I've got many entries in the notebook over 100,000+ mi/160,000+km worth of entries. Unfortunately I didn't do any of the testing with a power meter. After much trial and error I've got a pretty good idea of how I like my bikes to fit. It's always a compromise between a bunch of factors which are at odds with each other. Aerodynamics, comfort, control... The ideal position for a DH MTB is different than what I'd want for riding 100+ miles a day which is also different than trials. It's all a compromise. Finding the best compromise for your purposes and the way that your body likes to bend/move is a tedious but potentially quite rewarding process for a dedicated cyclist. Regarding drop bar MTB's ideally for most they are set up such that the main position is the drops. For road bike drop bars they're set up that the main position is the hoods. Typically. Drop bar MTB's are nothing new as custom bent bars have existed since the beginning. Sometime in the 1980's WTB and nitto released their versions of dirt drop MTB bars. I've still got my old WTB dirtdrops that I've had since 1997 - they're surprisingly comfy for me.

[@dsa5394]

We like alt bars with some sweep back. Also, I have Aero bars and love them, but only when I don't need to shift or brake. Also, not as much control. I put them on risers, so I don't need to bend over as far. I agree they do add weight, and I'm not a racer.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Love your setup !

[@mikekrasovec6390]

Additional brake levers are available that will work for both hydraulic and mechanical brakes. I'm not sure about DOT hydraulic but Shimano makes them for mineral oil which are intended for the tops of flat bars (can be configured to work on aero extensions). For shifting if using AXS or Di2 remote shifters are available. In theory it should be doable with mechanical as Shimano used to make remote shifters for bar ends ~25 years ago. Unfortunately they were short lived, exclusively xtr and required proprietary wires that haven't been available for 20+ years (worked great though).

[@dudunelkee]

Hey hey salut ! Une autre vidéo bien sympa, merci :) Je te rejoins sur l'ensemble des points forts du flat bar aussi pour mettre en avant le fait qu'avec un peu de recherches et d'accessoires on arrive vraiment a, autant voire plus de positions des mains variées sur le flatbar. Le seul point noir est effectivement l'aero, on voit vraiment la grande différence entre les deux. C'est là ou le cycliste devra réfléchir sur l'utilisation qu'il veut, quel parcours, quelle importance il va accorder aux 3-4-5 km/h en moins VS le confort Mon cockpit pour ma part : flatbar recoupé à 68 cm de large (je fais 1m71), poignées Ergon GP3, thumbrest de chez Todds. Me reste à trouver un prolongateur en forme d'anneau avec de la guidoline dessus et on sera bien. Hâte de voir ta prochaine vidéro et je suivrai ta Silkroad :)

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Bonjour ! Merci du commentaire. Pour l’aero, c’est beaucoup moins que l’on pense. Tu peux regarder la chaîne de Dylan Johnson où il explore le sujet et on parle plus de secondes, minutes sur une centaine de kilomètres !

[@dudunelkee]

@@GabrielRancourtCycling ah je vais aller voir cela! Merci de l'info ça m'intéresse.

[@johnjefferybikepacking]

I am getting into Bikepacking. Ive only done it using AirBnb's so fsr and im doing that again in March. However, next year I'm looking at doing the length of Italy, from the Austria border down to Reggio Calabria. I have always used drip bars and I think ill stay with them but my question is, is there a different type of drop bar that is more suitable/comfortable for bikepacking than the standard type you het with a road bike? Despite my intention to stay purely on roads, should i be consodering the flared type of gravel bike drop bars?

[@wilsentwins]

What is the name of that thumb accessories sir?

[@dewittlunsford2527]

Having a Cutthroat myself, I find your setup very interesting. Just wondering how you got the reach to work with a flat bar. Because the geometry of the Cutthroat is designed for a drop bar. Did you have to go with a different frame size?

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

I bought a large size frame and I shorten the stem already on my dropbar setup… I just put the flat bar a bit lower and I will be adding a longer stem… I know it’s weird but I don’t care about how things look, only what they can do !

[@Indik47]

I have very similar preference. Tried dropbar and was a bit frustrated with the issues you mentioned: ability to shift and brake at the same time, insecure feeling on descents and just overall risky nature of going fast on a bumpy terrain. Yes, they may be a bit faster (if the rider is willing to push), but it seems like the world is obsessed with speed, not taking any other factors into account.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Yes ! Totally agree ! Thanks for watching !

[@MrJhamil05]

Do you recommend carbon bars or Aluminium? I see you have the RaceFace bars. Jeff

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

For bikepacking, I would always recommend aluminium bar because if you clamp anything to it and rub anything on it like a bag, there is less chance of catastrophic failures ! More comfortable also !

[@notpablo8369]

I ask salsa about the cutty, they said you can race xc on it🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

The do it all bike for sure !

[@dhil1592]

Any preferences on the width of flat bars? The bars on my MTB seem very wide so wondering about cutting them down.

[@mikekrasovec6390]

Try sliding your controls inward and experimenting. I recommend an inch (2.5cm) inwards each side per week until you find that you start liking it less than sliding the controls outwards a half inch (1.25cm) per week. Keep experimenting until you find your sweet spot. Aluminum and other metal handlebars cut easily with a hacksaw but I recommend a pipe cutter if you have one. Carbon is trickier to cut but doable.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

I totally agree, with a flat bar, just experiment with getting your shifter and brakes inward… mind will be close to 740mm at the end. I did’nt cut the bar… still experimenting before cutting

[@Timberius]

The optimal width for bars is for your hands to be placed shoulder width. It doesn't need to be wider. Saving weight is overrated. Get those aero bars. Alu/carbon ones don't weigh that much. And they give you additional positions to give parts of your body a rest. #comfort #relief

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Hi ! I would say it depends on your bike fit and the right amount of pressure you want to put on your hands. As for aero, when you put risers, strap, tape and clamps, it add up pretty quickly. The weight is noticeable, specially while hike a bicking ! For my next race, i will try to shave every gram that I can because after 100 and 1000 of miles, it makes a huge difference about how many distance you can cover in a day.

[@Paulklampeeps]

I recently bought a gravel bike what weird is I am having carpal tunnel syndrome especially in the hoods position😢. I might put flat bars on it soon

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Wish you will found your setup ! Take care

[@kralleyeah]

Hey Gabriel What bike are you riding? You’re probably sponsored, but do you have any recommendations?

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

I have a lot of bikes ! But for adventures cycling, it would be my salsa cutthroat, my others bikes are all trek because yes I’m sponsored by them. Let me know if you have any other questions !

[@christianlenhardt1860]

Same with me, please share

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Thanks !

[@MartinBarrel-i2g]

Au final je trouve le flat bar plus safe et plus confortable, et dans les parties techniques c’est clairement plus rassurant qu’un drop bar, laissons le drop bar pour l’asphalte 😅

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Merci du commentaire ! Bon entraînement cet hiver !

[@MartinBarrel-i2g]

@@GabrielRancourtCyclingle training a commencé 💪

[@bartoszbachor8332]

To be honest i llike both. Mtb wins only because my backbone likes suspension. For bikepacking it depends where You go. More offroads - mtb more asphalt - gravel.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Agree !!

[@davidly2607]

1st.

[@GabrielRancourtCycling]

Nice ! That was fast !!