After a terrifying experience while trying out a drop-handlebarred road bike several years ago, Colette was very quickly convinced that this was not for her. She has been happily riding bikes with flat handlebars ever since, not really seeing any need to try again. However, recently a couple of things have made her think again about giving it another go…
Firstly, when we went to Mallorca on holiday last month, it was hard to find any decent flat barred bikes for hire. The flat barred options were generally heavy and slow, and the only place that had suitable bikes for hire was run by some really unpleasant characters who didn’t keep the bikes well maintained and would curse you in Spanish if you dared to complain. On the other hand, there are no end of suppliers of traditional road bikes for hire, so being able to ride one would make things so much easier when on holiday.
Secondly, after breaking her thumb a couple of months ago, Colette has been finding it sore to ride her usual bikes. The hand position for drop bar road bikes on the other hand is much more kind on the thumb.
We paid a visit to Decathlon and found a bike that Colette seemed to like while in the shop, though it was just a little too big. Unfortunately, the size small was out of stock and not coming back till early December. So that spurred me to build a drop barred bike for Colette to try out. There was an unused Kaffenback 2 frame in the basement, size small, so I decided to buy the parts necessary to build it up into a functioning bike, with the bars raised to a more comfortable position that the average road bike.
A couple of weeks later, after scouring the internet for bargain parts, we had the bike ready to try out. As this was going to be a little nerve-wracking for Colette, we decided to start with a short ride along a flat cycle path, starting at Innerleithen. It was a cold day with a frosty start, so we delayed our departure till the sun was well up. Still, it was only 2 degrees C as we set off, so we were both warmly wrapped up.
Although she was nervous, Colette found the position was perfectly comfortable, and she also quickly got the hang of changing gear with the unfamiliar shifters. However, braking was more of an issue. She found herself unable to generate much force with her fingers on the levers, but luckily we weren’t going fast or down any steep hills.
His and hers… and yes, that orange bar tape turned out to be more luminous than expected!
We reached Peebles and rode through the town before turning across the river and heading back in the direction of Innerleithen on the B7062. We had in mind to have a cafe stop at Cardrona on the way back, but as we passed the entrance to Kailzie Gardens, Colette suggested why not try their cafe. As we hadn’t visited that one before, it sounded like a great idea. Their soups were fantastic, and the coffee was great too, so we will add that to our list and will be back soon. Just a shame it doesn’t open on Mondays.
After lunch, we carried on, firstly going up some sustained uphill, which we all know means that a downhill would follow. That was what Colette was worrying about. Once we reached the top and started descending, I was on the lookout for Colette shooting past, if the brakes really weren’t working for her. However, she found enough oomph in her grip to slow the bike down to a trundle down the hill. The down side was that her hands were now sore, so it was a good thing that we were only a couple of miles away from the car.
At the end of the ride, Colette was pleased with herself for giving it a go, and she felt like a “real cyclist” on the bike. The braking is going to be the big issue to solve though. There are various tweaks that we can try, as well as just keeping on trying till it feels easier and more natural. If, after all of this, she ends up deciding that drop bars definitely are not for her, well at least we will have given it a good go, and I can always use the components from this bike to build up a new one for myself. So whatever happens, it will be a win-win!