Originally Posted by
zivins
So after a couple people dropped this line, I realized how little I know about biking (didn't think I knew that much in the first place, but still...). I figured I should have been able to ride drops almost all the time. If just switching back and forth is the solution, I can definitely do that haha. I just assumed riders with drops almost always used them, so my pain must have been a fitting/form issue. I need to start riding with other people :/
I ride on the brake hoods or with my hands in that vicinity for 90% of my riding (and I'm NOT young). Obviously that's less of a possibility with no brake hoods. There are some that can/do ride in the drops most the time, but that it is easier when you're much more experienced and flexible (and younger). OTOH, I notice lots of riders with set-ups like yours who mostly seem to riding on the bar tops. And have you noticed that lots of "fixie's" use a short straight bar?
When I was 15-20 years younger, I could ride comfortably for hours with the bars several inches below the saddle, but now wish that I'd come around to higher bars sooner. Now they're at saddle height on one bike, and less than an inch below on the other one. BTW, when the bars are that high, riding in the drops is pretty easy, and all it takes is a slightly more bent elbow to get low relative to the wind.