Originally Posted by
kill.cactus
I just got a used Jamis Ventura Elite off Ebay:
I went downtown to drop off some books at the library. It was pretty much rush hour in Ann Arbor (which isn't that big of a city, but it does have a specific commerical/downtown section). I've ridden tons on my hybrid with flat bars and SIS shifters and I've never had problems. I knew drops were a little trickier, so I planned on being extra careful.
Wow...
The bike's racing aspects really made it scary. I'm just not used to switching from one hand position to grabbing the brakes.
The weight
did make accelerating much more exciting though
How many choose flat bars over drops for the stability/ease of use factor?
Generally, you don't spend much time on the lowest part of the drops (sounds like you are since you are shifting your hands around to brake). Most people spend more time on the hoods of the brakes. Watch some racer dude movies and you'll see that they spend lots of time on the hoods and only go down to the drops when they want to go really fast on a downhill.
When on the hoods, all you have to do to brake is use your 3 outermost fingers on the lever to stop. Even in panic situations, I find I can stop the bike easily with that grip.
Go forth and try again
