Road Cycling - Best hand position on bars

I've been playing around with my stem and handlebar adjustments and think I've got things set up pretty well, but wanted a general opinion. I'm not a competitive or group rider -- just someone who wants to be able to comfortably cycle around and occasionally go long distances.

I find that I have four different hand positions on the bars: tops, drops, hoods, and what I call the "bar ends", which is the part of the bar past where it curves forward, but behind the hoods. With my current setup, I can ride in any of those positions (at least for a while), but when just comfortably cruising I find myself mostly on the bar ends. On the tops I'm just a bit too upright, and on the hoods I'm just a bit stretched; but on the ends I'm leaning forward comfortably and my arms are slightly bent as you see in some of the fitting recommendations.

The drawbacks, of course, are that I have to reach up to the hoods to shift and I'm also not within easy reach of the brakes, but so far that hasn't been a problem.

So does this sound like the best way to have it? Or should riding on the hoods be the more "natural" position? In order to be normally on the hoods, I'd probably have to shorten the stem, and then the tops would be that much closer.

In any case, I'm probably going to leave it this way for a few weeks to get some more experience with it, and being fairly new to this I might even find that I'll loosen up and find the hoods more comfortable. But I would like to know if that's the "normal" position that most of you ride in.

I don't have handle bars. It makes hand position easier.

I change hand positioning to different areas of the bars for 2 reasons:

Function. ie... climbing sitting - tops, climbing standing - hoods, into the wind - drops, downhill - drops, traffic - anywhere near the brakes :)

Comfort. ie... rotating through all positions when riding flat for an extended period. Chatting with other cyclists usually falls into the tops or hoods category.

Although you'll probably work your way into the more stretched out positions soon enough and they'll feel more comfortable then.

I think that as you ride more and gain flexibility, you will find the hoods more comfortable. I started out the same as you. The hoods made me feel very stretched out, and in a fit of lunacy, I switched from the 110 mm stem that came with my bike to a 90 mm stem in order to get it closer. Even then, the tops and corners still felt more comfortable than the hoods, and the drops were out of the question. As I kept riding, I felt more and more cramped as I improved, and now, I ride with a 120 mm stem and spend plenty of time in the hoods and drops without a problem.

Chances are that if you got a proper fitting when you bought the bike, you will grow into the position that the hoods are in right now. Just give it time.

Chances are that if you got a proper fitting when you bought the bike, you will grow into the position that the hoods are in right now. Just give it time.

Unfortunately, in most of the shops around here, "proper fitting" means "This is your size frame. The seat should be about here. Here you go -- see ya!" :rolleyes:

But seriously, thanks for the advice. I think that I am set up about right for where I am experience-wise and physically right now, so I'll leave things where they are and see how I feel after a few long rides.

If you can't comfortably ride with your hands on the hoods, then either 1) you need to change the set up (i.e. handlebars closer in, and or higher up, through changing the stem length, the rise of the stem, or the number of spacers below the stem) or 2) you need to increase flexibility.

After you've ridden the bike a couple of hundred miles, if you still don't find the hoods comfortable, I would work on the fit.

Also a pic of your setup would help.


by the way IIRC Event Services is from Rochester Hills. PM him and ask for a good shop reccomendation.

I found that simply forcing myself to ride in more 'aggressive' positions for a few miles of each ride gradually increased my flexibility to the point where they felt natural. I'm still not at the stage where I can comfortably ride in the drops for an hour or more, but by spending more time in the drops even on slower rides I'm getting there.

Your hands should be all over the bars. Don't keep them in one place for more than a couple minutes.

I don't have handle bars. It makes hand position easier.


Good answer!
Very informative!

I don't have handle bars. It makes hand position easier.

That's why he got relegated for not having his hands on the bars.

You are *STILL* using bars, this is the new way of doing it
http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/qf/c/PopularMechanics/7-1936/lrg_bicycle_wheel.jpg

You are *STILL* using bars, this is the new way of doing it
http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/qf/c/PopularMechanics/7-1936/lrg_bicycle_wheel.jpg

All we have to do is add 2 more wheels for balance,get rid of that ancient proppelingmethod and replace it with something´that doesn´t need to rest and will go all day.. I might be on to something here:rolleyes: ..

For me, apart from the hoods, the most comfy place is on the tops. I don't like holding the bars like on a flat barred bike, but instead hold the corners. similar to driving a truck - flat steering wheel? Now I think about it, it's just like being on the hoods but further back. Doubt anyone understood any of that... Whatever, I'm sure others do it. Works perfectly for me, especially with campy - thumb shifters are right by my thumbs.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x16/jkw1701/DSC03238.jpg

After previewing it, the pic looks massive. Sorry about that - just got photobucket...
How do I get it to be a decent size, and then if anyone wants to see full they can just click it?
Sorry for the hijack, thanks for the help. PM me if its too off topic

Dang that's a lot of shoes

^^^
If it is all his, maybe..... you can never have too much shoes.

Decent collection for a kid I guess. Only one pair of cycling shoes though :o

Surprised that people haven't commented on all the other stuff in the pic...
Managed to get the sizes down - can be done in photobucket at upload :rolleyes:

nice teddy bear in the corner

You SHOULD be slightly stretched out on the hoods, but not so stretched out that it's hard to reach the brakes or shift. Back in the day this wasn't the case, you rode on the hoods often...but now-a-days it's not the case. One reaosn you see alot of guys, pro-tour guys included, with their brake hoods way up is so they can stretch out yet still reach the brakes if needed.

Watch protour riders ride. You'll see them moving around alot. They use the hoods and the drops in many of the same ways, the drops being an extreme when cutting wind (as it is your lowest/most aerodynamic place). You'll see them on the hoods in packs/drafting(when they need to be near the brakes) but you'll also see them on them while cutting wind and alone getting low. Riding in the drops isn't always the most comfortable, even for protour riders who are properly fitted on a race bike.

Then again every rider has a different style. Watch Levi ride. He is in the drops ALOT. Watch Bettini ride. He is on the hoods alot. Watch the climbers, they are on the hoods out of the saddle. Both are small guys and have trouble finding frames that fit them. Look at Thor or any of the big sprinters. They are in the drops out of the saddle while sprinting but often on the hoods just riding along, rarely are big guys on the tops. Domestiques are on the tops or on what you call bar-ends often.

Also things like bike geometry, riding style, frame size/style, bar style/design, road consitions and your bio mechanics that influence all this. There is no right answer other than you should be moving around.

So ya, you are correct to assume you should be moving around on the bars. it's another reason they are shaped like that to give you many options over long rides.

nice teddy bear in the corner

It's actually a pig. it walks and makes pig noises...

I was going to be funny and take a pic, but the camera just ran out. aw well