Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Track drops on the street: thoughts

I picked up a cheap pair of Soma track drops off of CL this week as I've been riding exclusively with risers or bullhorns.

My first impressions: These have to be the most impractical and uncomfortable bars for street use. Their narrow size offers zero stability from a start position and lead to fatigue very quickly. I'm a little overweight (spare tire) and as such, the aggressive position they put me in was quite uncomfortable after only a few minutes. About the only thing I did like about them was the enhanced acceleration I got while in the drops. Other than that, for me at least, they're a track-only component.

Anyway, thoughts? Anyone prefer them for street use?

I concur.

Ive been using them exclusively for street use for about 4 years. I like them, got used to them, anything else feels weird to me.

I put on some b123's about two days ago.I absolutely love them so far. Makes riding my bike fun again for me. Yes, I spend 95% of the time on the top, but to me, that position is very comfortable. I love the way they look and IMO, there is nothing wrong with bolting a part on because you think it looks good as long as they work for you. FWIW, ive ridden road drops, bullhorns, risers, and finally my track drops. I prefer the look and feel of the track drops the most so far.

p.s. search next time. this has been discussed several times before.

p.s. search next time. this has been discussed several times before.

For some reason, the search function has been giving me totally irrelevant results. Secondly, I wanted to share my own thoughts on it. Can't contribute to an existing thread that I can't find, can I?:)

Yes, what IS up with the search function lately? I haven't had a proper result back for weeks. If I want to search the archives I have to find the cached Google versions. Is it like this for everyone, or just some of us?

Isn't it sad when Google yields better results for a site than its own search function?

Track drops such because of the curved tops for me. I'm not in the drops enough for them to be practica. Road drops on the other hand are a better deal for me since it has more space on top.

but for others it does work so that's good for them

im kinda sorta fat too, being in drops sucked. it felt like i was kneeing myself in the gut with each pump. mind you, im not even really that fat, unless you compare me to some boney hipster or pro racer....

i do think they look better, but theres something a little too hypocritical (in my situation) about them for me to use them. riding on the tops wasnt bad at all, but still, having drops and never using them seems lame to me.

risers ftw but id like to try some bullhorns soon.

Yeah, I don't see anything wrong with them for street use. Really I don't get fatigued with any of the bars I ride with... I don't know maybe it's because I'm not overweight. Good luck on what you decide though.

I greatly prefer road drops for both looks and functionality. You'll have to pry my brake hoods from my cold dead hands.

Flared randonneur-style drops are great...as far as I know. I've never ridden a road bike with anything else.

Yes, what IS up with the search function lately? I haven't had a proper result back for weeks. If I want to search the archives I have to find the cached Google versions. Is it like this for everyone, or just some of us?

yeahh whenever i search for something, it'll just give me the same threads that are on top of the forums... :crash:

LeCollectif and oneangrytoast, it sounds to me like both of you have your bars too low to ride comfy in the drops. If your knees are hitting your gut, that's a sure sign that your bars are too low, whether or not you have a spare tire down there.Riding in the drops can be comfy as hell if you have your bike properly fitted. But riding the tops 95% of the time completely destroys the point of the bars.

Track drops are fun for a little while, but I never kept them on for a long time. It's natural for people to stick their arms straight out when they're in the drops, but if you bend your elbows a bit and arch your back, they can get a little comfy. I think it's all a posture thing.

But for longer rides it's RB-21's for me.

I picked up a cheap pair of Soma track drops off of CL this week as I've been riding exclusively with risers or bullhorns.

My first impressions: These have to be the most impractical and uncomfortable bars for street use. Their narrow size offers zero stability from a start position and lead to fatigue very quickly. I'm a little overweight (spare tire) and as such, the aggressive position they put me in was quite uncomfortable after only a few minutes. About the only thing I did like about them was the enhanced acceleration I got while in the drops. Other than that, for me at least, they're a track-only component.

Anyway, thoughts? Anyone prefer them for street use?

I agree, why would I want to get used to them? Im sure I can get used to a thorn in my foot, but why would I want to do that? :twitchy: they're fun for a bit, but in the end they suck for the street.

Riding in traffic in the drops does not make sense. Your head is too low to see what the heck is going on around you. Yeah, I know some people have been doing it for years but some people also drive with their feet while watching porn and twittering their parents.

Track cyclists ride only on the drops.

Road cyclists spend most of their time on the hoods, not on the drops.


But whatever works for you, do it.

track drops suck on the street. road/rando bars with hoods are comfortable in every hand position, not just the 1 1/2 that track bars offer.

that's what I use and recommend, at least.
ymmv.

Track drops look best but are the worst if you're putting in a decent amount of miles. They seem to work better for people with relatively narrower upper body too since they only have one hand position on top right by the stem. If you can deal with one hand position on top go for it and even better if you can ride the drops safely but for street I would use something with more of an upright stance.

I've used the track drops and regular road drops, and found that I am far more comfortable on the track drops.

if you set them up right they're great.

no track bike is going to put you upright enough to really make seeing traffic easy. for long miles, drops are far better than risers, even track drops.

I've rocked a straight bar, oldschool roads (no brake hood mount things), flip&chops, RB-21's, and now track drops. I love them. But when I put my brake on for the century rides I'm going to get a set of road bars and rock the hoods. Nothing beats them.

Their narrow size offers zero stability from a start position and lead to fatigue very quickly.This isn't a characteristic of track drops so much as a characterisic of the size you bought.

You and everyone else saying they're too narrow simply need to size up.

I wouldn't ride in anything but track drops. They offer a nearly infinite variety of positions. I spend a lot of time on the imaginary hoods and a little time on the top but it's nice to have the option to tuck and roll when I want it.

Even if you only spend 1% of your time down in them that's a 1% opportunity you won't get without drops. And I guess the same goes for road drops but I feel like road drops have the positions too well-defined. I like to be able to move a couple of inches up or down without hitting a sharp bend.

This isn't a characteristic of track drops so much as a characterisic of the size you bought.

You and everyone else saying they're too narrow simply need to size up.

I wouldn't ride in anything but track drops. They offer a nearly infinite variety of positions. I spend a lot of time on the imaginary hoods and a little time on the top but it's nice to have the option to tuck and roll when I want it.

Even if you only spend 1% of your time down in them that's a 1% opportunity you won't get without drops. And I guess the same goes for road drops but I feel like road drops have the positions too well-defined. I like to be able to move a couple of inches up or down without hitting a sharp bend.

Wut?

road drops>track drops

always

disclamer: for street usage.

road drops>track drops

always

disclamer: for street usage.

i agree except for when i climb/sprint in the drops and get arm hickies (with the road bars)

road drops>track drops

always

disclamer: for street usage.


Even for not street usage... generally the only discipline that still uses the big curvies ("track drops") is the sprint.

Nowadays it's kind of a misnomer, IMO, because you see a lot more "road style bars" on the track than you do "track bars."

Even for not street usage... generally the only discipline that still uses the big curvies ("track drops") is the sprint.

Nowadays it's kind of a misnomer, IMO, because you see a lot more "road style bars" on the track than you do "track bars."

Yea I've noticed that too. Nothing gets sexier than some track drops though. Its more for style than anything.

Hey,

You might consider B125 if you don't like B123. Drop is shallower and drop position may become more viable.

I kinda like the curvy hoods that these have now. One position at the stem. One position on the drop. And one position to the sides, much like any other drop. There is another.

I press my hands against the handle bar in a way you give offering to some diety. My palms face up and toward my face. You have seen in Ben Hur.

Perhaps it has a lot to do with stem length and angle. I think track drops are picky about frame dimensions and stuff like these.

T

i agree except for when i climb/sprint in the drops and get arm hickies (with the road bars)

This is what randonneur bars are for (or at least why I like them). I've never actually ridden with a maes-type bar. I have one, and considered using it for the extra width at the hoods when I changed my bike's stem, but I do most of my out-of-saddle riding and climbing in the drops so it wasn't worth it.

i pretty much love track drops for the acceleration, way better than the risers i've used

For sure, when talking acceleration, they're second to none. While in the drops, the leverage they gave me made climbing so much easier. My knees aren't hitting my gut, but they put me in a position that prevents me from having a full field of view without neck strain. On the track, I can see why these are the bars of choice. On the road, they seem like a deathwish.

but how many times are you really accelerating to full speed when riding? on a long climb it'd be less than ideal to be in the drops since it inhibits full breathing

p.s. search next time. this has been discussed several times before.

So what if this subject has come up 20 or so times on this forum?

Almost every subject comes around scores of times.

I like to talk about them, and I learn something new every time I participate in a thread, whether the first time or the twentieth time.

And, for those subjects that come up again and again, and in which I have no interest, I do not participate in those threads.

So, thanks to the original poster for not using the search function (even if he did).

=====

Regarding the narrowness that bothered the original poster, I like narrow bars, and I find that if I ride with wider bars (for whatever reason) it takes me a little while to get used to the narrow bars.

Regarding the full dropped position, it offers only aerodynamic benefits.

If the OP felt more able to accelerate in that position, it probably means he had an inefficient fit in the upright position.

One could choose to ride with track drops in a track position for several reasons: all of them valid but not necessarily everyone's cup of tea.

Track drops and track frames put way too much weight on the front wheel for riding on the street, at least compared to a street-optimized bike.

Additionally, the weight-forward, spine-horizontal torso position provides an aerodynamic advantage at the expense of mechanical efficiency.

Track riders get away with this position because of the relatively short amount of time they spend in this position, and because they train for it.

And this represent a good reason for riding in a track position on the street: it helps on the track.

Otherwise, if a person does not race on the track, then riding in the weight-forward, spine-horizontal position has only an appearance benefit, in that it looks cool.

I don't say that to make fun of non-racers who ride in this position.

Different strokes for different folks.

For the street, it makes more sense to sit further back on the frame, so that the front pedal falls under the knee with the cranks in the horizontal position; and, further, for the street, the rider should have an erect enough torso position so that he or she could take his or her hands off the bars and keep riding.

And, as a matter of comparison, road racers ride with horizontal spines (when racing), but not all the time; and, they sit much further back on the frame than do track racers.

I ride with very narrow bullhorns, with my torso at about the same angle as the road racers when they ride on the horns.

When riding into a strong headwind, I bend my elbows and assume the drop position without any effort.

This works for me because I sit much further back on the frame than does a track racer, and so I don't need to mash, which means I don't need to pull up on the drops for maximum acceleration.

I bought the nitto track b123's two weeks ago and i love them! They are really comfortable, I really like riding in the drops so that fits me perfectly.

track drops are versatile... and are beautiful. besides, if you like how your bike looks, you become more inclined to ride it... which is the ultimate goal ... riding.

and not bangin' your forearms when you're sprintin up a hill in drops is always nice.

one thing many might not be aware of.. is the drops also serve a purpose when you're cruising for extended periods of time... they give you a chance to take some weight off your ass if you're becoming sore.

This is my-totally-subjective-opinion(tm), but I hate the look of drops without hoods. I also hate older-style levers and hoods (it doesn't help if they've already turned to slime and/or dropped off, earning the jargon "STI" a place before it's time). I also hate the thought of riding on drop bars without hoods, and yet I find myself spending less and less time on the hoods and more and more split between the drops and tops. The tops!? WTF am I turning into? There's barely any room on the tops of my old, narrow rando- bars in the first place! Actually I think it's because I hurt my wrist two weeks ago and couldn't put my hands on the curves/bends/whatever-you-call-the-first-turn-forward the way I used to. Plus I'm too #*$%ing busy to go for a ride longer than fifteen minutes and I haven't been out on the open road in ages.