Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - People with big tummy riding in the drops?

Ok maybe i am rocking a huge spare tire and no one else can relate. :cry:

:mad: i seriously hate kneeing myself in the gut when riding in the drops.

Luckily when i am cranking away i have to be on the hood because my shifters are on the stem. but if/when i get a fancy road bike with the brifters i will be in the drops more and dont think i will be able to stomach (pun totally intended) the gut kneeing. maybe i wont be as round by that time?

so whats a brother to do?

I'm working on ridding myself of my kegger..... and riding atop the bars until I lose the gut. I bought a bike with drop downs because I know that I'll eventually gain the flexibility and mad skills.... all in due time

Yeah, that was one reason I couldn't comfortably ride in the drops, but then I lost some more weight and now I can, so just keep riding and watching what you eat.

There's no rule that says you have to be in the drops when "cranking away". Even in some of our faster races, I'm only in the drops a percentage of the time. I keep my hands on the hoods mostly. If I want lower, I bend my elbows more.

i feel ya...i found it annoying as well, one part of why i opted for a hybrid for now.

Not sure what you are riding, but I know that I can shift my Shimano dérailleurs with my hands on the hoods. It is even possible to brake with my hands on the hoods. But, for real stopping power, then I have to go down. I rarely ride in the drops, mostly because it is uncomfortable down you-know-where. About the only time I really ride for any amount of time in the drops is when descending a long hill and I want my hands on the brake levers to modulate my speed.

cjc: I have a solution that I used. I replaced my stem with an adjustable stem and raised it all the way up so I can use the drops without any issue (or little issue if any). Try it!

Since you don't have that fancy new bike yet, make sure you can get the bars up high enough when you go shopping. I like the tops of the bars roughly even with the saddle, so the drops are down where you will need to reach for them. The problem is the teenage Lance wannabes at most shops chop the stem way down so they look like the TdF racers, and most average people need the extra stem length.

Keep riding and watch your diet, and it'll get better. Slowly...

when i used to (long ago) ride this bike i preferred the drops as it felt more comforatable and felt my weight was balanced equally over my butt, pedals, and hands.

and as a fat bastard I still feel in the drops the weight balance is more comfortable and i overall am more comfortable, but the gut kneeing gets annoying quick.

i guess this just means i will now have to eat healthy and better to loose the belly faster.

I probably spend about half of a typical ride in the drops, most of what's left riding the hoods, and a sliver of the time on the tops of the bars. The drops are the most comfortable position for me, in terms of my body, the amount of work my legs do, and my feeling of control over the bike. If yours aren't comfortable, I think that's a sign that you should adjust your bike. If you're kicking yourself, your bars are probably too low.


Not sure what you are riding, but I know that I can shift my Shimano dérailleurs with my hands on the hoods. It is even possible to brake with my hands on the hoods. But, for real stopping power, then I have to go down.

Why? I'm not picking on you, personally. A lot of people say this. I don't understand, though? I can lock my rear wheel whether I'm braking from the drops or the hoods, and I don't think I'm special.

I'm running a Soma 3 speed (moustache) bar flipped over with a Nitto Periscopa stem. It's not so much kicking the gut as it pushes my thighs apart and makes my knees hurt.

My bike has brifters and they operate best when I'm riding on the hoods. They are tough to work riding in the drops. It depends how they are positioned on the bars.

I only get into the drops when I'm going aero on a good downhill, brutal headwinds, or if I'm in a race.

I hear ya about the stomach being in the way. Athenas have their own spin on this problem.

Until this week I had been riding my faithful, trusty and s-l-o-w hybrid. It got me through 60+ lbs of weight loss and moving from gasping at a mile long ride to routinely pulling 30 mile rides.

But I finally wanted to try my hand at a road bike, in my case a steel-framed tourer, the Surly LHT complete.

I only find myself using the drops for going as aerodynamic as possible and that means when barreling down a steep hill.

While I'm 6 sizes smaller around the waist I still feel my thighs thudding against my remaining girth. Then I'm passing 25 MPH and thinking about that sort of stuff isn't smart. I have to pay attention to the road, and that's one of those zen moments.

Go with the bike you want to ride. Then go on a ride. The gut will disappear if you watch the portions and keep riding.

What I'm finding is that my gut getting smaller (20lbs so far!) is only half of it. The other part is that the more I ride, the stronger my core becomes - I also do deadlifts to help this.

When I first started riding more seriously (by my standards) a few months ago I NEVER rode the drops. But, as my belly shrinks and my core gets stronger, it seems I am riding them more often for longer periods. I actually got to the point where i upgraded my Soras to 105s specifically because of it. It may just be me, but it feels like I generate more power from the drops.

Ok maybe i am rocking a huge spare tire and no one else can relate. :cry:

:mad: i seriously hate kneeing myself in the gut when riding in the drops.

Luckily when i am cranking away i have to be on the hood because my shifters are on the stem. but if/when i get a fancy road bike with the brifters i will be in the drops more and dont think i will be able to stomach (pun totally intended) the gut kneeing. maybe i wont be as round by that time?

so whats a brother to do?

Easy. Either change your handlebars to let you ride more upright or change your bike to a MTB or Cruiser until the belly gets smaller as you ride.

Originally Posted by mymojo
It may just be me, but it feels like I generate more power from the drops. Theoretically this is correct. When bent over in the dropped position, especially with a straight back, the gluteal muscles are stretched, giving a greater mechanical advantage than when sitting up.

This article mentions this principle, but discusses more the specific of a bent back to a flat back.
http://kingbikefit.com/efficient-cycling-posture-part-1/

~Al

Why? I'm not picking on you, personally. A lot of people say this. I don't understand, though? I can lock my rear wheel whether I'm braking from the drops or the hoods, and I don't think I'm special.

I'm shocked at how many ride think they have to be in the drops. I do 95% of my riding on the hoods.

As far as stopping power, I'd say if you adjust the bike to do so, it stops fine from the hoods. I know several people that think they have to descend in the drops but I descend on the hoods. Hitting speeds of 30-42 mph on the GMR descent, I've never had a problem braking from the hoods....and I'm not a shabby descender.:p

On the hoods, even when I had to brake for the car.:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6jBSRAO4qY

Mr Beanz,

dude where is the GPS data overlay? i love that video and hope to get to your speeds one day.
your a guy that logs many miles and is in good shape, i am surprised that you ride mainly in the hoods? for me if it wasnt for the gut i would ride mostly in the drops as it feels more comfortable.

Mr Beanz,

dude where is the GPS data overlay? i love that video and hope to get to your speeds one day.
your a guy that logs many miles and is in good shape, i am surprised that you ride mainly in the hoods? for me if it wasn't for the gut i would ride mostly in the drops as it feels more comfortable.

Ha ha ha thanks! Yeah, I was telling Gina about the overlay and thinking I'll have to look into it. I'm not even real sure what's involved. I think it's through the Garmin. I'm always the last to know about the latest technology.:D

Yup, it's all about being comfortable for me. The more comfy I am, the better I ride even if it's going against the massive amount of members screaming "flip it".:p

Why would brifters have you on the drops more? I have brifters on 4 of my bikes and I ride on the hoods most of the time with very little time spent on drops, the rest of the time is spent all over the upper portion of the bars. I am on the hoods when I shift. I think shifting would be harder from the drops. I think when you get a new bike with brifters, you will be using the drops the same amount of time as you are right now.

I just got my bike a few weeks ago, so I'm still getting used to it. I ride 80% on the hoods, 15% on the top bar and about 5% on the drops. I'm 270lbs and haven't hit my gut in the drops yet. I wouldn't be too concerned, ride it however its comfortable. The guts probably gonna disappear anyway because of the bike!!

Why would brifters have you on the drops more? I have brifters on 4 of my bikes and I ride on the hoods most of the time with very little time spent on drops, the rest of the time is spent all over the upper portion of the bars. I am on the hoods when I shift. I think shifting would be harder from the drops. I think when you get a new bike with brifters, you will be using the drops the same amount of time as you are right now.

With stem shifters, the drops are probably the worst hand position for shifting, because you have the furthest to move. Take a hand off the bars, move it back up to the stem while you're leaned forward, shift, then get back onto the bars. With brifters, at least ones that are better than Sora, you just push your index or middle finger sideways to shift from the drops. It's very, very easy.

With stem shifters, the drops are probably the worst hand position for shifting, because you have the furthest to move. Take a hand off the bars, move it back up to the stem while you're leaned forward, shift, then get back onto the bars. With brifters, at least ones that are better than Sora, you just push your index or middle finger sideways to shift from the drops. It's very, very easy.

oh gosh when i do go to the drops i will shift two gears up just so i dont kill myself trying to reach the stem shifter. maybe i could just cover the shifter with rubber and use my teeth to shift in the drops?

Ha ha ha thanks! Yeah, I was telling Gina about the overlay and thinking I'll have to look into it. I'm not even real sure what's involved. I think it's through the Garmin. I'm always the last to know about the latest technology.:D

Yup, it's all about being comfortable for me. The more comfy I am, the better I ride even if it's going against the massive amount of members screaming "flip it".:p

still a newbie so the "flip it" flew over my head. i am always three steps behind technology too, i still was using a palm pilot two years ago. man, work meetings i was the butt of every joke, but i never missed a meeting (thanks palm)

btw i saw a video on the road forum where a guy had a overlay that was like a race car video game.

still a newbie so the "flip it" flew over my head.


Brief s'plaination: the latest stems for the handlebars are of the "threadless" style.

I have my stem in the up position so that it rises making it comfortable to my liking (positioned like the top red line).

Many times riders on the forum will see a picture of a bike like mine with the stem in this position. When they do, they say "flip it" meaning the stem so that it will be in the position and angle of the lower red line. That would be the race position, more aerodynamic and all that stuff.:D

The stem refers to the handlebar stem (marked with a thin green line)



212059

how am i supposed to focus on the stem with a view like that? thank you i see the meaning of "flip it" now. i will agree that you need to flip it as it the bike will *look faster standing still and thats what really counts on the internet ;)

i will agree that you need to flip it as it the bike will *look faster standing still and thats what really counts on the internet ;)

:roflmao2:

i will agree that you need to flip it as it the bike will *look faster standing still and thats what really counts on the internet ;)


oh and dont forget to loose the valve caps bro, its just extra weight slowing you down.

I was having the same problem today...hate to feel those knees folding my spare tire. ick.